Carson, the Blog Labyrinth, and Water

Yesterday, I had a pleasant surprise. I noticed that Gary Carson has re-entered the blogisphere. Many will know Gary from his books, The Complete Book of Hold'em Poker and The Complete Book of Casino Poker. Others may know Gary for his famously informative and caustically witty posts on rgp. There are so many Carson posts that I treasure, this is just one that I picked out of the archives:

"Go back in the archives a few years and look up a debate about a call on the flop with pocket fours and a board of 893 (or something like that) and a family pot. Me, Sklansky, Mason, Abdul, were among those on the right side of the debate, Danny Boy and Badger on the wrong side. It's the 44 thread but covered more than one thread. Mason also made an article out of it for either CardPlayer or Poker Digest and I made a chapter in my hold'em book from it, and it was also a long thread on 2+2.

It's a historic thread because it's the one where Danny got all insulted by me asking him if he actually played poker (he'd had his picture in cardplayer and I didn't know it, so he was pretty insulted) and started challenging me to a duel.

Of course it's also historic because Mason and I actually agreed about something.

But, it's an example of where you're just flat out wrong.

Gary Carson"

Welcome back Gary!

The Labyrinth Over the Herd
Many diehard rgpers are looking for other alternatives. While the popularization of poker was good for many things, it has taken its toll on the rgp usenet group. Once the non-stop poker shop for thoughtful, and sometimes flaming, debate, it is awash with spam, site and affiliate pimps, and the clueless. There are still some gems in there, but it is getting harder and harder to sort through the rubble to find them. Instead of having a killfile option (which is harder to keep current than the Bush administration) they should have a livefile option. At this point, it would be a much shorter list.


I think that's one of the benefits of the poker blogging community. While we occupy separate internet space, we are figuratively and literally linked. Debate and discussion occurs like a progressive dinner party; a different course at a different house. On the surface, it seems like a fragmented approach, but it works as a collaborative labyrinth of thought. Poker bloggers share some cultural biases, but since one of them is independent freedom of expression, we are moderately protected from group think and herd mentality. After all, can you imagine Felicia Lee going along with the crowd if she suspected they were wrong? It would never happen. And since there is a developed sense of community, most flame throwers are kept in check.

Substituting Texas Springs for the Carribean
I never did make it to the Bahamas. By the time Paradise cooked up the plan, we had very few days of lead time to pull it off. But I appreciated the thought and we're working with some alternate plans for our little meet and greet. Of course the silver lining is that the dreaded bathing suit shop is behind me for the season. And since I now have the suit, I can hit some of my favorite Texas water holes. I know most of you think of Texas as some dry dustbowl, but there are just some beautiful spots for a dip.


Hamilton Pool was formed when a dome collapsed over an underground river, leaving this lovely pool and grotto. It's about 30 miles from Austin, but definitely worth the drive.


And if I want to dip in town, Barton Springs is a city favorite. It is located Within Zilker Park and the "pool" is about three acres in size and is fed from underground springs. It's an average 68 degrees year round, which makes it icily refreshing on those 100 degree summer days, and seemingly toasty warm in the winter.


Postscrpit: Gracie and I Both Learn about Boobs
Gracie at sheverb had a revelation this week; she realized that boobs were big blog sellers. She noted that her post on manatees got far fewer comments than her post on boobs. But my latest boob experiment was a veritable failure. Apparently they have to be women's boobs. Live and learn.