Roshambots are Coming!

Normally this blog stays very true to poker related subjects and products. However, there has been a very serious development in the side game of Roshambo that I would be remiss if I didn't relate to you, Wayward Searcher.

Honda is developing a device to read the minds of Roshambo players!

This research reveals that MRI-based neural decoding can allow a robot hand to mimic the subject’s finger movements ("paper-rock-scissors") by tracking the hemodynamic responses in the brain. Although there is an approximate 7-second time lag between the subject’s movement and the robot’s mimicking movement, the researchers succeeded in gaining a decoding accuracy of 85% . . . By utilizing such methods, it is expected that the same result could be achieved with less time lag and more compact BMI system devices.

Start using your tin foil poker hat for playing Roshambo today. Hemodynamic responses are a huge tell. Right now they are 7 seconds behind, but how long until they make up the gap, neurally decoding the brain as the throw is being made? Also, they are looking at 'more compact' systems. If someone wants to Roshambo you for $100, first check to see if they have a huge ass I-pod on their belt. If so, leave immediately. Especially if the headphone jack is plugged into their elbow.

Already, Phil Gordan is training himself to think rock while throwing scissors.

Perhaps HumanHead and the Mrs are early testers of this technology, and it is already in use . . .

The full article is here, without the spin:
ATR and Honda Successfully Develop New Brain-Machine Interface Creating Technology for Manipulating Robots Using Human Brain Activity

How to Protect Your Big Pocket Pairs

First raise preflop. Second get a card protector from PokerGuard.com For reasons I listed out two posts ago, I ordered a custom card protector from PokerGuard. In the previous post, I added my mock up, but no links to the site. The product was so nice, Wayward Searcher, that I'm going to recommend it and link it up here. I sent them the order on 5/1 and finished the images on the 8th. My order went into production on the 9th, and I received it on the 12th! They made it and it shipped faster than I could put the images together. I only did the minimum shipping freight for the US Postal Service also. It came in under $51.




They have many designs to choose from, which you can add a custom message to the back. There are standard round protectors with intricate images on them, as well as card shaped caps. I went with the double custom, and sent them images for the front and the back. I sent a mock up showing how they should be positioned, and they did a fine job of laying them out. There were two images on the front - the A shield and the word Meek. On the back, it had three images. A ring of text saying Meek's Poker Bank Roll, an outline of Ohio, and my signature. The sig and the outline were superimposed. It didn't seem to be a problem for them. They requested the images be bigger than 100kb to ensure a quality machining.

They added a couple more nice touches. The card cap comes with a felt pouch. The card protector is itself protected by a usable and unobtrusive acrylic case. So what is supposed to protect the acrylic case? I'm checking if I can add a viper card alarm that says "Please step away from the cards" in an authoritative voice. I hear it is a good option to have if you play in Detroit.

My trip to Iggy's office is coming up in three weeks. That will be the first live experience for this Troy Ounce of silver from PokerGuard.


PokerStars is doing the 5 billionth hand promotion. Every 5 million hands from here on (4.930b, 4.935b, etc), they give away $5k to the winner of the hand, and $2k to everyone dealt in on it. I'm stalking the hand count, and opening as many low limit tables as I can when it gets close. I figure each table gets about a hand every 7000 hands. One table would give you 1/7000 odds. two, 1/3500, and so on. Not so bad for a shot at $5k. It would be better to have a table that folded around on every hand right up to it. Just burn through them.

I think I've got a problem with this card protector now. I like this thing too much. I'm carrying it around in my pocket, but not showing it to anyone. I pull it out every once in a while to catch a peek. The next step is to start calling it 'my precious'

State of the Roll Address

A man in a gray suit approaches the podium and speaks, "Ladies and Gentleman of the press, please rise for the Player of the Poker Bank Roll"

Meek enters in a dark suit and addresses the press.

"My fellow poker players (and Wayward Searchers), this is a critical time in the life of the Poker Bank Roll. My Poker Bank Roll and I, we have endured recent hardships, bust outs, failed trials of new games, and unprofitable bonus chasings. We have reached a new low point, and are putting together a new plan towards the road to recovery. It is a hard road, not easily travelled. We will reach the land of continued growth, without asking for help from living expenses or other bank rolls, except for those that we bust. I ask for your support in the upcoming elections, that I may continue to play and grow this bank roll, and that we should all prosper. Ask not what your bank roll can do for you, but what you can do for your bankroll. Thank you very much."

Yes it is a hard time recently in the poker world for me. The Roll is down, nearing a thousand, after being up to three grand last year. I recently put a small amount into PokerShare to chase a bonus there, along with a PSO gift. For the $50 deposit, I had a $50 sign up bonus, as well as 9000 PSO points, which have a street value of about $90. PokerShare was recently added by PSO, and they had a shotgun start special to the first 5 players to sign up. I shot for this and missed, but still had a few nice incentives to go with. Until I started playing at PokerShare. For bonus clearing, I've become a $1/$2 limit HE player. My strategy comes mostly from Small Stakes Hold Em. However, with PokerShare, I've hit a large road bump. They are on the TAIN network, and don't have a lot of traffic. Also, it's based in Europe, so their peak times are during the day in the US. At peak, they might hit 3000, with 500 players for EST evenings. Also, most of the players are Aggropeans. Short handed no limit is the game. It's hard to find a limit HE game or a full ring game there. I do like to play NLHE MTTs, so I thought I'd try to find a full ring NL game. These do spring up occasionally. I put the full $50 on a table, and happen to sit down with Falstaff at a table. He and I get in a hand a little bit later with a third player. He hit a flush on the turn against my over pair, but he had odds to go for it with a third loose player staying in the hand. Yes, I did pay off his value bet on the river. It wasn't a big hit to my stack, though and we started chatting about one of his projects. A few hands later, I get QQ, and take the lose player for the ride. There is an A on the flop, and I donk raise the rest of my stack into the pot. It was a bad move. He had AK, I should have thought that half of his playable hands contain an Ace. Before I did it, I commented to Falstaff in another window that I was going to go broke here. At the same time, I've got a similar table open on UB, with all of my UB stack on it. I get QQ there. Three way all in preflop on that table and I'm up against KK and KK. I bust out of UB also.

At that point I take a walk. Busting out can happen, especially when I buy in at a table with my full deposit, so I reload for another $100, to chase the $50 I lost, plus the $150 coming in incentives. If I play even from here on out, I'll be up $100. With $100, I can open two of the $50 tables. While playing, I hit a set of threes and bust a small stack. I comment to PokerWolf in IRC, "I play poker to destack people with sets" He agrees that it's a great feeling. 5 minutes later, I see a flop with 7 3 from the blind, and hit two pairs. I think, how do I get all this guys money into the pot. Obviously he was thinking the same thing, having flopped a set of tens. I destacked myself there, and took another walk. I'm playing bad, but I can be honest about it.

Looking back, I'm probably doing something similar to what I'd read in a recent post (that I don't remember the source - I thought it was EvaCantHang, but no.) I'm playing NLHE as if I'm in an MTT. I'm trying to double up, instead of make money.

That is the State of the Roll. I can be honest about it. Not good, but I think I see the path to improvement. LHE with occasional NLHE MTTs. Maybe I'll play some micro NLHE to get the licks down, but not right now.

I dub thee 'Exalted Protector of the Cards'

Earlier this month, the heads up Goddess ran the Heads Up Challenge 3. Will Wonka took first place in this event and part of the prize package was a customized card protector. If you recall a previous post on this site, (of course you don't, Wayward Searcher, I know you only stumbled across this poker blog with your search for 'extra large rainbow colored stretch pants caught in dryer' mysteriously dropped you here.) I was in the market for a customized card protector. Having recently found a legal poker room down the road in Bellefontaine, Ohio, my desire has since increased.

Crappy cards look so much better with a one ounce piece of .999 fine silver on top of them. Furthermore, that talisman actually helps to attach a table image to yourself. There is a post on another blog that references this concept. Other players tie your actions into that hunk of metal, and better remember what you are trying to show them. If you fold for a half an hour and then suddenly put your card protector out there on the cards, they more easily remember that you haven't played many hands.

Luckily, Veneno is within my rather small circle of communication (College-educated talk for I got her YIM id (Nerd talk for Puedo hablar con ella (Spanish for I know how to reach her))) and she pointed me in the right direction. After going through the company's website, I've settled on the custom image double side protector. I've placed my order, but I'm waiting for them to ask for my customized graphics. Here is the custom design I am going to submit.



Note: My signature will be on top of the outline of the state of Ohio. I thought it would be wise to remove it from public display on the internet. Poker is rigged, and people steal your identities, or so I hear.

I'll do my best to keep you, Waywaryd Searcher, updated on the progress. If anyone has experience with these guys, please let me know in the comments. Their site was lacking on examples of drawings turned into custom protectors.

My last post (or you could just page down instead of hitting the link) was a review of the Chip Tree from H2I. I've noticed that they reference my review, and put it second, below Biggestrons! However, they pulled out the lame "well built chip display" as the quote. I thought they'd go with "looks like it can withstand several forehead slaps." or "If you constantly have idiots at your homegame (and you should) who need to be reminded the value of the chips, this is the product that will do that." but alas, they did not. I will email them to see what their line of thought was. If not for laziness, I'm guessing they needed smaller endorsments.