Olympic Medals and Tournament Second

AS you know the 2010 Winter Olympics are being held in my backyard in about 4 months time. While I am a great supporter of sports my actual support for the Olympics has been lukewarm at best. I just think the money we are spending could have been spent on things much more needed . Having said that it's time for me and others to suck it up and support the games.

Some of the venues like the new speed skating oval are incredible while other things like the the Olympic mascots are a joke. So I like others were very apprehensive when we heard that they were unveiling the medals for the games. Would they be tacky and cheap?? Would they be goofy like some medals in previous games were??? Actually they are stunning.. I was shocked. I have posted a picture of them at the top and believe me this picture doesn't do them justice. Each medal will be unique. That's right. You win a gold medal in downhill skiing and it will be different than the gold medal for say bobsled. Each medal will weigh about 500 grams which believe me is a lot for a medal. All I can say is well done Olympic committee.

I played a live tournament last night with just under 60 entrants and believe me the old saying a chip and a chair is alive and well. Actually 3 chips. That's what I had left when things turned around. With blinds at 500 and 1000 with a 100 anti I was sitting in the BB with just 300 in chips. Yep 100 for the anti and just 200 in the BB. There were 24 of us left in the tournament at the time. I got dealt 10, 5 off suit in the BB. Figured my night was over. What's this everyone folds to the SB who actually gets to take 300 chips back and calls. He has 6,4.. I hit my 10 and double up which barely gives me enough for my SB. I get dealt A9h and with only the BB in the pot I hit my flush on the river and double up again. The very next hand I get pocket Queens on the button. Two people in the pot and I of course push and my queens hold up. I triple up. People at the table are laughing. A couple hands later pocket Kings. They hold up and suddenly people aren't laughing anymore as I now have chips to play with. I continued to get decent playing hands and hit some flops and my stack starts to grow.. After that the night is a bit of a blur (I was tired) but I managed to final table and with patience and some decent hands I ended heads up against the chip leader. He had me out chipped by at least 3-1. Suddenly my hands went dead and even though I managed to win a couple hands he soon had me all in with a Q 9 off suit. He had K10. We both whiffed on the board and his King held up. Still I was pretty pleased with a second place showing.