An Anecdote About a Bad Beat

The majority of poker players will experience what they consider a ”bad beat” in texas hold’em poker at some time in their career. The question is what constitutes a bad beat and how does a professional avoid such an occurrence?

According to the Poker Bible written by my other half, Mark, the definition is as follows: -

An irrational play that wins. It usually involves a call after significant action and where the probability of the underdog reasonably or rationally thinking they have best hand is extremely low. And also where the actual percentage of  the underdog having the winning hand is extremely low.

One way to avoid getting a bad beat is to become a student of the game and thoroughly learn how to play texas hold’em. There are many avenues and means of doing this and once you have mastered the basics you will be more able to survive the bad beat and come out on top.

Berry Berry Nice!

After having a little scare with high blood pressure, both my other half and I have started to eat a lot more healthily. This has included the introduction of berries into our diet.

I’ve never been a huge berry fan but since we have started eating more of them, I have come to realise just how tasty and healthy they are. For breakfast we usually have a combination of blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and bananas topped with yoghurt.

The blackberries remind me of a childhood anecdote, where our parents would take us out for hours on end picking wild blackberries just outside the city. They were sweet, sticky and delicious. Despite the thorns we had to endure to get to the tasty fruit in the bushes, the end result was well worth it.

It’s memories like this that make it all worth it in the end.

Summertime Anecdote

The first six months of 2010 have been the hottest on record – around the globe! And believe you me, in our little town I have felt the steam. It is nice to be able to venture out without a coat or a brolly and the summer is over all too quickly, so why not enjoy.

It is a little disconcerting though because there’s the looming concern of global warming and the effect it is having on our weather. So as much as I adore being able to hang outside and bask in the Sun’s warmth, it concerns me…

I remember a summer back in the UK in 1976. It was so hot cars were sinking into the tarmac on the roads and schools closed with no air-conditioning back then. The temperature topped 90°F (32.2°C). To add to the misery of a heatwave, we were also in the middle of a drought and with the water shortage, it was complete madness!

Luckily we all survived, so no doubt we’ll survive this one as well. Trouble is I’m not so certain that our Earth will be as resilient the next time round.

An Anecdote About a Bus Ride

I hate taking the bus…All right, “hate” is too strong of a word but I’m not a fan of buses. So when my car broke down and I had to find other means of transportation, I dreaded the thought of having to take the bus.

My first ride ended up with me getting off at the wrong stop, thus prompting this week’s anecdote. In our area the buses run on a flag-down system, which means that you can hail one down anywhere along the route, as long as it’s safe for the driver to stop.

Getting off at the wrong stop was the least of my worries. We ended up having to hike across what was an actual dual carriageway (four lane highway), to get to the final destination. It was madness!

After finally arriving at our destination and cooling down after a hike and a half, on what was probably the hottest day of the year so far, a light bulb went off in my head. The walk from the bus stop was great exercise and I had survived it with very little after-effects. The return ticket on the bus was $2.50 – pittance compared to the buses back in the UK or even New York, where we lived for twelve years.

So the bus ride put it all in perspective. We had saved money, burned off a few calories and lessened our contribution to the gaping hole in the ozone layer.

All in all, I’d say we’d done good!

Relaxation

I have always felt that my personality leaned towards being bundled up with rubber bands. So tightly wound that the muscles in my shoulders would be all knotty and the vertebrae in my neck and back scrunched down one on top of the other. My chest sometimes felt so closed in, I was afraid that my heart would just burst through to escape the pressure.

In this week’s anecdote blog, I want to explore the various ways one can relax and by doing so, create a more zen-like existence.

For me just going for a brisk walk does wonders for my inner spirit and general persona. During these walks, I am able to clear my mind and therefore enabling a more logical thinking process to take the place of confusion and stress. Also, the physical exertion helps alleviate the pain in my back and shoulders. I can also release the tension in these areas by gently stretching before my walk.

Let me know your thoughts on this anecdote and if you have any other ways to relax and create a more calm existence.

Just Rude!

This weeks wWall contains a quick rant in the form of an anecdote. I am a firm believer that people are actually getting ruder and ruder. We live in a very touristy area and for some reason, people believe that when on holiday, it’s quite all right to leave your manners back at home.

It amazes me that, the simple polite task of moving out a person’s way when you are clearly blocking their path, has been lost. Even if you use the excuse that you were distracted by the amazing sights and sounds of our little town; marching down the road in a straight line and not budging an inch to allow a couple now in a single file to pass, is inexcusable.

Just remember that when you have trampled through this town and returned to your home, we will still be here. And leaving a good impression on us is key to you enjoying your next visit. So although we know that you are confused and not used to our higgledy-piggledy town, at least use some common sense and when you see us coming, give us a little room!