Feedback is appreciated. :)

-Tass

I'm sure you've all seen the video db by now... but if not, I recently had the idea to do a vlog of general gaming tips geared for flash and casual gaming. Recorded and posted the first episode last night:

http://www.flashflashrevolution.com/videos/index.php?songid=4832

Future topics will be far less intuitive, and there may also be guest speakers for specific topics. Open to suggestions and feedback. Have already gotten some good stuff from the YT comments, Kong thread, and Vid DB comments.

-Tass

So, once a month at my local lanes there is a 6 game scratch tournament. Scratch means that there is no handicap, and the highest total pinfall over 6 games wins. I used to bowl in this tournament every month, until I broke my finger, then seemed to be in Philly or Florida or Vegas every time the tournament was held. I've probably bowled in it twice in the past year.

$40 to enter, which covers lineage (money to the bowling alley), side pots for each game ($2 per person per game for the highest score each game), and top set ($2 per person per 3 games, for the highest total pinfall over the 1st 3 and 2nd 3 games). Optional brackets were also run, at $5 per bracket (brackets are where you get put into an 8-man bracket, and bowl 1-vs-1 for that game, winner moves on. At the end of 3 games, each bracket has a winner. Pays out 1st and 2nd place. I entered 2 brackets for each set.) Total cost: $60

The oil pattern used for the tournament was... unique. A specialty sport shot designed by Kegel (the company that makes the oil machines and a lot of other bowling equipment and testing services) called "The Hourglass". Just as you'd imagine, there is oil at the start of the lane, then it tapers dry halfway down, then it gets oily again out to about 43ft. Pretty much it's oil, no oil, oil. The ball rolling down lane had some very peculiar movements. It would roll, then grip a bit, then start skidding again, only to finally start to grip and hook 15 feet from the pins.

I just got a new bowling ball on Thursday, after throwing the same particle ball for 8 years (the Monster by Brunswick)... got a Pin Slasher by Ebonite. Had my span increased a bit to get more revs, and had them shift the pin placement for a later roll. They kept the axis about the same. Also tweaked my left-to-right on my finger holes to let up a bit of tension on my middle finger that causes pain after bowling too many games.

OK... so funky oil. Took me all of practice and about half of the first game to figure out this pattern. Had 1 open early, with a real shank on a 10 pin (I'm a lefty, so 10 pins are REALLY easy), then 2 doubles late to finish with 195. About 50 pins back of 1st after the first game. 2nd game, I pick up right where I left off in the first, playing about straight up 8, hard, with a lot of loft and more revs than normal. The loft allowed the ball to ignore most of the dry spot in the middle of the lane, and react fairly normally down lane. The long length of oil allowed me to get some extra revs on my ball while still holding the line. Wound up shooting 215 with a chopped 2-4-7 in the 8th. About 40 back of 1st now.

3rd game I'm really feeling it, moving left a bit to keep up with the breaking down of the oil (there were 2 lefties in the group ahead of me, another on my pair, and 1 more in the pair 2 ahead of me). Was playing about straight up 5 now, and wound up with a nice 224, even after a split in the 1st frame. 634 1st set, 24 back of 1st place. Also took the 3rd game side pot for $22 and won both brackets I entered for another $15 each. 4th game was money. Started off with a 4-7 through the nose, then reeled off 5 in a row, followed by a 2-4-7 through the nose and another 4 in a row, then a split in my fill ball. 264 game... which didn't even win my the side pot. Some guy busted off a 280. Either way, I was now sitting in 1st place, 9 up on the 280 guy. 5th game was where I ran into trouble. The lane was transitioning on me big time, and after starting with a double, I couldn't control my ball. I went high on pretty much every spot the rest of the game. Had 1 open and 0 strikes the rest of the game... 187. The guy 9 back rolled a 228 and was now 32 up on me going into the last game. I was a solid 2nd, 13 up on 3rd place (the 658 guy from the 1st set). Luckily for me, the 6th pair of lanes was oilier than the 5th, and my ball was holding pocket perfectly. 10 pin in the first, double, 7 pin, turkey, 7 pin, turkey, 10 pin in my fill ball for a 247. The guy ahead of me only shot a 181. I took the 6th game side pot for $22, the 2nd set pot for $22 with a 698, and won the tournament with a 1332, or an average of 222 over 6 games (worth $100). 2nd place was 1298, +80 of those from one game.

Only 11 guys in the tournament, but a win is a win. Not to mention $196 bucks off of my $60 investment. And some major confidence with my new ball.

-Tass

Last time I was in Vegas, the Venetian was running a daily noon $150 tournament that drew about 100 people. Solid tournament, good blind structure, etc. All around well run tournament. So I went there yesterday to enter it and have some fun... only, when I get there, it turns out they're running a 3 week long Deep Stack Extravaganza, and the day's noon tournament is $340 and not $150. I decide to pony up the extra 200 bucks anyway and enter, especially when I find out that there would be 300+ people. And, since I'm a fairly tight player, deep stack poker is more appealing to me than shove poker.

Everyone started with 12,000 in chips. 40 minute rounds. 25/50, 50/100, 100/200. Then antes kicked in... 100/200 + 25, 200/400 + 25, 300/600 + 50, 400/800 + 75, 600/1200 + 100, 800/1600 + 200, 1000/2000 + 300, 1500/3000 + 500, etc. Break every 3 rounds, dinner break after round 10.

So I play tight the first few rounds until I get jacks in late position still in the first round. Raise to 150. Guy to my immediate right re-raises to 600. He seemed fairly bright from talking to him for a few minutes, so I was already worried my jacks were no good. I call anyway, since it's real early and little extra relative to my stack. Flop comes jack-x-x for top set. I check, knowing he'll put out a continuation bet from his re-raise. He bets 1000. I think for a bit, inwardly giddy, and re-raise to 3000. He insta-shoves and has me covered. I, of course, insta-call... rainbow flow, no straight draw, sitting with top set. He has to have an over pair. And he shows Kings. Trip jacks hold up and I'm up to about 22,000. From there, I go about 3 full rounds (2 hours) without seeing a decent hand, except for getting river'd twice. I'm back down to about 13k and it's now into round 4.

I get moved, and show a little strength upon sitting down, but the table is far more active than my first table. Get back to about 25k. Then I go another 2+ full rounds without a single decent hand and am back down to about 17k. At which point, all my waiting finally pays off and I get a string of good hands that hit and see myself around 40k going into the 3rd break, with about 100 people left. I'm a little under chip average, but healthy.

Upon returning for round 10, 40 minutes from the dinner break, I get moved to a 3rd table... and get some decent hands that cost me a few grand each, and 1 bad play that costs me 10k. Now I'm down to about 18k at the dinner break, 73 players left.

Back from dinner and a poo, we all know that we're the next table to break (again), and with the blinds at 1500/3000 with a 500 ante, I'm going to be eaten alive very quickly unless I make some moves. I push all in with Kings, the best hand I'd seen all tournament, and get no callers. At least that 1 shove got me an extra 9k chips, back to 25k. Then the table breaks.

To my 4th table, I get nothing and am quickly back down to 19k, looking for anything I can push with. I get JQo in mid position, and decide that's the best I'll get. Folds around to the big blind who is an absolute hick idiot who I'd played with at another table... who LOVED to protect his big blind. He knows I've been playing tighter than a 12 year old, yet decides to call my 16k all-in raise over his BB with A7o (for 3/4 of his stack, no less). Of course, his A7o holds up and I'm out in 56th. 9+ hours of playing, only 2 or 3 bad plays, imo, hours and hours of nothing cards... and I go home empty handed. That sucks big time. Only the top 27 got paid out.

Oh well. There will be more trips to Vegas with more tournaments at the Venetian. I was also at a table with a pro I recognized from TV for about an hour... but I couldn't recall his name for the life of me. Middle eastern guy.

-Tass blog.

So, not only is today my birthday... but my YouTube channel reached 1 million plays. 137 videos... 1 million total plays. 145,000+ of which from Super Stacker 2. 27 over 10k, 41 over 5k, 94 over 1000. Not too shabby.

Did half a million plays in the past month... so I guess the goal is to reach 2 million before tax day. Been doing 20-25k plays a day recently. Also slowly creeping up on 1000 subscribers.

http://www.youtube.com/tasselfoot

-Tass