So, I've been watching the Olympics a bit. And, I've been thinking a bit about it. It seems I have a few thoughts/comments about competitive sporting events.
The first is regarding swimming versus running. Why is it that there are multiple styles of swimming, but not multiple styles of running? Why don't they have an event where you have to run backwards, which would be a backstroke counterpart? Or, why isn't there a race where you hop on one leg, which would be more like a butterfly counterpart (just an awkward stroke in my opinion)? The closest thing I could think of was that there does exist a hurdling event, but other than that, what other individual running event is actually a different style of running?
Second, everyone complains about doping and drugs in the professional sports world. Now, I can understand if you want to make sure that professional sports are clean. But, in the Olympics, I honestly think that there ought to be an Open Olympics. There exists a Special Olympics for those that are disabled. I believe there should be an Open Olympics that are for those that want to be extra-enabled via whatever drugs/training/long-term doping tactic they wish to use.
I, for one, am really interested in seeing just how fast a human can run if they did do all the crazy drugs or doping. And, it would tell us what our drug/pharmaceutical technology has allowed us to achieve. We were able to travel faster as humans due to technology. We built rocket ships. How much more dangerous is doping than rocket ships? And, if the participant were fully aware of the dangers, then more power to them -- and the kicker is that we're not necessarily even talking about illicit drugs.
There are many competitions where competitors compete against others that are roughly at their rating level. And, along with those competitions, there exist open competitions where all the rating restrictions are dropped. I figure they might as well have an Open Olympics competition. This way there exists no allegations of cheating (insofar as drugs go), and we get to really see how far technological advances have taken us.
Ya, call me crazy, but I think it'd be worth a serious look.
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Baltimore and Sports Betting
I was in Baltimore recently for business, and the trip started off horribly. First, I lost my phone at the airport (it was my fault, I set it down on my roller bag and it fell off when I walked off). Then, I hopped onto a hotel shuttle only to learn that there were 3 hotels in the Baltimore Area with the same name.
I lucked out on both points -- the hotel offered to shuttle me over to my hotel for a fixed rate that was well below what a cab would have cost and someone working at one of the airport restaurants found my phone, which I then received the next day (I threw him a twenty in case anyone was curious.
Both training and the meetings I had while I was out there were really productive, so that was good. But, after all the day's activities, you can't just stay cooped up in a hotel. You've got to go out and have a little bit of fun too.
I went to several places during the week. On my final night there, I went out with a college buddy of mine (good ol' T-Bag). Anyway, I highly recommend two of the bars that I checked out: Brewer's Art (featuring their very strong, but delicious beers) and Pub Dog (super cheap $2 beers if you buy them 2 at a time). Also, went to Nick's Fish House for their Happy Hour on one of the nights too -- that place was alright, but I much preferred the other two spots.
Here is a pic of the harbor and also one of a water taxi that I took to work on one of the days. It's definitely not practical, as it took us about 45 minutes longer than a cab ride, since it wasn't a direct route. We had to get off and walk a fair distance to another pickup spot to catch another water taxi that would ultimately take us to our destination.
And, now, a quick blurb about my recent restart of sports betting with a similar experimental meta-system as I had tried in the past. For those who aren't aware, I was sports betting using a meta-system that started off great and then hit a bad streak that caused me to pull the plug at my break-even point.
Anyway, the amount I'm betting is pretty small (average bet has been $17.53). After 21 bets, the record stands at 12-9 for +$44.24. We'll see if this experiment is more successful than the last. Either way, it's a fun experience and (hopefully) should not cost too much if it ends badly.
I might as well put up the current bets that have already been locked in.
Win or lose, I'll try my best to update progress every now and then.
That's all for now.
I lucked out on both points -- the hotel offered to shuttle me over to my hotel for a fixed rate that was well below what a cab would have cost and someone working at one of the airport restaurants found my phone, which I then received the next day (I threw him a twenty in case anyone was curious.
Both training and the meetings I had while I was out there were really productive, so that was good. But, after all the day's activities, you can't just stay cooped up in a hotel. You've got to go out and have a little bit of fun too.
I went to several places during the week. On my final night there, I went out with a college buddy of mine (good ol' T-Bag). Anyway, I highly recommend two of the bars that I checked out: Brewer's Art (featuring their very strong, but delicious beers) and Pub Dog (super cheap $2 beers if you buy them 2 at a time). Also, went to Nick's Fish House for their Happy Hour on one of the nights too -- that place was alright, but I much preferred the other two spots.
Here is a pic of the harbor and also one of a water taxi that I took to work on one of the days. It's definitely not practical, as it took us about 45 minutes longer than a cab ride, since it wasn't a direct route. We had to get off and walk a fair distance to another pickup spot to catch another water taxi that would ultimately take us to our destination.
And, now, a quick blurb about my recent restart of sports betting with a similar experimental meta-system as I had tried in the past. For those who aren't aware, I was sports betting using a meta-system that started off great and then hit a bad streak that caused me to pull the plug at my break-even point.
Anyway, the amount I'm betting is pretty small (average bet has been $17.53). After 21 bets, the record stands at 12-9 for +$44.24. We'll see if this experiment is more successful than the last. Either way, it's a fun experience and (hopefully) should not cost too much if it ends badly.
I might as well put up the current bets that have already been locked in.
| Date | Sport | Game | Bet | Price | Wager |
| 10/8/2009 | NCAA FB | Nebraska - Missouri | Nebraska -3.0 | -110 | $16.50 |
| 10/8/2009 | MLB | Boston - LA Angels | Boston Win ML | -110 | $11.00 |
| 10/9/2009 | NCAA FB | LA Tech - Nevada | LA Tech +10.5 | -110 | $22.00 |
| 10/10/2009 | NCAA FB | Alabama - Mississippi | Mississippi +5.0 | -110 | $22.00 |
| 10/10/2009 | NCAA FB | Auburn - Arkansas | Arkansas +2.5 | -110 | $11.00 |
Win or lose, I'll try my best to update progress every now and then.
That's all for now.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Las Vegas and Le Cirque
Last weekend, I was out in Vegas for our annual trip during March Madness. A bunch of the usual group was able to make it, and there were some new faces this time as well. All in all, when the various groups were accounted for, there were around 12 of us.
Before I even got there, I had already lost $50 betting on Memphis. They got spanked. I figured I better try and win some back, so during our first meal together, we played some game where we'd choose a category and then a person and then make over/under bets on how many from that category the person could name without too long a lull. Some categories were famous aviators, serial killers, NFL quarterbacks, etc. I won a few bucks mostly betting against a certain someone. Not all of it was his fault... at one point, Mr. Tarek set a ridiculous line of 30.5 for the category of NHL players when the person doing the naming wasn't a hockey fan at all (I think he ended up naming 6 or 7 total).
There was a fair bit of negative EV gambling to start off the night. The first night Paul (some of you know him as Womper) and I ran good and started the trip up a fair bit of money. Paul was able to win a quick $750 at the quarter blackjack table as he pressed his bets a few times and managed to go 13 hands without a loss (there were some pushes, of course).
I did alright playing blackjack, but my big winner was playing Let It Ride. I was mostly playing $10, but then decided to go for $20 since it was getting late. So, I've got 3 $20's out there and I pick up K55. I pull a bet back, and 4th street brings a K. With a sure winner, the last two $20's stay put, and the river is a 5 for a boat. That paid a lovely 11:1 on $40, and since I was actually up a fair bit already before that hand, I was able to finish the night solidly ahead.
The next day was mostly recovery, as we were all up pretty late and indulging too much in the 'free' booze. At night though, we had our nice dinner at Le Cirque over at the Bellagio. Seven of us participated in what would be one of the best Vegas meals I've ever had.
Here are some pictures.
Mint Gazpacho with Bacon and Mushroom Foam Topping
Burgundy Snails in Garlic Herb Butter
Terrine of Foie Gras
Brioche to go with the Foie Gras Terrine
Risotto Topped with Truffles
Duck Magret
Sea Bass Wrapped with Crunchy Potatoes
Filet of Beef and Sautéed Foie Gras
Crème Brûlée
Chocolate Soufflé
Lemon Soufflé
Pistachio Cream and Chocolate Cake
Yuzu Cream and Strawberry Sorbet in Ice Bowl
Strawberry Sorbet, Foam, and Gelatin with Chocolate Bits
Strawberry Souffle and Sorbet
Plate of Goodies
I am a bit too lazy to write more, but it goes without really saying that the food was outstanding, and the service was great. We were all able to taste each of the different desserts, as we played a game where the various plates got passed all around the table. Also, all of us got a taste of the risotto with truffles... we purchased 4 orders, which they be split up into 7 bowls.
We had a nice view of the Bellagio Fountain show, and an unexpected bonus was that during dinner, we were able to see the Las Vegas Strip go dark for Earth Hour. Here's actually a pretty cool page showing some before and after pictures from around the world. And, we did see one of the Dallas Cowboys at the restaurant, but none of us really knew who he was. All we know was that he was a very, very large man.
Anyway, later on that night, a few of us (including the Tiffster herself) hit up Tao. The lines were super long, but her boyfriend (the smooth talking fellow that he is) was able to work some magic and allow us to skip the line. Tao was pretty nice and all, but I wasn't a big fan of horrendously overpriced drinks ($16 Red Bull Vodkas -- no thanks).
Fortunately, we were able to strike up a conversation with this one girl from Hawaii who was out there partying with a big party. She was super cool and hooked us up with a couple cups full of vodka, which we could then mix with whatever we could buy at the bar. So, that made things a bit better. There were also some mostly naked women with nothing on but pasties that were floating around in these tubs, and a lot of the drink servers were wearing nothing but lingerie... sort of reminds me of the attire seen at Vietnamese coffee shops.
After the club, a few of us played some craps, and we were quite fortunate to be at a table with this guy with his lucky shirt. He was the shooter for 15-20 minutes making 8 points. So, let's just say that we were all big winners. This more than wiped out some smaller losses I took earlier in the day from additional -EV gambling. Gotta love being at the table when the shooter has a golden arm.
The next day I played some low 1/2 NL poker, and won $240. NL isn't really my game, and nothing too exciting happened. The two biggest hands I had were flopped sets. I was able to get all of my money in with TT on a monotone QT3 board when a guy with the Ace flush draw attempted a semi-bluff. I called and did not get unlucky.
My other set, I should not have won as much as I did. I had 33 and the flop came AK3 rainbow. Somehow A7d 3-bet me on the flop and called my final bet that put him all-in. I guess I really shouldn't be surprised by this, as donks will be donks.
And, that's all I've got to say about this most recent Vegas trip. For those that went, if any of you want pictures, let me know. Check you all later.
Before I even got there, I had already lost $50 betting on Memphis. They got spanked. I figured I better try and win some back, so during our first meal together, we played some game where we'd choose a category and then a person and then make over/under bets on how many from that category the person could name without too long a lull. Some categories were famous aviators, serial killers, NFL quarterbacks, etc. I won a few bucks mostly betting against a certain someone. Not all of it was his fault... at one point, Mr. Tarek set a ridiculous line of 30.5 for the category of NHL players when the person doing the naming wasn't a hockey fan at all (I think he ended up naming 6 or 7 total).
There was a fair bit of negative EV gambling to start off the night. The first night Paul (some of you know him as Womper) and I ran good and started the trip up a fair bit of money. Paul was able to win a quick $750 at the quarter blackjack table as he pressed his bets a few times and managed to go 13 hands without a loss (there were some pushes, of course).
I did alright playing blackjack, but my big winner was playing Let It Ride. I was mostly playing $10, but then decided to go for $20 since it was getting late. So, I've got 3 $20's out there and I pick up K55. I pull a bet back, and 4th street brings a K. With a sure winner, the last two $20's stay put, and the river is a 5 for a boat. That paid a lovely 11:1 on $40, and since I was actually up a fair bit already before that hand, I was able to finish the night solidly ahead.
The next day was mostly recovery, as we were all up pretty late and indulging too much in the 'free' booze. At night though, we had our nice dinner at Le Cirque over at the Bellagio. Seven of us participated in what would be one of the best Vegas meals I've ever had.
Here are some pictures.
Mint Gazpacho with Bacon and Mushroom Foam Topping
Burgundy Snails in Garlic Herb Butter
Terrine of Foie Gras
Brioche to go with the Foie Gras Terrine
Risotto Topped with Truffles
Duck Magret
Sea Bass Wrapped with Crunchy Potatoes
Filet of Beef and Sautéed Foie Gras
Crème Brûlée
Chocolate Soufflé
Lemon Soufflé
Pistachio Cream and Chocolate Cake
Yuzu Cream and Strawberry Sorbet in Ice Bowl
Strawberry Sorbet, Foam, and Gelatin with Chocolate Bits
Strawberry Souffle and Sorbet
Plate of GoodiesI am a bit too lazy to write more, but it goes without really saying that the food was outstanding, and the service was great. We were all able to taste each of the different desserts, as we played a game where the various plates got passed all around the table. Also, all of us got a taste of the risotto with truffles... we purchased 4 orders, which they be split up into 7 bowls.
We had a nice view of the Bellagio Fountain show, and an unexpected bonus was that during dinner, we were able to see the Las Vegas Strip go dark for Earth Hour. Here's actually a pretty cool page showing some before and after pictures from around the world. And, we did see one of the Dallas Cowboys at the restaurant, but none of us really knew who he was. All we know was that he was a very, very large man.
Anyway, later on that night, a few of us (including the Tiffster herself) hit up Tao. The lines were super long, but her boyfriend (the smooth talking fellow that he is) was able to work some magic and allow us to skip the line. Tao was pretty nice and all, but I wasn't a big fan of horrendously overpriced drinks ($16 Red Bull Vodkas -- no thanks).
Fortunately, we were able to strike up a conversation with this one girl from Hawaii who was out there partying with a big party. She was super cool and hooked us up with a couple cups full of vodka, which we could then mix with whatever we could buy at the bar. So, that made things a bit better. There were also some mostly naked women with nothing on but pasties that were floating around in these tubs, and a lot of the drink servers were wearing nothing but lingerie... sort of reminds me of the attire seen at Vietnamese coffee shops.
After the club, a few of us played some craps, and we were quite fortunate to be at a table with this guy with his lucky shirt. He was the shooter for 15-20 minutes making 8 points. So, let's just say that we were all big winners. This more than wiped out some smaller losses I took earlier in the day from additional -EV gambling. Gotta love being at the table when the shooter has a golden arm.
The next day I played some low 1/2 NL poker, and won $240. NL isn't really my game, and nothing too exciting happened. The two biggest hands I had were flopped sets. I was able to get all of my money in with TT on a monotone QT3 board when a guy with the Ace flush draw attempted a semi-bluff. I called and did not get unlucky.
My other set, I should not have won as much as I did. I had 33 and the flop came AK3 rainbow. Somehow A7d 3-bet me on the flop and called my final bet that put him all-in. I guess I really shouldn't be surprised by this, as donks will be donks.
And, that's all I've got to say about this most recent Vegas trip. For those that went, if any of you want pictures, let me know. Check you all later.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
March Madness
Here's my bracket for this year's NCAA Tournament. I am not in any pools or anything, but some friends and I have one of those Yahoo groups set up so we can see how we do. A bunch of us will be in Vegas next weekend, so we should be able to watch a few games and make a few wagers during the Regional Semi-Finals.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
End of Sports Betting Experiment
Well, it was fun and somewhat educational while it lasted, but my sports betting experiment is over as of today. The meta-system suffered a bad streak going a miserable 25-39-0. The final tally is that I'm up 0.9 units, and sides/totals won at an unprofitable 51.2%.
Now, I'm confident that the idea of a meta-system that effectively weights 'winning' sports bettors has merit. However, the problem is an obvious one... figuring out which sports bettors are winners is probably just as difficult as handicapping the games.
I will probably give it another go in the future, but for now I'm going to stop, as it started taking up a bit too much of my time. At least I got to make use of the TV a lot more, heh. Another thing is that if I do give it another go, I will probably go tighten up my criteria so as not to put on so many plays each day. I think I was averaging 6 plays a day. Also, it seems that playing only the absolutely best rated plays and flat betting them would have been superior (in hindsight) seeing as there was still a little bit of profit even with only 51.2% win rate.
Anyway, that's all for now.
Now, I'm confident that the idea of a meta-system that effectively weights 'winning' sports bettors has merit. However, the problem is an obvious one... figuring out which sports bettors are winners is probably just as difficult as handicapping the games.
I will probably give it another go in the future, but for now I'm going to stop, as it started taking up a bit too much of my time. At least I got to make use of the TV a lot more, heh. Another thing is that if I do give it another go, I will probably go tighten up my criteria so as not to put on so many plays each day. I think I was averaging 6 plays a day. Also, it seems that playing only the absolutely best rated plays and flat betting them would have been superior (in hindsight) seeing as there was still a little bit of profit even with only 51.2% win rate.
Anyway, that's all for now.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sports Betting Update
Well, I guess it's that time again. Since the previous update, I haven't fared so well. I've put in over 100 more bets, and have actually shown a slight loss since that checkpoint. I could have reported some small gain, except that today my meta-system went a disastrous 3-6 for a loss of 2.6 units.
I don't have much time to put up fancy graphs, etc. But, here's a quick breakdown.
Straight Bets for Sides and Totals have won 52.9%, which isn't all that great, but at least it's not in losing territory.
Sides: 98-96-2
Totals: 22-11-0
Overall: 129-129-3 (includes ML, Combinations, Teasers)
ROI: 3.2%
Net: +8.3 units (where a unit = average bet size)
Change from previous checkpoint: -2.9 units.
ML Net: -0.9 unit
Combinations + Teasers: +0.3 units
Again, the total amount I'm experimenting with is incredibly small. But, even so, I get pretty excited about watching the games and sweating out close ones. I guess it's been fun. Anyway, I haven't reduced my betting sizes yet, but I am thinking about it.
That's all for now.
I don't have much time to put up fancy graphs, etc. But, here's a quick breakdown.
Straight Bets for Sides and Totals have won 52.9%, which isn't all that great, but at least it's not in losing territory.
Sides: 98-96-2
Totals: 22-11-0
Overall: 129-129-3 (includes ML, Combinations, Teasers)
ROI: 3.2%
Net: +8.3 units (where a unit = average bet size)
Change from previous checkpoint: -2.9 units.
ML Net: -0.9 unit
Combinations + Teasers: +0.3 units
Again, the total amount I'm experimenting with is incredibly small. But, even so, I get pretty excited about watching the games and sweating out close ones. I guess it's been fun. Anyway, I haven't reduced my betting sizes yet, but I am thinking about it.
That's all for now.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sports Betting Experiment Update
Here's the 100 game update for my sports betting experiment.
Overall: 54-49-2 (includes combinations, teasers, moneyline, etc.)
Sides: 41-36-1
Totals: 10-5-0
ML: 0-3-0
2-bet combinations: 3-4-1
Teasers: 0-1-0
Using average bet size as a single unit, we're at +11.2 units, and an ROI of 10.68%. The original bankroll for the experiment has nearly tripled at +177% over 23 days of wagering. But, it was a really small amount to begin with, since I'm not ready to put 'real' money on this sort of thing... yet.
Here's a quick chart to show the progress.
Prior to starting my experiment, I said to myself that if I can get 10% or more ROI after 100 games, I would increase my bet size. So, I think going forward I'll step up my bet sizes by 50%, and go back down if I suffer any serious string of losses.
I guess that's all for now.
Have a Happy New Year's, everyone. And, remember not to get too sloppy tonight. It was a rough 2008, but it's done and over with now. See you all next year.
Overall: 54-49-2 (includes combinations, teasers, moneyline, etc.)
Sides: 41-36-1
Totals: 10-5-0
ML: 0-3-0
2-bet combinations: 3-4-1
Teasers: 0-1-0
Using average bet size as a single unit, we're at +11.2 units, and an ROI of 10.68%. The original bankroll for the experiment has nearly tripled at +177% over 23 days of wagering. But, it was a really small amount to begin with, since I'm not ready to put 'real' money on this sort of thing... yet.
Here's a quick chart to show the progress.
Prior to starting my experiment, I said to myself that if I can get 10% or more ROI after 100 games, I would increase my bet size. So, I think going forward I'll step up my bet sizes by 50%, and go back down if I suffer any serious string of losses.
I guess that's all for now.
Have a Happy New Year's, everyone. And, remember not to get too sloppy tonight. It was a rough 2008, but it's done and over with now. See you all next year.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Sports Betting
Some of you know that I've been dabbling a bit with sports betting. Basically, I've come up with a meta-system, which unfortunately still has a fair bit of subjective influences. It's a meta-system because it is not based on actually handicapping games, but based on the weighted effectiveness of handicappers.
I figure this is not too much different than determining which Wall Street analysts are worth listening to, and which ones are full of hot air when it comes to their recommendations of certain stocks.
Anyway, I didn't want to share this until I had more bets under my belt. The sample size is way too small for now, but I've made 49 bets so far. The meta-system has worked out alright thus far. At this point I have no real confidence that it's good, bad, or useless. I guess if it was bad, then it would actually be good as you could always bet against it. If we were to assume that the average bet size was a unit, then after 49 bets, the system is up 10.85 units with bets ranging from about 0.75 to 1.5 units.
(Win, Loss)
All Bets (27, 22)
Sides (17, 17)
Totals (8, 1)
ML (0, 2)
Combo [2-bet parlays] (2, 2)
I've been keeping a spreadsheet of all bets, and I've been fairly diligent about posting up the picks each day before the games have been played. If anyone is interested in taking a look, please let me know, and I'll share the Google spreadsheet with you. Would also like to know if this is just really a stupid idea of mine too, if that's your opinion.
Well, I guess that's all for now. I am actually taking time off work until the new year. Going to head to SoCal for a week and then do nothing (except, maybe play some poker) the week after. Hope everyone enjoys the holidays.
I figure this is not too much different than determining which Wall Street analysts are worth listening to, and which ones are full of hot air when it comes to their recommendations of certain stocks.
Anyway, I didn't want to share this until I had more bets under my belt. The sample size is way too small for now, but I've made 49 bets so far. The meta-system has worked out alright thus far. At this point I have no real confidence that it's good, bad, or useless. I guess if it was bad, then it would actually be good as you could always bet against it. If we were to assume that the average bet size was a unit, then after 49 bets, the system is up 10.85 units with bets ranging from about 0.75 to 1.5 units.
(Win, Loss)
All Bets (27, 22)
Sides (17, 17)
Totals (8, 1)
ML (0, 2)
Combo [2-bet parlays] (2, 2)
I've been keeping a spreadsheet of all bets, and I've been fairly diligent about posting up the picks each day before the games have been played. If anyone is interested in taking a look, please let me know, and I'll share the Google spreadsheet with you. Would also like to know if this is just really a stupid idea of mine too, if that's your opinion.
Well, I guess that's all for now. I am actually taking time off work until the new year. Going to head to SoCal for a week and then do nothing (except, maybe play some poker) the week after. Hope everyone enjoys the holidays.
Monday, June 09, 2008
MMA for Bugs
If you like Mixed Martial Arts, you might also be interested in the arthropod equivalent. I am now presenting to you the coolest set of MMA videos ever... Japanese Bug Fighting!
Some of the coolest matches involve some really nasty looking centipedes. Anyway, here's one of a mantis fighting a spider.
Some of the coolest matches involve some really nasty looking centipedes. Anyway, here's one of a mantis fighting a spider.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
March Madness and Stocks
So, Coventry Health Care (CVH) just boosted its earnings forecast to a range of 3.92 - 3.98. The Reuters consensus was at 3.93. They also raised its revenue guidance to $9.2B - 9.55B. The Reuters consensus was at $8.7B. They also mentioned that they've already bought back 4MM shares of stock, and have increased their authorization to purchase up to 10MM shares.
The company is presenting at an investors' conference next week, and they report earnings some time next month. Good to see that the company is doing well. A shame that I only got only a third of my intended full position.
Tomorrow will be a somewhat antsy day for me as options expire, and most of the positions for which I have options-related decisions to make are trading pretty darn close to the strike prices.
And, now for March Madness. I usually suck at filling out March Madness brackets. I think the only time I did really well was back in 1998. It was a total fluke... I was the only person out of a sizable group to have chosen Kentucky to win it all, and that pretty much did it.
Anyway, here's my bracket for 2007. Click to enlarge.
The company is presenting at an investors' conference next week, and they report earnings some time next month. Good to see that the company is doing well. A shame that I only got only a third of my intended full position.
Tomorrow will be a somewhat antsy day for me as options expire, and most of the positions for which I have options-related decisions to make are trading pretty darn close to the strike prices.
And, now for March Madness. I usually suck at filling out March Madness brackets. I think the only time I did really well was back in 1998. It was a total fluke... I was the only person out of a sizable group to have chosen Kentucky to win it all, and that pretty much did it.
Anyway, here's my bracket for 2007. Click to enlarge.
Monday, February 19, 2007
A Day at the Races
After a fairly uneventful holiday weekend (mostly due to illness), QB and I spent today over at Bay Meadows in San Mateo. QB had never been to a racetrack, and I believe this was only my third time, the last being some 5 or 6 years ago. The two of us knew going in that we were likely to be betting losers, since neither of us had even an inkling of a clue when it came to assessing a horse's chances.
We were pretty conservative with small bets ranging from $2 to $5 and the occasional Quinella bet (none came through, though there were a couple of close calls. So, anyway I started off in a positive manner after coming out net positive in 4 of the first 5 races. Unfortunately, my luck changed for the worse and I ended up a $25 loser on the day. QB fared a bit better as she gave up only $15. It was a lot of fun, and we each got a free duffel bag due to a promotion the track was having.
Maybe we'll go back some time. We both really enjoyed the day, and all in all the total amount we spent isn't much different than if we went to watch a baseball game. Also, something that I never realized before is that there is a lot of running around. You have to go check out the horses on display, place your bets, and then get back to the viewing area all in a span of about 25 minutes... over and over again. It probably resulted in a decent workout since we always sat up at the top level bleachers.
If you've never been to a race track, check one out. It's actually pretty fun.
We were pretty conservative with small bets ranging from $2 to $5 and the occasional Quinella bet (none came through, though there were a couple of close calls. So, anyway I started off in a positive manner after coming out net positive in 4 of the first 5 races. Unfortunately, my luck changed for the worse and I ended up a $25 loser on the day. QB fared a bit better as she gave up only $15. It was a lot of fun, and we each got a free duffel bag due to a promotion the track was having.
Maybe we'll go back some time. We both really enjoyed the day, and all in all the total amount we spent isn't much different than if we went to watch a baseball game. Also, something that I never realized before is that there is a lot of running around. You have to go check out the horses on display, place your bets, and then get back to the viewing area all in a span of about 25 minutes... over and over again. It probably resulted in a decent workout since we always sat up at the top level bleachers.
If you've never been to a race track, check one out. It's actually pretty fun.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
The Weekend
This weekend wasn't too bad. Friday was pretty lame, because I ended up working late. But, Saturday night was full of fun. QB and I went out to a group dinner at Vaso Azzurro in Mountain View to celebrate the birthday of Eva... who is someone that we go party with from time to time.
The restaurant was small and fairly cozy despite it being quite busy when we arrived. The food was decent. It was flavorful and looked nice. But, it wasn't anything special. But, I felt everything was reasonably priced, so I'd definitely consider going back if I was in the area and wanted to do Italian. QB and I both ordered from their nightly specials list. She had the Risotto, and I went with the Lamb Shank. The third dish shown below is the Salmon Stromboli, which the birthday girl's boyfriend ordered (and, allowed me to take a picture of).
Lamb Shank
Risotto
Salmon
After dinner, we all headed out to Molly McGee's for some pre-clubbing drinks. Then, we walked across the street to Monte Carlo, which is a club dominated by Latin folk, since they have an upstairs salsa music room. The music was pretty good, but the drinks were way overpriced. The group was able to secure a couple of tables, which really made things easier. Because I know that Spud will ask me about it, I'll go ahead and tell him here... yes, there were lots of latina hotties at the club.
After we left the club, I figured I'd go and recoup some of the cash I dropped on drinks. So, we end up at the card room, where I play a couple of hours. I didn't make all of it back, but I'll take a 50% off night any night of the week.
We finished the weekend off with an uneventful at-home Super Bowl viewing. I'm glad the Colts won. I liked the Colts a long time ago (back when Ryan Leaf was QB). Too bad the last couple of years I haven't really been into football at all. Would have been nice to see a team you've rooted for finally come through and take home the big prize. Anyway, that about sums it up.
The restaurant was small and fairly cozy despite it being quite busy when we arrived. The food was decent. It was flavorful and looked nice. But, it wasn't anything special. But, I felt everything was reasonably priced, so I'd definitely consider going back if I was in the area and wanted to do Italian. QB and I both ordered from their nightly specials list. She had the Risotto, and I went with the Lamb Shank. The third dish shown below is the Salmon Stromboli, which the birthday girl's boyfriend ordered (and, allowed me to take a picture of).
Lamb Shank
Risotto
SalmonAfter dinner, we all headed out to Molly McGee's for some pre-clubbing drinks. Then, we walked across the street to Monte Carlo, which is a club dominated by Latin folk, since they have an upstairs salsa music room. The music was pretty good, but the drinks were way overpriced. The group was able to secure a couple of tables, which really made things easier. Because I know that Spud will ask me about it, I'll go ahead and tell him here... yes, there were lots of latina hotties at the club.
After we left the club, I figured I'd go and recoup some of the cash I dropped on drinks. So, we end up at the card room, where I play a couple of hours. I didn't make all of it back, but I'll take a 50% off night any night of the week.
We finished the weekend off with an uneventful at-home Super Bowl viewing. I'm glad the Colts won. I liked the Colts a long time ago (back when Ryan Leaf was QB). Too bad the last couple of years I haven't really been into football at all. Would have been nice to see a team you've rooted for finally come through and take home the big prize. Anyway, that about sums it up.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Let's Do Some Gambling
Okay, every now and then I gamble. Usually, it's on some trade. Once in a blue moon though, I'll throw some uninformed money on a sports game or two. Looks like we have a blue moon right about now.
I made two NBA wagers today:
LA Lakers at Houston. Houston Rockets -2.5 at +100
Denver at Atlanta. Atlanta Hawks +5.5 at +104.1
It's good to have some gamble in you.
*** Edit #1 ***
We're getting closer to game time, and a quick look at the current odds show that the wagers have moved against me. The bet on Houston can now be had at +104, and the bet on Atlanta is now listed at +135 with the confirmation that Joe Johnson will not play this game. This is what I get for being a sports betting sucker. But, it ain't over till the morbidly obese lady sings.
*** Edit #2 ***
O-fer. That's my name, don't wear it out. So, both bets went down in flames. Lucky for me, the bets were tiny. Still sucks though. Things were looking good for Atlanta in the first half, but they fell apart later on. And, the other game was pretty much meh.
I made two NBA wagers today:
LA Lakers at Houston. Houston Rockets -2.5 at +100
Denver at Atlanta. Atlanta Hawks +5.5 at +104.1
It's good to have some gamble in you.
*** Edit #1 ***
We're getting closer to game time, and a quick look at the current odds show that the wagers have moved against me. The bet on Houston can now be had at +104, and the bet on Atlanta is now listed at +135 with the confirmation that Joe Johnson will not play this game. This is what I get for being a sports betting sucker. But, it ain't over till the morbidly obese lady sings.
*** Edit #2 ***
O-fer. That's my name, don't wear it out. So, both bets went down in flames. Lucky for me, the bets were tiny. Still sucks though. Things were looking good for Atlanta in the first half, but they fell apart later on. And, the other game was pretty much meh.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Bocce Ball Night
Yesterday, I attended a company sponsored night of Bocce Ball over at Campo di Bocce in Los Gatos. I had seen the game played before, but I had never tried myself. Heck, I didn't even know the rules.
The game is remotely similar to shuffleboard. The first team throws this little metal ball called a pallino. After that's done, each team tries to toss their balls as close as possible to the pallino. After all the balls are thrown (order of throws is dependent on which team is currently closest), the team with the closest ball, gets a point for every ball closer to the pallino than the opposing team's closest ball. And, you're allowed to purposely knock the balls around, which adds a bit of strategy to the game. Anyway, the pallino is surprisingly heavy, and the larger balls are surprisingly light.
The game was really a lot of fun. I totally want to go play again, but I think it's the type of game that is most fun when played with a large group. I guess I'm going to have to solicit my friends and get a game going. If you've never played it before, give it a try if you ever get the chance.
The game is remotely similar to shuffleboard. The first team throws this little metal ball called a pallino. After that's done, each team tries to toss their balls as close as possible to the pallino. After all the balls are thrown (order of throws is dependent on which team is currently closest), the team with the closest ball, gets a point for every ball closer to the pallino than the opposing team's closest ball. And, you're allowed to purposely knock the balls around, which adds a bit of strategy to the game. Anyway, the pallino is surprisingly heavy, and the larger balls are surprisingly light.
The game was really a lot of fun. I totally want to go play again, but I think it's the type of game that is most fun when played with a large group. I guess I'm going to have to solicit my friends and get a game going. If you've never played it before, give it a try if you ever get the chance.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
An Exhausting Weekend
I'm going to make this weekend update quick, because frankly, I'm dead tired.
So, Friday, QB and I went to a BBQ, which was followed up with a party. It wasn't a big party, maybe a total of 18 people showed up. But, there was more hard liquor than there was beer, and it was roughly a 2:1 female-male ratio, so as you can imagine, it was pretty nuts. The food was great... there was all sorts of meat and grilled corn and asparagus along with plenty of side dishes. Lots of good times and lots of booty-shaking (to the music).
Everyone pretty much passed out by 2am. I didn't really pass out from drinking or anything, mostly just from being exhausted due to lack of sleep. Anyway, we left early in the morning before the sun had come up.
Saturday was a day of rest. Sunday was going to be a big day.
Anyway, that brings us to today. Got up early in the morning and headed to Cache Canyon for self-guided Level 3 whitewater rafting. It's really a lot of fun. Level 3 rapids are pretty much the highest level that you are allowed to do on your own. We got totally drenched and QB was thrown out of the raft once. She totally freaked out, but everything was fine. Some guy did require a trip to the hospital, since he dislocated his shoulder pretty badly when he was flung from his raft and onto some large rocks. After nearly 4 hours of fighting the rapids and all the muscling, we finished. The entire journey was only 9 miles, but it wasn't easy... it took 4 hours after all. It was an awesome time. If you've never tried rafting before, I highly recommend it.
We learned from our previous rafting experience, and we brought a change of clothes (including shoes). After getting into some dry clothing, we headed off to Cache Creek Casino to play some poker and have dinner. I played in a ridiculously soft 4/8 game with full kill. It was the biggest game that they spread, but man, talk about a group of players that had absolutely no clue. The players there made Bay101 players look like pros. The annoying thing about Cache Creek poker is their cards. They use the Jumbo Sized print cards, which makes it difficult to read your hand without peeling your cards way up. Pretty annoying. Anyway, won about 8 bets in a couple of hours, and then off to the buffet we went.
The food at the Cache Creek Buffet is decent. While it wasn't bad, it probably was not worth the $24. We totally stuffed ourselves with food, and then made the drive home. And, two and a quarter hours later, here we are... sore, sunburnt, and beat.
So, Friday, QB and I went to a BBQ, which was followed up with a party. It wasn't a big party, maybe a total of 18 people showed up. But, there was more hard liquor than there was beer, and it was roughly a 2:1 female-male ratio, so as you can imagine, it was pretty nuts. The food was great... there was all sorts of meat and grilled corn and asparagus along with plenty of side dishes. Lots of good times and lots of booty-shaking (to the music).
Everyone pretty much passed out by 2am. I didn't really pass out from drinking or anything, mostly just from being exhausted due to lack of sleep. Anyway, we left early in the morning before the sun had come up.
Saturday was a day of rest. Sunday was going to be a big day.
Anyway, that brings us to today. Got up early in the morning and headed to Cache Canyon for self-guided Level 3 whitewater rafting. It's really a lot of fun. Level 3 rapids are pretty much the highest level that you are allowed to do on your own. We got totally drenched and QB was thrown out of the raft once. She totally freaked out, but everything was fine. Some guy did require a trip to the hospital, since he dislocated his shoulder pretty badly when he was flung from his raft and onto some large rocks. After nearly 4 hours of fighting the rapids and all the muscling, we finished. The entire journey was only 9 miles, but it wasn't easy... it took 4 hours after all. It was an awesome time. If you've never tried rafting before, I highly recommend it.
We learned from our previous rafting experience, and we brought a change of clothes (including shoes). After getting into some dry clothing, we headed off to Cache Creek Casino to play some poker and have dinner. I played in a ridiculously soft 4/8 game with full kill. It was the biggest game that they spread, but man, talk about a group of players that had absolutely no clue. The players there made Bay101 players look like pros. The annoying thing about Cache Creek poker is their cards. They use the Jumbo Sized print cards, which makes it difficult to read your hand without peeling your cards way up. Pretty annoying. Anyway, won about 8 bets in a couple of hours, and then off to the buffet we went.
The food at the Cache Creek Buffet is decent. While it wasn't bad, it probably was not worth the $24. We totally stuffed ourselves with food, and then made the drive home. And, two and a quarter hours later, here we are... sore, sunburnt, and beat.
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