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Posted by on Nov 28, 2012 in Blog, Las Vegas, Personal | 2 comments

A Day in the Life

Nolan Dalla Photo

 

I received an e-mail from a loyal reader recently which contained some good advice.  He made two suggestions for my blog. 

First, he wanted to hear more poker and gambling stories.  That’s a reasonable request.  So, look for more stories in the near future. 

Second, he suggested making my blog more personal by sharing things I do on a day-to-day basis. 

I must admit the thought to reducing this site to some kind of sick twitter update — such as informing the world of what I ordered for lunch strikes me as ridiculously narcissistic and utterly immaterial.  That said, I very much believe “who we are” is defined by “what we do.”  So, I will acquiesce to this occasionally and bore the world with the trivialities of my personal life.

 

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Posted by on Nov 27, 2012 in Blog, Movie Reviews | 1 comment

Movie Review: “Life of Pi”

Life of Pi Movie

 

Life of Pi is a difficult movie to review.

Certain to be one of the year’s most widely-discussed films, in part because it’s open to multiple interpretations, this is a bold cinematic achievement by a master craftsman — namely Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain).

Yet, it’s also fundamentally flawed, its most puzzling script gaps camouflaged by extraordinary special effects and first-rate performances by three actors who portray the lead character at different stages of his life.  Indeed, the varied imagery and wide range of emotional demands upon the actors are so compelling that one might actually overlook the glaring contradiction within the film’s most intriguing question — which deals with the storyteller’s relationship with God.  The film is such a powerful visual spectacle that the audience deserves an equally consistent storyline — and ultimately just as satisfying a payoff — which compliments the arduous endurance test of sitting through feels like an overly-long 2 hour and 20 minute epic journey across the world’s biggest ocean.

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Posted by on Nov 26, 2012 in Blog, Las Vegas, Personal | 3 comments

Remembering Poker Writer Barry Tanenbaum (Video)

I loved Barry Tanenbaum.

I miss Barry Tanenbaum.

He passed away a year ago, this week.

For those who don’t remember Barry, he was probably best known for his widely-read column in Card Player magazine which ran for nearly ten years.  Barry also authored two excellent poker books — both on Limit Hold’em, which was his specialty.

Barry was a real poker pro.  He spent most evenings playing at the Bellagio, where the $30-60 Limit Hold’em game served as his office.  Barry’s contemporaries included highly-respected player-writers — including Roy Cooke, Mason Malmuth, Jim Brier, Dr. Alan Schoonmaker and others who wrote about the game as they played it for a living.

But Barry was so much more than just a poker writer and colleague.

He was one of the most decent men I ever met.  He was a genuinely good person.  He was both an intellectual and emotional mentor to those who were fortunate enough to know him.

Please take a few minutes to watch this short 11-minute video I made last year as a tribute to Barry.  The video was shown at his funeral.

A few notes about this video:  Special thanks to Betty Tanenbaum and Lupe Soto for providing many of the photos which appear.  Also, thanks to Ashley Adams, the excellent writer and radio personality who provided the two-minute audio clip of Barry which is heard during the middle of this video.

The first part of the retrospective shows Barry’s personal life.  The second interlude highlights his career in poker.

 

 

 

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Posted by on Nov 24, 2012 in Blog, Sports Betting | 0 comments

NFL Plays — Week 12

Bad Weather Football

 

NOLAN DALLA:  2012 POSTED NFL SEASON RECORD

69 WINS – 54 LOSSES – 2 PUSHES —– (+ 75.85 units / 1 unit = $100)

STARTING BANKROLL:  $10,000.

CURRENT BANKROLL:  $17,585.

BEST BETS OF THE WEEK:  9-3-0

 

On Thursday, I posted two wins and one loss, for a net gain of +7.7 units.  Once again, it’s a positive sign we’re winning the large-unit games.  

Last week’s record was 5 wins and 4 losses.  Most important, the net gain was +9.3 units.  

If there’s one thing I’ve improved this season over the last many years I’ve been posting plays at various public forums (which started in 1997), it’s been with weighing picks and better money management.  

It took me many many years to realize that flat betting gives way too much away when there are stronger than average plays on the board.  Moreover, a pick may be worth playing, but for a smaller amount based on the line or total.  Hence, I strongly recommend varying your bet sizes.  I have more work to do and much more to learn in this area.  But I do want to say that if you only get half your picks right, but weigh the games accurately, you might still be able to produce a nice profit.

Here are Sunday’s plays (11 wagers).

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Posted by on Nov 21, 2012 in Blog, Sports Betting | 1 comment

NFL Plays — Week 12 (Thanksgiving Day Only)

 

Billy Kilmer 1960's

NOLAN DALLA:  2012 POSTED NFL SEASON RECORD

67 WINS – 53 LOSSES – 2 PUSHES —– (+ 68.55 units / 1 unit = $100)

STARTING BANKROLL:  $10,000.

CURRENT BANKROLL:  $16,855.

BEST BETS OF THE WEEK:  9-3-0

 

 

Last week’s record was 5 wins and 4 losses.  Most important, the net gain was +9.3 units.  

If there’s one thing I’ve improved this season over the last many years I’ve been posting plays at various public forums (which started in 1997), it’s been with weighing picks and better money management.  

It took me many many years to realize that flat betting gives way too much away when there are stronger than average plays on the board.  Moreover, a pick may be worth playing, but for a smaller amount based on the line or total.  Hence, I strongly recommend varying your bet sizes.  I have more work to do and much more to learn in this area.  But I do want to say that if you only get half your picks right, but weigh the games accurately, you might still be able to produce a nice profit.

I’m making three wagers on Thanksgiving Day games.  Sunday’s plays will be released at the customary time.

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