Blog Roll Call (Or, Who Wants Some Linkage?)

No poker last night. I was looking to play the $26k guaranteed or maybe jump into the inaugural MATH on Full Tilt, but I just didn't get around to it.

This post is more about particular blogs that I read. The blogs that I have linked on my page aren't necessarily the blogs that I read daily. I started off linking those blogs, but after a while, I just didn't like that idea. So instead, the blogs I link are either those of people who have commented on my blog or people who've asked or requested it. Or in the case of wwonka, in honor of being the first person I ever knocked out of a blogger game.

This is kind of a hi-jack from one of Mookie's profile questions but I feel like it's worthy of a decent post anyways.

First Ever Blogs

Seattle John - this was the first poker blog I ever started reading. I discovered his blog by Googling "Seattle Poker". I still stop by his blog pretty frequently but his blog reads more like a journal than anything else.

Doubleas - the first blog I ever read extensively. Most of the other blogs I've encountered since I found on his page. I discovered his blog about a year ago, around the same time my work productivity started dipping. Going through his archives, it was amazing to see the progress from small limit n00b to the accomplished player he is now.

Tao Of Poker - the man, the myth, the legend. Needs no explanation.

Fuel55 - the first blog I ever subscribed to. Although his blog wasn't helpful to start with, as I wasn't trying to learn how to play $3\$6 NL, his hand histories and tournament analysis have always been informational, even if they are boastful. I would like to see more humble posts, maybe some posts of plays that went wrong, but I doubt he'd ever admit to that.

Wicked Chops Poker - I basically just go here for the girls.

Hoyazo - Admittedly, I read his blog more than any others, for a couple of reasons. First, when he was still doing them, I found his Hot Hand posts extremely helpful. Secondly, he had a style of writing that is both entertaining and comfortable. I've probably posted more comments on his blog more than any others, mostly because his blog seems more open to comments from new people more than any other blog. Thirdly, his blog seems to create more discussion about hands than anyone else. I'm constantly looking to learn and discuss poker strategy, and there's few other blogs that accomodate discussion from such a wide range of opinions. Finally, his blog has links to a lot of other blogs that I read. I could just link them on my blog, and you figure that would make the most sense, but because I know I'm going to read Hoy's blog every day, I just use his instead. It's through his blog that I've discovered many other blogs that I read daily.

Blogs I Discovered Through Hoyazo

Waffles - Probably won't find a funnier poker blog. If I ever win a Mookie, Waffles is definitely one of the invitees to the guest table. Hell, I'll answer the question right now: My 6 man table would be me, Waffles, Fuel55, Tony G, Matusow, and Hellmuth. I'll just sit back and blind away, watching the fireworks explode while Fuel yells "FAWK!" every 5 minutes. That's entertainment!

Smokkee, Lucko, and Chad - more blogs from successful mid-stakes players. The times they do post strategy information is always valuable.

Mookie - host of the only blogger game that I've played (I'm not counting BloggerPods, although I suppose I should since I cashed in it). With all due respect to Al, Hoy, CC, Miami Don, etc...I don't think there's a better produced blogger game than Mookie's. The effort that Mookie puts into this goes beyond setting up the game each week; you've got the live blogging (I feel everyone should live blog the Mook at least once so that they can understand how difficult it can be), the weekly profiles, the bounties, etc...and only for $11. How can you top that?

TripJax, HighOnPoker, jjok, absinthetics - I visit these blogs daily, mostly for entertainment value. Jordan's isn't necessarily as humorous as the others usually are, but I find his Salami game recaps and AC trip recaps just as entertaining.

AlCantHang - I go here for the same reason everyone else goes here - because we can get NSFW pics without having to worry about Googling them ourselves.

These blogs make up most of my daily reading. I don't read as many blogs daily as others might, for a couple of reasons:

1. Most other blogs don't seem to post as often
2. Many other blogs are blocked from my workplace

But, there's still a handful of blogs that I've discovered that I still frequent, just not as often:

Schaubs - I started playing the blogger games around the same time he has, although he has been much more active (and successful) than I have. I envy live vicariously through his n00b success.

Kid Dynamite - with the exception of Pauly, it's tough to find more entertaining Vegas recaps than his.

Iakaris - I just don't always have the concentration to figure out what he's saying, not because I don't understand it, but after reading blogs like these guys, and then jumping to his, it can make one's head hurt. But I'm always a sucker for excellent prose, and Iak's blog is like getting your poker blog fix and your daily vocab word all at once.

Iggy - most would consider it blasphemous that he's listed so low, but I should clarify that this list isn't a ranking list. But I haven't read his blog as much, mostly for two reasons:

1. Once again, I couldn't access his blog when it wasn't on Blogspot
2. Most of his recent postings had very little to do with poker strategy or hand analysis, and this was the biggest reason I started reading blogs.

But, as I've started to expand my list of blogs, I've quickly discovered why he is a God among men (but apparently, a very tiny God).
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I posted this for a couple of reasons. One, I read blogs like the one's I've mentioned, and then I look at my blog and see what a miserable, uninspiring blog this really is. I'm surprised I even get comments anymore because I'm amazed there are people still awake by the time they get to the end. I'm not trying to be intentionally self-depricating, but it's apparent that my blog is sufficiently sub-standard, and that I really should be putting more effort into it.

Two, I'm interested in suggestions on other blogs that I should be reading more often. Granted, there are several other blogs that I didn't mention that I've read before, many times even, but they haven't stuck out in my mind as much as these have. I'm going to go ahead and update my blog roll with the blogs I've mentioned, but if anyone has any other suggestions, I'm interested. Let me know what I'm missing.