Why Do I Keep Getting Sucked In?

As much as I enjoy playing the game with my buddies, I hate watching poker on TV. I find all the "stars" to be really annoying and whiny, the commentary to be un-funny and the drama contrived. And the way players celebrate when they catch a card on the river is comical - they didn't do a damn thing to warrant such a reaction. They didn't train, they couldn't play defense - they just stood there with a stupid look on their face and got lucky. There is a reason they call it gambling. The main thing I'm rooting for with every telecast is a gas leak. Every time I turn to ESPN and see that poker is on I wonder if there isn't a Division 3 basketball game that could be shown instead. But, at the same time, I'll stay on the channel for a few minutes and watch a couple hands.

Why do I fall for this, time and time again? I think it has to do with the fact that the tournament is pre-taped and edited for time weeks in advance. Playing poker can be boring in person if no one catches any cards for an extended period and you just start passing the blinds around. Watching it in those circumstances must be excruciating. What ESPN does is cut those hands out, so you only see the hands where something happens. It really speeds the whole thing up. I wish I could do this in real life. The other factor that pre-taping helps is knowing when the show will end, which is very convenient. The last two minutes of a football game can last for 45 minutes. If you turn on a poker tournament at 11:58 and one guy is short-stacked and goes all in, you know he's about to lose. This will be wrapped up at 12 o'clock, no matter what the guy catches on the flop. That is just a handy bit of information to have. If they only showed the cards and not the people then all our problems would be solved.

-So, my sister and her husband have been trying to sell their house without much luck. They received a couple nibbles, but nothing serious and had resigned themselves to renting the place out for the time being. But, last weekend my mom gave them a St. Joseph statue to bury in their yard. They buried the statue on Saturday and received a formal offer on Monday, which they accepted. Chalk another victory up for Irish Voodoo.

-Happy 61st Birthday, Dad!!