Beyond Reality TV

Have I mentioned that I like reality TV?  :)  Well, I do.  I watch the Real Houswives of New Jersey (love it!) although I don't dig those Atlanta and West Coast wives.  meh.  My fave reality shows though, are the competitive ones like Top Chef and Survivor.  Anyway, I recently stumbled on a "new to me" poker blog that feels like reality TV mixed with poker and blogging.  Sign me up! (to read it, not live it)

The blogger is a grinder who lives in Vegas and is trying to build up his bankroll and just quite frankly, survive, living out of rooms at the IP or wherever, as he has to move every five days or so.  Imagine living out of a hotel room long term.  Doing laundry or getting a haircut isn't as matter of fact when you're living out of the IP.

So of course the blog is about his trials and tribulations at the poker table (which I obv love) but it's also about his personal struggles.  He's autistic, he's trying to find a girl friend, he seems quite afraid of being robbed, oh and I think personal hygiene might fall into this category as well.  :)  Honesty is very fascinating to me.

When I started reading (mebbe a week and a half ago) Tony, had a bankroll of $9,800, and he wrote about how he was too afraid (I don't know that "afraid" is necessarily the right word, apprehensive maybe) to move up to $2-5 NL as well as to play any tournaments in the $200 range.  "Really?" I thought.  "With that kind of bankroll?"  Obv, I had to leave my two cents a comment.  I couldn't conceive of how a person with a roll of $9,800 would think that way.  My bankroll is considerably less, which I think I told him.  Anyway, the $9,800 wasn't just his poker bankroll, but his entire net worth.  Ohhhhhhhhhh.  I keep my poker bank roll absolutely separate from everything else.

Unfortunately, he's now down to $6,600 according to his blog, TBC's Blog About Grinding blah blah blah and according to his tweets he may be down to $5,500 now.  He lost the lion's share of this playing what I think is video black jack.  OMFG Yep, those machines, which he thinks/thought he could beat.  I detest any kind of machines, whether they are slots/black jack whatever.  They are designed for the house, not for the player!  You can rest assured I gave him my opinion about playing machines.  Erm, I dunno if I should've.

That's when he replied saying maybe he should move from Vegas to the East Coast so we could hang out and play poker. (!)  Uh, oh!  (Hi Duggle!)

And then the comment after that was "I can fix you up with that blogger babe" or some shiat like that, written by my BFF Lightning36.  The biatch!  The stalker biatch is more like it.  I swear he hunts me down and finds me. And yes Lighting, I'm saving all your texts to show the police for the restraining order.  :)

I am anxiously awaiting the next installment on Tony's blog.  I so hope he's won a little money back, or at least hasn't busted.  I think he's quite tilty at the moment, which makes for an interesting blog, but I'd rather him have a boring one and a big bank roll.

Play smart Tony!

Josie

Comments

Josie said…
Below is a comment from Bad Billy - a follower of Tony's. He left it on an older post, so I copied it here.

hah! now i have another blog to read(im sure i wont wake up to find u shot off$1k in a vbj machine in this one,lol)first off the only good thing kosher is pickles!i would definitley not do kosher treats as there are none i.m.o.! kosher food is yucky(of course being sicilan/italian im pretty much biased to all other "cultural foods" ok on to more pertanant questions....

well first some assumptions, iwas wondering how up just popped into t.b.c.'s blog, then i saw u in grump's blog so i figure you came from there..second assumption...you only play live and only play nlhe and you moslty play cash(how am i doing so far?lol)ill also assume you are a red sox fan(i guess everyone has faults looooool)....

ok onto questions...what stakes do you play? why dont you play online(did you ever?)how often do you play?do you bet sports for realz?or just put up lines for fun? and finally and maybe most importantly, sauce /gravy...garlic,oregano,basil salt, paste?(please dont say onion's,im sure u have seen goodfella's lol)

so ill let u absorb all those while i take the advice i gave you the other day,and do my due dilligence/homework,and read this blog from the beginning,and prolly answer all my questions, as i have not a single thing in the world to do today......

have a great day josie! hope you find your game and beat it into the ground for mucho k!

p.s. im hoping tony hits a royal flush on vbj and gets back over 10 k quickly!!!! lol :)
Cranky said…
VJ - I first encountered Tony Big Charles when he posted to allvegaspoker.com (I think that's the name of it) a few years back. At first, I read it daily. I was fascinated. Soon, though, the repetition of his themes, all of which you noted, wears you down and the fascination wanes. Commenters expect TBC to grow and learn and take their advice. It doesn't happen.
Josie said…
Hey Bad Billy,

Hmmmm you saw me on Grumps blog...grrrr... you and the rest of the world. he writes about me a little too much, the bastard. Um and dreams about me too. see what happens when a guy meets very josie?

I found TBC's blog because he left a comment on grumps and thought i'd check it out. what a find! Unfortunately, yes, since full jilt went kaput, it's now only live, but i find I play live poker more now that i dont get my online fix and that's a good thing as i am a much better live player.

i prefer tourneys but play cash to fund the tourney buyins lately, which works great. and yes nl is my preference. i sometimes play limit if i cant find a nl game. major red sox fan - you're pretty fucking good with your assumptions.

stakes....as i said i like tourneys - i play anywhere from $100-$600 buyins, but plan on playing a wsop event this summer in vegas, which will be bigger. 1-2k buyin is the plan. as far as cash - usually 1-2 nl, but last time i was in ac i played 2-5 for the first time and left 4 hrs later up $1500. (i rock).

wow you ask a lot of questions!

sports - for fun, but it aint fun if there's not betting, so small stakes.

DEF GRAVY (best question you've asked!) and omfg you know how to make gravy! wow you ARE italian!

lol I hope tony hits 10K playing poker! Thanks for stopping by.
Josie said…
@Cranky ahhhh. your fascination with my blog better not wane! lol
josiesboytoy said…
I have read a lot of TBCs blog and it is fascinating watching someone stuggle with everyday life while trying to survive playing poker.
Josie said…
Well Boy Toy, all I can say is I like your name! Welcome newbie!
lightning36 said…
What Cranky said.

Being the kind and foolish soul that I am, I thought that maybe I might be able to help Tony in some way. I had seen him at Bally's during a trip to Las Vegas earlier this year, but he left the table before I got seated. I was then going to introduce myself on this last visit a couple of weeks ago, but I only saw him twice -- both times at 4am when I was heading back to my room and didn't want to stop. I might have a little chat with him if I see him on my next trip in February. I can still play matchmaker. : o P

btw -- should I correct your post?

"... written by my BBF (Butt Boy Forever) Lightning36."

Okay -- I will keep my distance if you prefer. No more comments on this blog, no more text messages or e-mails. And I can always make my blog a Josie-free zone again. You wouldn't believe how many comments that solicited. : o )

Funny -- they were all from the same source ...
badbilly32 said…
lets just say i have an inquistive soul.....yes i can cook! my father owned a resteraunt and a pizzeria i grew up in grandma's kitchen,,,gravy every sunday and wednesday(always cavatelli) bet ur ass i can cook lol.

i also commented on your $150 bet in the tbc blog..if u can find it in that clusterfuck.....

oh and let me just say the happiest day in my life as an 8 year old was..well one word BUCKY DENT!!!!!!LOL IM SUCH A WIESENHEIMER/FUCKER.....
Josie said…
lightning aka butt boy, imma kidding - i hopeyou know that. please dont go away. you;ve seen tony???? OMFG! how cool! is he cute? i cannot believe you didn't give him a lecture or two!
Josie said…
billy, you ARE a skankee fan. i guess no one is perfect. but to bring up bucky FUCKING dent. (btw i have been trying to swear less on my blog and you are fucking that up)

bucky fucking dent - they guy who ended the 1978 sox season with a swing of the bat. ironically that year is when i started paying attention to the sox. :(

lol we had gravy every sunday too - cavatelli were only for special occasions.
JT88Keys said…
Josie if you're interested in what TBC (Tony Big Charles) looks like you can see him in the YouTube video found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT2TOZM1Ibo

He's the one in the t-shirt getting harassed by the asshole Yappy Dave.
badbilly32 said…
well i live in cleveland,who was/am i supposed to root for im sick my goombah bobby v. came to manage there! reggie jackson/bucky dent=god lol! and please no red sox/babe curse crying..i got 2 more words for you "larry bird"/"tom brady"...all i ever got was john elway, lebron james, and the fla marlins stuck up my ass..like i said who was i supposed to root for ......
VegasDWP said…
Hi Josie,

I've been following TBC for a while. I live in London, but I have a place in Vegas. I was there in the Summer (Aug/Sep) for about 6 weeks and hung out with Tony a few times.

He needed a new phone, so I gave him an old iPhone 3G that I wasn't using. He promptly left it on the bus, and doesn't have it anymore.

I feel bad for the guy, and try to help him out ... but there's really no changing him. He has some very odd views on women, blacks/jews, and other stuff.

He can be quite irritating ... I can only handle him in small doses. Like many autistics, he doesn't have any social skills which can get irritating quickly.

I am rooting for the guy, but his addiction to machines is gonna bust him sooner or later. Not too long ago, his "roll" (e.g., total net worth) was around $15,000. I think he's donked off nearly $10k in the last few months.

Next time you're in Vegas (if he's still there) do make an effort to meet him - it's an experience.

D
Josie said…
@vegasdwp, interesting as i just got an email warning me to not meet him.
sebszebra said…
Tony has featured in Grump's blog on occasion. I dug out these three.

http://pokergrump.blogspot.com/2011/05/tony-and-me-strangers-and-strangeness.html

http://pokergrump.blogspot.com/2011/07/skirmishes-in-information-war.html

http://pokergrump.blogspot.com/2011/08/flopping-ace.html


You might have already read these, but they may be of interest otherwise. The middle one is quite a blast at Tony's playing weaknesses.
Josie said…
Sebsy!

Grump blasting someone? How shocking! lol
VegasDWP said…
Josie, he's harmless. I would suggest you don't give him your phone number or email address ... But just meeting him or - better yet - sitting in a game with him for a while, can be quite entertaining.

I met up with him initially to give him the phone, and he was very nice to me and quite polite. He has issues, and can't really help the way he acts.

I think he would benefit from medication and therapy, which I think would improve the quality of his life and maybe even make it possible for him to hold down a job. But he's so far rebuffed any suggestions like that.

He's really not anyone to be afraid of.
Josie said…
vegas dwp, I am going to vegas in agust! i wonder if YOU will be in town then. btw i dont need any cast off cell phones. :)
badbilly32 said…
he really is harmless,as ive stated he's basically afraid of his own shadow, playing with him can go a couple of ways if hes winning hes telling why hes so good, and how badly u played a hand, if he's losing or trying to chase a loss he can be brooding, dark and whinny. he has a speech impediment. reraise sounds like weewaise so when he first talks its slightly disconcerting,of course hes been known to melt and throw a glass here and there also.with tony you never know what you are going to get, he really has no filter. but overall you could play with him he wouldnt hurt you or follow you after i dont think

now as far as facebook, email, twitter, or phone....your best bet is to contiune to converse through the blogs and leave it at that i.m.o.

f.t.r i had to unfreeze some gravy and go get ravioli and bread after this morning's thread lol

and i hope you are not driving tonight.be safe miss josie!
Josie said…
thanks for the info blly. i am surei won't go back to vegas till this summer tho (fuck i am stil drunk and have to go home!)

no, def no driving - public transportation - and a BIT less drunky now. frigging champagne!
Josie said…
and billy, yeah, it's only through the blog, and that's it for now.
VegasDWP said…
Josie, I could very well be in Vegas in August. Would love to meet you ... you're kinda cute. But don't get excited ... I'm married. ;-)
Josie said…
@dwp lollllllll oh darn it! jk

Actually perfect! Married men tend to be better behaved, which means you can focus on POKER. Usually, anyway. wsop in august!
Josie said…
@dpw, wait a minute! What do you mean "kinda"? KINDA? Grrrr lol

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