About ten years ago, I used to be a good golfer.  I've shot par.  My lowest handicap was about 5.  I could play, despite poor putting.  Apparently, being 6'9" means you can hit the ball a long way, but it isn't incredibly conducive to a good short game.

Anyway, I'm trying to "revive" my game for an upcoming boys trip to the Masters.  I'm playing a few days with some of the Tiltboys at some pretty cool courses, and then we'll attend festivities at Augusta in the afternoons.  So, I hit the course for the first time in about 5 years last week.  I am no longer a 5 handicap.  Or a 15 for that matter.

I started thinking, "how do I make the most of this crappy, inconsistent swing"?  Golf is a game that rewards consistency.

So, on the range, I figured out that I could still hit a fairly consistent "draw" with my Driver, and a fairly consistent fade with my irons.  (When I was good, I could go both ways with all the clubs without much problem.)  A short cut, then, was simple:  STAY WITH WHAT YOU CAN DO AND DO CONSISTENTLY.  Creativity, as a relative novice, is where you get in trouble.  Try to stay "down the middle" until you can feel your way into a groove.  Only then is it wise to try something a little spectacular.

The same holds true for poker, specifically for poker tournaments.  If you're new to the game, don't go trying to "hook the ball under the trees, around the corner, over the lake and onto the green."  That shot (or hand) will be too difficult, and the cost-benefit is clearly negative EV.  Sure, it can be a great deal of fun if you pull off the miracle, but more often than not, your ball ends up wet, your score is inflated, and you go on monkey tilt on the next tee shot and pull out the driver when a more cautious 3-wood would be more appropriate.

I've mixed more golf/poker metaphors than I should have, so that is all.  Fore!

Phil

My oldest son, Xander, is in love with the game of Chess.  Although I've played quite a few games at a very high level (poker, bridge, backgammon) I was never really into Chess -- I've always preferred games of "incomplete information" -- where some work in probability, psychology, statistics were more important than being able to see 10 moves deep.

That being said, I don't want my 6 year old to crush me in a year or two, and I definitely want him to continue to enjoy the game and learn.  So, daddy needs to learn.

I've been watching some videos on chess.com, and actually playing a few games as well.  Any other suggestions for books, videos, or otherwise to "kick start" my education?  It is embarrassing how terrible I am at this game.  I consistently lose to "easy computer" opponents ranked 1200, whatever that means.

Phil

There are a bunch of conversations going on in the poker world regarding excessively slow play.  My buddy Matt Savage recently circulated a survey at a big tournament asking if players wanted a "Shot Clock" -- 30 seconds or so to make your decision or your hand is dead.  80% supported it.

I hate slow play.  On the bubble in a tournament, the action grinds to a halt as some players take way too much time in obvious situations.

I like the shot clock, but I fear that it could alienate many novice players.  And, what if you really do have a tough problem and need a little extra time?

So, here are two proposals:

1) Clock + 3 Extensions
30 second shot clock, and 3 "Extension Chips" that give a player up to a 2 minute extension for use at any time in the tournament.  When a special situation occurs that requires  some extra time, the players says "Extension" and throws an Extension Chip to the dealer, effectively buying the extra time.

Extension Extension:  Sell the Extension Chips for 1% of the entry fee, with all fees added to the prize pool.  Players would have to buy the chips when they registering for the tournament.

And, another more off the wall proposal...

2) Expose cards
If a player takes more than 30 seconds to act and then folds, the hand is exposed at the end of the hand.  This "penalty" of giving up extra information could be just enough of a deterrent.  It should also be effective in eliminating some of the more egregious stalling tactics employed by some players -- the T4-offsuit stall from early position on the bubble, for instance.


Anyone else have an idea to share?

Phil