Yesterday’s tournament was just a total waste of time and money, no hands, only $3k in chips to start, have high cards and the board is low, have low cards and the board was high. Didn’t last long so headed to cash. Things finally broke around midnight and I knew that being stuck in neutral was gone. Woke up this morning excited about playing in the $1k event today.

It was a great poker day. No great hands, just great reads and great play. That really matters. This poker gig, I’ve decided, is mostly trying to minimize your mistakes and capitalize on your opponents. A case in point. My big blind and I’m already in for $1,200. There’s already $4,500 in the pot, my opponent bets $3k, I look down at 9 7 of hearts and am getting a great price for my money. Flop is A 9 5, two hearts, I check, he bets small again, $4,000, so I call. Turn is the Jack of hearts, I’ve hit the flush., I fire, he calls, river is another heart and we both check. He turns over a set of aces, THREE ACES, why did he let me in so cheap and why did he make it so cheap to get my hand … great for me.

There are 25 left out of the 220, money started at 27, and we return tomorrow at 1 p.m. Avg. chips is 60k and I’m double that, gotta get some sleep …

Slow poker day and played a lot of cash. Good thing I like the food on the cash floor. A guy at the table asked me about the event, I told him about it, he said who was on your table and I told him. He says “I heard some lady laid dowwn a boat of aces full against Matasow’s quads, who was that?” I said that would be me. He says great read. Later in a hand together he tries to bluff me on the river, representing a straight and I had two pair. I said “well, sir if you were calling me all the way down for an inside straight, then the river is your miracle card, but I call.” He had junk. And then he gets mad and leaves the table. People are strange, do they think those reads only go when playing boats against quads, geez.

Well its been an interestring poker run while in L. A. I did an interview with A and E for a show they’re doing and they asked if I considered myself a student of poker and I told them honestly, “I think even Doyle Brunson would consider himself a student of poker.” And I believe that to be true. I hate the bad beats, I hate the long hours, I hate being away from my family but I love what poker is teaching me.

Today’s Celebrity Invitational was rough, got one of those hands which can catapult you in a tournament, flop top set of 7’s and get pushed by Kings who catches a K, a two outer on the river. It happens but it breaks you. Then had a hand where I laid down an Ace on a K K 4 A K board to Matasow’s all in as I smelled quads .. and was right, but those kinds of boards cost you dearly. So frustrating that I couldn’t recover from same .. oh well .. learning lots.

Incidentally, love where my game is now, more confident than I’ve ever been and that is a good thing .. bad for my oppoinents, but good for me. Ha. Goodnight ..

I’m back in Hollywood doing what people in Hollywood do … television things. At noon today being a guest pro on a show called “Call the Floorman” which airs on KCAL, a California based station of 7 million viewers.

Got business meetings all day tomorrow, and everything closed yesterday so today is my day to get it all done. Headed back to L A on Thursday for a jammed filled few days.

Our friends at WomenPokerPlayer.com are back online with a great new site and magazine, hope you will follow her there. She has this cute cartoon on the site which made me laugh out loud so be sure and visit her site ..

Since I was gone for Hayden’s 19th birthday we celebrated today. We got a cake yesterday and decorated with candles and sang a very painful song. We are going to walk next door to our neighbors who have been there through all of the lost birthdays and release balloons. I asked Lincoln and Sierra why they wanted to release balloons on his Birthday and he said “because maybe they will reach him.” Maybe so, but he knows we’re remembering him … Happy Birthday Hayden.