Prior to the passage of the UIGEA last year there were more sites that accepted US players, juicer bonuses and promotions, and it was alot easier to move funds between sites. All isn't doom and gloom though. There are still a lot of opportunities for enterprising players willing to seek them out. One of my favorites is guaranteed tournaments in which there is a guaranteed prize pool and if the tournament doesn't meet the necessary number of entrants to meet the guarantee then the site has to make up the difference which creates an overlay for its players.
Some of the best guaranteed tournaments with overlays can currently be found at Bodog. Bodog has $55 buyin $50k guaranteed tournaments on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday every week at 8:30PM. These are not rebuy tournaments. The Tuesday and Wednesday tournaments used to be $70k guaranteed but Bodog cut them back to $50k because they were having to cover roughly a $35k overlay each night. They are still terrific tournaments though. This is a double stack tournament so players start with 3k chips and 5/10 blinds. The tournaments rarely have more than 650 players so there is usually a $15k-$18K overlay nightly. This is basically free money that Bodog is kicking in every tournament! If you get a chance to check out one of the tournaments I don't think you will be disappointed.---Ben
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
The Hendon Mob *** www.hendonmob.com ***
Copied from http://www.thehendonmob.com/about-the-mob.html
Back in the early nineties brothers Ross and Barny Boatman played in a home game in Ross's flat which was underneath Barny's flat in Archway, North London. When that game broke up they started frequenting Joe Beevers’ game in nearby Hendon, befriending Joe, and the game's other regular player, Ram Vaswani.
The four would often drive together to games and tournaments around the country. Perhaps it was the dark jackets and shades, or maybe a jokey reference to actor Ross's on screen gangster roles, but everywhere they went people would say 'here comes the Hendon Mob'. The name stuck. They are not a team. They play as hard against each other as they do against anyone in poker and are universally respected for their integrity and fair play. What they are though is a family. Like four inseparable brothers, they are always there to enjoy each other's successes and support each other when times are hard. 'That' says Barny 'is our greatest strength.'
In the nineties the European tournament scene was growing and the Mob traveled every where together winning money and tournaments in Paris, Helsinki, Vienna, Amsterdam, anywhere that poker was played. In 1999 Late Night Poker, the first ever televised poker tournament started it's immensely popular run in Great Britain and The Hendon Mob were invited to take part. Already well known on the European poker circuit, the show brought The Mob to a wider audience and as poker grew in popularity they grew with it. Countless appearances on TV and radio as well as innumerable features in magazines and newspapers have made them household names all over Europe and beyond.
In August 2001 thehendonmob.com was launched by The Mob in response to the increasing interest both in them, and in the game in general. What started as a bit of fun with a few photos, tips and stories soon grew into something much bigger. Thehendonmob.com is now Europe's biggest poker portal. Tens of thousands follow the Mob's diaries and read their poker tips; The site includes the world's most comprehensive poker database, featuring ranking lists and details of just about every tournament, and every player in the game. If you've ever cashed in a poker tournament, from Atlantic City to Amsterdam, chances are your achievements are listed on the Mob Poker Database. No wonder it is used every day by everyone in the game.
Amongst poker's greatest ambassadors, The Mob have helped to raise awareness of poker as a sport. Starting with the first ever 'Poker Ashes' in Melbourne Australia they have played team head's up challenges against selected national teams from all over the world. They beat the Australians and went on to defeat the French and Irish in successive matches. In 2004 they put their unbeaten record on the line against Team USA in poker's first ever Transatlantic Challenge, the Ryder Cup of poker. The US fielded a powerful team including Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson and Phil Ivy and in the event The Mob were not disgraced in coming a close second!
In recent years The Hendon Mob have been making a big impression in the USA, with notable successes in The World Series of Poker and elsewhere. The American public have started to get to know them through appearances on such shows as the Jimmy Kimmel show and Fox Sports live.
The Mob Play Exclusively at Full Tilt poker
Copied from http://www.thehendonmob.com/about-the-mob.html
Back in the early nineties brothers Ross and Barny Boatman played in a home game in Ross's flat which was underneath Barny's flat in Archway, North London. When that game broke up they started frequenting Joe Beevers’ game in nearby Hendon, befriending Joe, and the game's other regular player, Ram Vaswani.
The four would often drive together to games and tournaments around the country. Perhaps it was the dark jackets and shades, or maybe a jokey reference to actor Ross's on screen gangster roles, but everywhere they went people would say 'here comes the Hendon Mob'. The name stuck. They are not a team. They play as hard against each other as they do against anyone in poker and are universally respected for their integrity and fair play. What they are though is a family. Like four inseparable brothers, they are always there to enjoy each other's successes and support each other when times are hard. 'That' says Barny 'is our greatest strength.'
In the nineties the European tournament scene was growing and the Mob traveled every where together winning money and tournaments in Paris, Helsinki, Vienna, Amsterdam, anywhere that poker was played. In 1999 Late Night Poker, the first ever televised poker tournament started it's immensely popular run in Great Britain and The Hendon Mob were invited to take part. Already well known on the European poker circuit, the show brought The Mob to a wider audience and as poker grew in popularity they grew with it. Countless appearances on TV and radio as well as innumerable features in magazines and newspapers have made them household names all over Europe and beyond.
In August 2001 thehendonmob.com was launched by The Mob in response to the increasing interest both in them, and in the game in general. What started as a bit of fun with a few photos, tips and stories soon grew into something much bigger. Thehendonmob.com is now Europe's biggest poker portal. Tens of thousands follow the Mob's diaries and read their poker tips; The site includes the world's most comprehensive poker database, featuring ranking lists and details of just about every tournament, and every player in the game. If you've ever cashed in a poker tournament, from Atlantic City to Amsterdam, chances are your achievements are listed on the Mob Poker Database. No wonder it is used every day by everyone in the game.
Amongst poker's greatest ambassadors, The Mob have helped to raise awareness of poker as a sport. Starting with the first ever 'Poker Ashes' in Melbourne Australia they have played team head's up challenges against selected national teams from all over the world. They beat the Australians and went on to defeat the French and Irish in successive matches. In 2004 they put their unbeaten record on the line against Team USA in poker's first ever Transatlantic Challenge, the Ryder Cup of poker. The US fielded a powerful team including Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson and Phil Ivy and in the event The Mob were not disgraced in coming a close second!
In recent years The Hendon Mob have been making a big impression in the USA, with notable successes in The World Series of Poker and elsewhere. The American public have started to get to know them through appearances on such shows as the Jimmy Kimmel show and Fox Sports live.
The Mob Play Exclusively at Full Tilt poker
Copied from http://www.thehendonmob.com/about-the-mob.html
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Ed Flush wins PKR Championship with Duck Butter!
I don't have the details, but basically Nathan goes all-in with a pair of nines and Ed calls with 8x, 2x.... and then flops an 8 and hits another one on another street to win with trip 8's!
If someone who was there would fill-in the details, I'd appreciate it!
If someone who was there would fill-in the details, I'd appreciate it!
PKR Saturday Poker Tournament - CHAMPIONSHIP!
Well.... anytime you go out in 11th position in an 11 man tournament.... that's not good! LOL. Within the first couple of hands, bigdave raised with Kd, Qd and I called with KJos. The flop brought nothing, the turn paired the board with nines and Dave made a $300 bet so I called planning to try to take it away from him on the river. The river was a blank and he checked. So I bet $1200 at the $1400ish pot and he called. I guess he put me on K, 10. LOL. Nice call sir!
The next big hand for me was about 20 minutes later with pocket Kings on the button. Rene' raises the $100 blinds to $300. I re-raise to $1,000 and he re-raises $3,000. I remember my words exactly..... f*&k it, let's go. He calls and turns over pocket Aces. Ed laid down a crappy ace, but sure enough, the case Ace comes on the flop along with a "guaranteed to piss me off King." And the turn and the river would have given Ed flush the nut heart flush and he would have tripled up. The very next hand, now crippled, with less than $300 in chips I get pocket Aces and Ned raises the blinds to $500. I move all in and comment how I always hate it, when a guy gets to call my all-in and gets a rebate on his bet. LOL. Ned turns over pocket Kings! Back to back hands pocket Aces against pocket Kings! The aces hold up and now I'm about $600 in chips.
A couple of hands later I get Q, 10 and push and run into Jason on the button with pocket 5's. He calls and the flop gives me a 10, but manages to squeeze out a 5 for him so I'm all but drawing dead and start packing up.
Maybe I could have laid down the Kings against Rene'... but honestly he could have pushed with anything and I thought that my all-in might get him to lay anything but Aces or Kings down. As it turned out Jacks would have missed the set but would have scooped the pot filling in the gut shot straight that was on the board. He has been on one of the luckiest runs in this tournament that I've seen in a while. This time his luck showed up pre-flop by pitting him against Kings and then getting to hit the case-Ace when I flop a King set too.
Well, good playing guys and it all starts over again next week. I can hardly wait!
Back to the felt!
The next big hand for me was about 20 minutes later with pocket Kings on the button. Rene' raises the $100 blinds to $300. I re-raise to $1,000 and he re-raises $3,000. I remember my words exactly..... f*&k it, let's go. He calls and turns over pocket Aces. Ed laid down a crappy ace, but sure enough, the case Ace comes on the flop along with a "guaranteed to piss me off King." And the turn and the river would have given Ed flush the nut heart flush and he would have tripled up. The very next hand, now crippled, with less than $300 in chips I get pocket Aces and Ned raises the blinds to $500. I move all in and comment how I always hate it, when a guy gets to call my all-in and gets a rebate on his bet. LOL. Ned turns over pocket Kings! Back to back hands pocket Aces against pocket Kings! The aces hold up and now I'm about $600 in chips.
A couple of hands later I get Q, 10 and push and run into Jason on the button with pocket 5's. He calls and the flop gives me a 10, but manages to squeeze out a 5 for him so I'm all but drawing dead and start packing up.
Maybe I could have laid down the Kings against Rene'... but honestly he could have pushed with anything and I thought that my all-in might get him to lay anything but Aces or Kings down. As it turned out Jacks would have missed the set but would have scooped the pot filling in the gut shot straight that was on the board. He has been on one of the luckiest runs in this tournament that I've seen in a while. This time his luck showed up pre-flop by pitting him against Kings and then getting to hit the case-Ace when I flop a King set too.
Well, good playing guys and it all starts over again next week. I can hardly wait!
Back to the felt!
PKR Saturday Poker Tournament - CHAMPIONSHIP!
Well, today's the day... the culmination of the 12 week long tournament run at PKR where the top 10 point getters and one wild-card entrant (the person who participated in the most events but who did not qualify via points) play for a prize pool that is created by pulling $5 from every buy-in, re-buy and add-on in the 12 week long event! Nice! AND additionally every participant in today's event EXCEPT for the top 2 point-getters has to kick in an additional $50 to play. Cheap when compared to the $3500 plus prize pool that is in play.
The field today should make for an excellent tournament.... Rick and I get the free-roll having tied with total points for 1st and 2nd. haha... then there's Ned, bigdog, Jason (Zukov), Rene', edflush, Crab, nathan, Mattrix and Carl. I believe that we'll be receiving more chips than usual but otherwise the format will be same EXCEPT, of course, NO RE-BUYS, NO-ADDONS. So the tournament actually will start at 2PM unlike the normal event where the first hour with all the mulligans. I'm really looking forward to the event!
Don't despair if you're not on the list! The tournament schedule starts all over again next week! So back to the felt!
The field today should make for an excellent tournament.... Rick and I get the free-roll having tied with total points for 1st and 2nd. haha... then there's Ned, bigdog, Jason (Zukov), Rene', edflush, Crab, nathan, Mattrix and Carl. I believe that we'll be receiving more chips than usual but otherwise the format will be same EXCEPT, of course, NO RE-BUYS, NO-ADDONS. So the tournament actually will start at 2PM unlike the normal event where the first hour with all the mulligans. I'm really looking forward to the event!
Don't despair if you're not on the list! The tournament schedule starts all over again next week! So back to the felt!
Friday, February 23, 2007
The Horror Show
There is nothing like the feeling of sitting down at a poker table and having a good time. I am not just talking about winning and losing. I am talking about the environment, the banter, the stories being told, the disagreements and inevitably the play. It seems like everyone, for the most part, can sit down and enjoy each others company and have reasonable debates on rules and protocol and if nothing else learning something new, or possibly teach someone something. If nothing else, we can agree to disagree and move forward.
Last night was no different. Last nights topic du jour was table talk regarding hands. It went so far as to Dave making a phone call to the Bellagio poker room and getting a ruling, which still did little to get an agreement as to what was acceptable behavior. This is probably one of the biggest "problems" when it comes to home games. As long you understand the environment and what is agreed upon acceptable behavior at that game then you know what you are getting yourself into when you walk through the doors.
Last night was a night of what could have been for me. I won a little but could have won a lot. You remember the feeling as a kid or maybe even as an adult when you go see a horror movie and at the end when you think it is all over and you let your guard down and then they get you one more time? Remember that feeling? That is kind of what I felt like last night. I flop the nut boat and of course slow play it (flop KK5 i believe and I have a K and a 5 in Omaha), lots of people in the hand so I figure someone will bet at it. No one does which is not the end of the world as a 9 peels off on the turn. John bets $100 and everyone folds to me, I make it $250 and, John calls which puts him all in knowing he is behind (I had no problem with the call, he was committed to that hand once he bet the $100 and I could have just had a K). We turn over our hand and here is where it gets bone chillingly horrorific for me at least. Dave starts yelling to John that you are drawing dead. Well I like the sound of that as I figure Dave folded a 9 and the river is meaningless. In my head I start counting the chips and mentally dragging the pot, a nice sized one at that. I believe it was around $700 or so. Just like in the horror movie when you think it is over and then something fucked up happens and makes your balls jump back inside your stomach the case 9 hits the river for the monkey for John. I just stare in utter disbelief as I thought John was drawing dead. Thanks Dave! lol-never a dull moment.
I was far from mad. Shit happens. I think that was probably the worst beat I had ever taken or at least that I could remember. A 1 outter that I thought did not exist. It was still a fun night and I was able to cash out a winner even after that kick to the balls. If I am going to ship my chips to anyone it may as well be John. ....Maybe he will consider that a down payment on a new bedroom set for my wife.
Last night was no different. Last nights topic du jour was table talk regarding hands. It went so far as to Dave making a phone call to the Bellagio poker room and getting a ruling, which still did little to get an agreement as to what was acceptable behavior. This is probably one of the biggest "problems" when it comes to home games. As long you understand the environment and what is agreed upon acceptable behavior at that game then you know what you are getting yourself into when you walk through the doors.
Last night was a night of what could have been for me. I won a little but could have won a lot. You remember the feeling as a kid or maybe even as an adult when you go see a horror movie and at the end when you think it is all over and you let your guard down and then they get you one more time? Remember that feeling? That is kind of what I felt like last night. I flop the nut boat and of course slow play it (flop KK5 i believe and I have a K and a 5 in Omaha), lots of people in the hand so I figure someone will bet at it. No one does which is not the end of the world as a 9 peels off on the turn. John bets $100 and everyone folds to me, I make it $250 and, John calls which puts him all in knowing he is behind (I had no problem with the call, he was committed to that hand once he bet the $100 and I could have just had a K). We turn over our hand and here is where it gets bone chillingly horrorific for me at least. Dave starts yelling to John that you are drawing dead. Well I like the sound of that as I figure Dave folded a 9 and the river is meaningless. In my head I start counting the chips and mentally dragging the pot, a nice sized one at that. I believe it was around $700 or so. Just like in the horror movie when you think it is over and then something fucked up happens and makes your balls jump back inside your stomach the case 9 hits the river for the monkey for John. I just stare in utter disbelief as I thought John was drawing dead. Thanks Dave! lol-never a dull moment.
I was far from mad. Shit happens. I think that was probably the worst beat I had ever taken or at least that I could remember. A 1 outter that I thought did not exist. It was still a fun night and I was able to cash out a winner even after that kick to the balls. If I am going to ship my chips to anyone it may as well be John. ....Maybe he will consider that a down payment on a new bedroom set for my wife.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Brian Townsend aka Aba20/Shrugby on High Stakes Poker
Like many players I love good poker TV. I mean serious poker with well known pros like Ivey, Negraneu, and Doyle. What I don't really care for besides celebrity poker is watching unknown players or up and comers players on some of the WPT events or shows like Poker Dome. There are however exceptions. One of those exceptions is an online player named Brian Townsend. If you watch High Stakes Poker on the GSN Monday evenings at 9PM, he has been on the last couple episodes and will be featured in several more episodes.
There are a number of reasons you may not have heard of Brian. He plays mostly on the internet on Full Tilt and PokerStars under the screen names Aba20 and Shrugby. He also hasn't been playing very long. There is one big reason you will hear a lot more about him in the future though. He is one of the the best current cash game no-limit poker players today. He plays daily and beats the highest stakes no-limit games online. I don't just mean he beats them. I mean he crushes them! He is quickly becoming a terror at the high stakes Pot Limit Omaha games online as well. Brian regularly plays against and beats big name pros like Phil Ivey and David Beyamine. Not many "well known pros" play high stakes online. These two are exceptions and Brian plays against them regularly not to mention many other terrific online players in pots that are commonly in the $100-$150K range.
What is probably the most amazing is that Brian has been playing no-limit holdem for only a short time. He began playing no-limit at the beginning of 2006 starting at the lowest limits and rapidly rising in less than a year to playing the highest stakes games available online. Brian has risen so rapidly because of his exceptional skill and also because he has played countless thousands of hands while being very aggressive in taking shots and moving up in limits very quickly. He has hit rough spots along the way and had to occasionally move down in limits for awhile before succeeding at the next level. In being willing to take a step down when necessary before moving up again though he has shown the characteristics of outstanding bankroll management that many aspiring poker players could benefit from. Brian often plays as many hands a week at 200/400NL and up as many of the "well known pros" play live in the "Big Game" in the course of a year.
Like I said, fortunately we will be seeing a lot more of Brian in the near future on High Stakes Poker which is in my opinion the best poker show on TV followed closely by Poker After Dark on NBC which I believe is the second best show on right now and the best tournament show on TV. Brian has been so successful online that he will be sitting at the HSP table with three quarters of a million dollars. In some of the upcoming episodes of HSP Brian will be playing at a table featuring Daniel Negraneu, David Benyamine, Phil Ivey, Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, John D' Agostino, Brad Booth, and Patrik Antonious. This could definitely without exaggeration be the toughest no-limit cash game holdem table ever assembled. Honestly, as good of a player as Daniel Negraneu is, he is probably the fish at this table. That's how good the others are. If Brian does lose some pots though or doesn't look like the world class player he is realize that even though these shows last for hours on TV they are actually playing very few hands like 20 hands or less an hour live. They are constantly having to stop and restart due to TV production requirements that go into filming a show like this. When you are playing so few hands at these limits the variance can be extremely high. Also Brian is not used to play at a full 8 or 9 handed table at this level. The highest stakes games online are never played as full ring games. They are usually shorthanded between 2-6 players. This is where Brian's expertise is and where he will shine the most right now. Pros like him can adjust to the differences in these games but he is still most experienced short-handed. Trust me. You will see much more of Brian in the years to come.
If you can't get enough of Brian on HSP right now you may also want to check him out through another medium. He has recently signed on as a producer and part owner of the online poker video instructional site www.cardrunners.com. He will be making new videos of his play along with his excellent commentary at a variety of limits including those significantly lower than the limits he currently plays at. For those not familiar with CardRunners it is an excellent site with hundreds of videos by successful professional online players. Whether you are a relatively new $1/2 NL player or a more experienced player you will benefit greatly from this site. The site is primarily no-limit oriented and there are videos for tournament as well as cash game play. If you play $1/2 - $10/20 NL holdem or online tournaments with typical buy-ins from $20 - $200 this is the perfect site to learn from and take your play to the next level. Hope to see you soon at the tables----Ben.
There are a number of reasons you may not have heard of Brian. He plays mostly on the internet on Full Tilt and PokerStars under the screen names Aba20 and Shrugby. He also hasn't been playing very long. There is one big reason you will hear a lot more about him in the future though. He is one of the the best current cash game no-limit poker players today. He plays daily and beats the highest stakes no-limit games online. I don't just mean he beats them. I mean he crushes them! He is quickly becoming a terror at the high stakes Pot Limit Omaha games online as well. Brian regularly plays against and beats big name pros like Phil Ivey and David Beyamine. Not many "well known pros" play high stakes online. These two are exceptions and Brian plays against them regularly not to mention many other terrific online players in pots that are commonly in the $100-$150K range.
What is probably the most amazing is that Brian has been playing no-limit holdem for only a short time. He began playing no-limit at the beginning of 2006 starting at the lowest limits and rapidly rising in less than a year to playing the highest stakes games available online. Brian has risen so rapidly because of his exceptional skill and also because he has played countless thousands of hands while being very aggressive in taking shots and moving up in limits very quickly. He has hit rough spots along the way and had to occasionally move down in limits for awhile before succeeding at the next level. In being willing to take a step down when necessary before moving up again though he has shown the characteristics of outstanding bankroll management that many aspiring poker players could benefit from. Brian often plays as many hands a week at 200/400NL and up as many of the "well known pros" play live in the "Big Game" in the course of a year.
Like I said, fortunately we will be seeing a lot more of Brian in the near future on High Stakes Poker which is in my opinion the best poker show on TV followed closely by Poker After Dark on NBC which I believe is the second best show on right now and the best tournament show on TV. Brian has been so successful online that he will be sitting at the HSP table with three quarters of a million dollars. In some of the upcoming episodes of HSP Brian will be playing at a table featuring Daniel Negraneu, David Benyamine, Phil Ivey, Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari, John D' Agostino, Brad Booth, and Patrik Antonious. This could definitely without exaggeration be the toughest no-limit cash game holdem table ever assembled. Honestly, as good of a player as Daniel Negraneu is, he is probably the fish at this table. That's how good the others are. If Brian does lose some pots though or doesn't look like the world class player he is realize that even though these shows last for hours on TV they are actually playing very few hands like 20 hands or less an hour live. They are constantly having to stop and restart due to TV production requirements that go into filming a show like this. When you are playing so few hands at these limits the variance can be extremely high. Also Brian is not used to play at a full 8 or 9 handed table at this level. The highest stakes games online are never played as full ring games. They are usually shorthanded between 2-6 players. This is where Brian's expertise is and where he will shine the most right now. Pros like him can adjust to the differences in these games but he is still most experienced short-handed. Trust me. You will see much more of Brian in the years to come.
If you can't get enough of Brian on HSP right now you may also want to check him out through another medium. He has recently signed on as a producer and part owner of the online poker video instructional site www.cardrunners.com. He will be making new videos of his play along with his excellent commentary at a variety of limits including those significantly lower than the limits he currently plays at. For those not familiar with CardRunners it is an excellent site with hundreds of videos by successful professional online players. Whether you are a relatively new $1/2 NL player or a more experienced player you will benefit greatly from this site. The site is primarily no-limit oriented and there are videos for tournament as well as cash game play. If you play $1/2 - $10/20 NL holdem or online tournaments with typical buy-ins from $20 - $200 this is the perfect site to learn from and take your play to the next level. Hope to see you soon at the tables----Ben.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Juice Tuesday
Another night with a limited supply of Juice.... I know that his wife has probably said that many times, but that's the way it is. It is a completely different game when the Juice is not in attendance. The pot sizes change from a juice-less $150 to a juice-included $1,000 to $1,500. I remember one hand last week where he wasn't even in the hand, just at the table, and it was the first really large pot of the night. I know there are some times when he can't control having to leave due to family, or crack-head employees or other emergencies, but we do miss him when he isn't there....
The night also had a different feel because Rick was noticeably absent. I understand that he isn't coming back until they make some pretty serious rule changes around there.... LOL. Yeah, that'll happen. They could pass a rule that he had to be beaten with razor-laced whip and dipped in alcohol and he would show up early and be right in line for "Scout" to assist with the accumulation of chips.... LOL.
There were only a couple of big hands for me last night. The first came against Elly when I turned the nut club flush and the 3rd nut low.... which earned me a scoop. The second against Mike M.... I was in the big blind and Elly raised the $2/$5 blinds to $20 (which became "pretty-much" the standard cost to see the flop last night). Mike raised it to $70 and when it got back to me in the hold'em hand, I had pocket kings. I raised to $200 and everyone folded! Now see, if the Juice were at the table, he would have re-raised me to $500. I would have pushed all-in and he would have scooped the pot when the "3" of his 7c, 3c made the wheel. Nice!
In another hand, I laid down a good hand to John S when he raised O8 pre-flop to $20 and when everyone called, he pushed all-in on the flop when the board came Jd, 8d, 4c. Everyone folded to me and after much verbal abuse from John laid down my bottom set, which I knew was ahead to his low draw and nut flush draw. Jarod ran it and I would have scooped the pot when the flush nor the low got there. He had gotten paid early on when he raised pre-flop with A, A, and 2 low cards when he hit the nut flush and the nut low.
The monkey did come out last night. The Juice came in a little late and sat down and turned a Jc, 7c straight flush..... Nice! I flopped quad-3's against Elly and Nate and bet the entire way and scooped a nice pot when the low didn't get there. All-in-all, a nice night and a good group of players, but we've got to keep the Juice at the table!
Back to the felt!
The night also had a different feel because Rick was noticeably absent. I understand that he isn't coming back until they make some pretty serious rule changes around there.... LOL. Yeah, that'll happen. They could pass a rule that he had to be beaten with razor-laced whip and dipped in alcohol and he would show up early and be right in line for "Scout" to assist with the accumulation of chips.... LOL.
There were only a couple of big hands for me last night. The first came against Elly when I turned the nut club flush and the 3rd nut low.... which earned me a scoop. The second against Mike M.... I was in the big blind and Elly raised the $2/$5 blinds to $20 (which became "pretty-much" the standard cost to see the flop last night). Mike raised it to $70 and when it got back to me in the hold'em hand, I had pocket kings. I raised to $200 and everyone folded! Now see, if the Juice were at the table, he would have re-raised me to $500. I would have pushed all-in and he would have scooped the pot when the "3" of his 7c, 3c made the wheel. Nice!
In another hand, I laid down a good hand to John S when he raised O8 pre-flop to $20 and when everyone called, he pushed all-in on the flop when the board came Jd, 8d, 4c. Everyone folded to me and after much verbal abuse from John laid down my bottom set, which I knew was ahead to his low draw and nut flush draw. Jarod ran it and I would have scooped the pot when the flush nor the low got there. He had gotten paid early on when he raised pre-flop with A, A, and 2 low cards when he hit the nut flush and the nut low.
The monkey did come out last night. The Juice came in a little late and sat down and turned a Jc, 7c straight flush..... Nice! I flopped quad-3's against Elly and Nate and bet the entire way and scooped a nice pot when the low didn't get there. All-in-all, a nice night and a good group of players, but we've got to keep the Juice at the table!
Back to the felt!
PokerTek Expands Agreement with Carnival Cruises
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
PokerTek Expands Agreement with Carnival Cruises
Charlotte Business Journal - 2:46 PM EST Friday, February 16, 2007
PokerTek Inc. has completed a trial of its PokerPro tables on Carnival Corp. & plc's Princess Cruises, and the cruise line will expand its use of the electronic poker tables.
With PokerPro tables already installed on three of its ships, Princess Cruises will have 22 tables installed by the end of the year.
"We continue to be impressed with how quickly the Princess guests learn to play PokerPro and how reliable the product has proven itself," says Rodney Dofort, vice president of casino operations.
Financial terms of the agreement weren't disclosed.
Matthews NC-based PokerTek (NASDAQ:PTEK) is a software-development company that markets tables at which up to 10 people can play Texas Hold 'Em.
The company's PokerPro electronic system deals cards, displays them on private screens to the players and displays general information on a large screen in the center of the table. It also enables customers to set up accounts for betting and keeps statistical information on the games.
The system is designed to increase casino revenue by increasing hands per hour and reducing labor costs within poker rooms.
Carnival, based in Florida and the United Kingdom, is a global cruise company.
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
PokerTek Expands Agreement with Carnival Cruises
Charlotte Business Journal - 2:46 PM EST Friday, February 16, 2007
PokerTek Inc. has completed a trial of its PokerPro tables on Carnival Corp. & plc's Princess Cruises, and the cruise line will expand its use of the electronic poker tables.
With PokerPro tables already installed on three of its ships, Princess Cruises will have 22 tables installed by the end of the year.
"We continue to be impressed with how quickly the Princess guests learn to play PokerPro and how reliable the product has proven itself," says Rodney Dofort, vice president of casino operations.
Financial terms of the agreement weren't disclosed.
Matthews NC-based PokerTek (NASDAQ:PTEK) is a software-development company that markets tables at which up to 10 people can play Texas Hold 'Em.
The company's PokerPro electronic system deals cards, displays them on private screens to the players and displays general information on a large screen in the center of the table. It also enables customers to set up accounts for betting and keeps statistical information on the games.
The system is designed to increase casino revenue by increasing hands per hour and reducing labor costs within poker rooms.
Carnival, based in Florida and the United Kingdom, is a global cruise company.
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Monday, February 19, 2007
PKR Saturday Tourny
I finally figured out how to cash in the tournaments...............stop bluffing all my chips away! Who knew it was that easy, besides Rick and Charles, who seem to cash every week. Although, I havn't seen Rick in the final few the last couple weeks. He must be putting all his chips at risk with the best hand. He should know by now that you can't do that at PKR. So anyway, I have managed to cash the last three tournaments I have played at PKR. A first and two seconds. I also managed to win my way into the bonus tournament with just two good weeks. I have been playing pretty damn well if I may say so, but I have also had some good fortune, or luck as some of you like to call it. Like when my KK sucked out on AA this week. LOVE IT! So, I'll see you guys this Saturday in the bonus tourny. Good fortune!
WSOP
Ok, I need some help from those of you who eat, sleep, breath, and, oh yes, play poker. I'm heading to Vegas May 11th and I want to play in a couple satellites for the WSOP main event. What is the best way to find out where I can go to do so? I've been trying on-line with just a little success. Anybody have the answers? Thanks in advance. Matt
Saturday PKR Tournament
The Saturday tournament proved to be as unlucky as Friday was lucky. Just as well – given the choice I’d rather catch cards during the cash games, where I can make more in one pot than I can by outlasting 20 other guys and winning some goofy $40 buy-in tournament. I was all-in three times Saturday, and to say I got my money good would be a tremendous understatement. My opponents had a total of eight outs in the three hands combined. Needless to say, I was lucky to win one of them, and I busted out early…
One hand was when I have 10-10, make a standard raise, and Charles calls. The flop comes K-10-X – sweet! I’m hoping he has a king, of course, and lead out with a bet of a little more than half the pot. He calls, so the trap is now set. A brick comes on the turn, and I check, hoping he reads that as me making a continuation flop bet with something like A-Q or an underpair. Sure enough, he makes a good-sized bet of about half his stack. I figure he’s pretty much committed and go ahead and push in. He calls and turns over A-A. I guess we were slow-playing each other! Turns out the action wouldn’t have mattered too much. He would’ve had to make a fairly big re-raise to get me off the hand pre-flop. He didn’t get one of the two remaining aces, and I pretty much double-up.
Then the rains came...
As the rebuy period is winding to a close, I get involved with a hand with Rene, who is short-stacked. I have Ac-Qc, and make a standard raise, which he calls. The flop comes Ax-4x-4x, and I go ahead and push him in. He calls and turns over A-8, and, of course, an 8 peels off on the turn.
The final suckout came against, who else, Charles. He gets squirrelly and pushes in with Ah-7h (hey, it’s suited, right?), and I call with As-Ks. He has me covered, and I’m fairly sure I’m about drawing dead as I say “here come the sevens.” Sadly, I’m right again (I hate being right so often…) and I’m out the door before he can finish scooping my chips.
Next Saturday will be the freeroll tournament, so hopefully the luck will even out then. If the best hand holds up every time, then I like my chances. If not, then at least I’ll have more blogging material. :-)
See ya at the tables…
Rick
One hand was when I have 10-10, make a standard raise, and Charles calls. The flop comes K-10-X – sweet! I’m hoping he has a king, of course, and lead out with a bet of a little more than half the pot. He calls, so the trap is now set. A brick comes on the turn, and I check, hoping he reads that as me making a continuation flop bet with something like A-Q or an underpair. Sure enough, he makes a good-sized bet of about half his stack. I figure he’s pretty much committed and go ahead and push in. He calls and turns over A-A. I guess we were slow-playing each other! Turns out the action wouldn’t have mattered too much. He would’ve had to make a fairly big re-raise to get me off the hand pre-flop. He didn’t get one of the two remaining aces, and I pretty much double-up.
Then the rains came...
As the rebuy period is winding to a close, I get involved with a hand with Rene, who is short-stacked. I have Ac-Qc, and make a standard raise, which he calls. The flop comes Ax-4x-4x, and I go ahead and push him in. He calls and turns over A-8, and, of course, an 8 peels off on the turn.
The final suckout came against, who else, Charles. He gets squirrelly and pushes in with Ah-7h (hey, it’s suited, right?), and I call with As-Ks. He has me covered, and I’m fairly sure I’m about drawing dead as I say “here come the sevens.” Sadly, I’m right again (I hate being right so often…) and I’m out the door before he can finish scooping my chips.
Next Saturday will be the freeroll tournament, so hopefully the luck will even out then. If the best hand holds up every time, then I like my chances. If not, then at least I’ll have more blogging material. :-)
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Friday Omaha at PKR
Friday brought another exciting game of Omaha 8 (high/low) at PKR. It’s actually dealer’s choice between high and high/low, but it’s the usually the latter 99% of the hands. We play $2/5 pot limit, and depending on who’s there on any particular night, it can range from an action game to downright crazy. This past Friday a few “action” regulars such as Akash and Elvie were noticeably absent, but it turned out to be a pretty active game nonetheless. We had a couple newcomers to the game in Stone and Matt M, who both played relatively tight
I’m usually a pretty active player, so there were a couple hands where I had scoopers on the turn but ended up with only half the pot. I also made a couple big calls with good three-way draws, only to miss everything. That having been said, I had a fairly lucky night overall. I hit a couple draws in large pots, and had the best hand hold up (always a pleasant surprise!) a few times as well.
My biggest suckout of the night came against Matt. I have Ad-2d-2h-6d UTG, and the flop comes Kx-5d-2x, giving me bottom set, a decent low draw, and backdoor straight and flush draws. Not an incredible hand by any means, but one that will be good most of the time. I lead out with a pot-sized bet, hoping to take it down right there, but I don’t mind a call from a low draw. Nate is on my immediate right, and makes the call. I don’t remember, but I think there’s one other caller before it gets around to Matt, who raises all-in for around $300 more. He’s playing fairly tight, so I’m reasonably sure he has the top set of kings. With my low draw and other backdoor draws, and me getting more than 2:1 on my money, it feels like a pretty easy call if we were heads-up. My only concern here is Nate, who doesn’t have a lot of chips left (maybe $200+?). With him smooth-calling my flop bet, he could easily have nut low draw and/or some kind of a small wrap. If he had a large stack, I would probably raise and try and isolate Matt. In the end, I decide to make the call and hope I’m not stuck in the middle. Nate is now getting a great price, and insta-calls with the nut low draw. Crap. Luckily, two diamonds peel off the deck to give me the nut flush and half the pot.
This hand is a good example of the nature of Omaha, in that it’s a drawing game. In Hold ‘em, Matt would be in a golden position on the flop, even against several opponents seeing the flop, and might even slow-play. In Omaha, however, I believe that flopping top set of kings with a 2-5 on the flop will probably cost you money in the long run if you play it fast on the flop. With two cards to come, and your opponents most likely holding a bunch of smaller cards, it’s just too easy to get drawn out on. Any low card means that you’ll probably only win half the pot, and many low cards make both a low and a straight, leaving you with nothing. It’s almost like you have to “get lucky” by pairing the board, and even then some idiot might make quad deuces! :-) For me, in this situation I usually prefer to play top set a bit slower on the flop, then bet big on the turn if a good card (Q through 9, for example) comes. It’s a lot easier for your opponents to fold a drawing hand on the turn than on the flop.
Another nice hand comes when I have X-X-3c-4c, and the flop comes Ac-5c-6x. I’m first to act, make a pot-sized bet and get several callers. Of course, I’m thinking “2c…2c…” and BOOM! Here comes that little beauty on the turn, giving me the steel wheel – get the monkey! I lead out with a smallish bet just praying someone with the nut flush will raise me. No such luck, but I do get a couple callers, including Nate. The river brings a 4x, and I again make a smallish bet ($100 maybe?) in relation to the pot size. Nate looks a bit suspicious, but makes the call, as does the other guy. Nate shows the queen-high flush, and the other guy shows 3-4 for the nut low, giving me ¾ of the pot. In retrospect, I think the $100 river bet was just about the right amount. The other guy didn’t have a lot of chips left, and Nate wouldn’t have paid off too much more than that with the third-nut high.
I continued to steadily build my stack the rest of the night, and when the game broke I was able to cash out for almost $3,200. For those wannabe Omaha players out there, you should come on out and play! The game is rapidly growing in popularity, thanks primarily to its action nature. Almost everyone flops some kind of hand or draw, so you normally get several players seeing a turn card. If you haven’t yet tried Omaha, you’re really missing out on a fun game. By comparison, playing Hold ‘em is like watching paint dry. Go out and get yourself a book or two, then jump in and get your feet wet!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
I’m usually a pretty active player, so there were a couple hands where I had scoopers on the turn but ended up with only half the pot. I also made a couple big calls with good three-way draws, only to miss everything. That having been said, I had a fairly lucky night overall. I hit a couple draws in large pots, and had the best hand hold up (always a pleasant surprise!) a few times as well.
My biggest suckout of the night came against Matt. I have Ad-2d-2h-6d UTG, and the flop comes Kx-5d-2x, giving me bottom set, a decent low draw, and backdoor straight and flush draws. Not an incredible hand by any means, but one that will be good most of the time. I lead out with a pot-sized bet, hoping to take it down right there, but I don’t mind a call from a low draw. Nate is on my immediate right, and makes the call. I don’t remember, but I think there’s one other caller before it gets around to Matt, who raises all-in for around $300 more. He’s playing fairly tight, so I’m reasonably sure he has the top set of kings. With my low draw and other backdoor draws, and me getting more than 2:1 on my money, it feels like a pretty easy call if we were heads-up. My only concern here is Nate, who doesn’t have a lot of chips left (maybe $200+?). With him smooth-calling my flop bet, he could easily have nut low draw and/or some kind of a small wrap. If he had a large stack, I would probably raise and try and isolate Matt. In the end, I decide to make the call and hope I’m not stuck in the middle. Nate is now getting a great price, and insta-calls with the nut low draw. Crap. Luckily, two diamonds peel off the deck to give me the nut flush and half the pot.
This hand is a good example of the nature of Omaha, in that it’s a drawing game. In Hold ‘em, Matt would be in a golden position on the flop, even against several opponents seeing the flop, and might even slow-play. In Omaha, however, I believe that flopping top set of kings with a 2-5 on the flop will probably cost you money in the long run if you play it fast on the flop. With two cards to come, and your opponents most likely holding a bunch of smaller cards, it’s just too easy to get drawn out on. Any low card means that you’ll probably only win half the pot, and many low cards make both a low and a straight, leaving you with nothing. It’s almost like you have to “get lucky” by pairing the board, and even then some idiot might make quad deuces! :-) For me, in this situation I usually prefer to play top set a bit slower on the flop, then bet big on the turn if a good card (Q through 9, for example) comes. It’s a lot easier for your opponents to fold a drawing hand on the turn than on the flop.
Another nice hand comes when I have X-X-3c-4c, and the flop comes Ac-5c-6x. I’m first to act, make a pot-sized bet and get several callers. Of course, I’m thinking “2c…2c…” and BOOM! Here comes that little beauty on the turn, giving me the steel wheel – get the monkey! I lead out with a smallish bet just praying someone with the nut flush will raise me. No such luck, but I do get a couple callers, including Nate. The river brings a 4x, and I again make a smallish bet ($100 maybe?) in relation to the pot size. Nate looks a bit suspicious, but makes the call, as does the other guy. Nate shows the queen-high flush, and the other guy shows 3-4 for the nut low, giving me ¾ of the pot. In retrospect, I think the $100 river bet was just about the right amount. The other guy didn’t have a lot of chips left, and Nate wouldn’t have paid off too much more than that with the third-nut high.
I continued to steadily build my stack the rest of the night, and when the game broke I was able to cash out for almost $3,200. For those wannabe Omaha players out there, you should come on out and play! The game is rapidly growing in popularity, thanks primarily to its action nature. Almost everyone flops some kind of hand or draw, so you normally get several players seeing a turn card. If you haven’t yet tried Omaha, you’re really missing out on a fun game. By comparison, playing Hold ‘em is like watching paint dry. Go out and get yourself a book or two, then jump in and get your feet wet!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
MGM Has New Old Plans for Atlantic City
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Triangle Poker Journal™ Covering Local News on America's Favorite Game
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The site of MGM Mirage's proposed casino lies between Harrah's (buildings in foreground) and the Borgata (tower in background).
MGM Has New Old Plans for Atlantic City
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
ATLANTIC CITY — Las Vegas gaming giant MGM Mirage, which has tantalized Atlantic City for a decade with plans for casinos that were never built, said Wednesday that it may develop a new megaresort on a 71-acre site in the Marina District.
The company's board of directors has approved $20 million to design a project that would rise next to Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, the upscale gaming hall co-owned by MGM with Boyd Gaming Corp.
Terry Lanni, MGM chairman and chief executive officer, said planning work and regulatory approvals will take about two years to complete, with construction expected to start sometime in 2009. It would take about 30 months to build.
“The focus in Atlantic City is on the 71 acres next to Borgata. That's our primary focus,” Lanni said while discussing the project during a conference call with gaming analysts. “We're going to develop that project on our own as a wholly owned entity, and we have been given approval by our board to move ahead with preliminary work.”
MGM executives stressed that the project is in the early stages of development, hardly an ironclad guarantee that the casino will actually be built. The size, scope and cost have not yet been determined, although MGM's $7 billion CityCenter project on the Las Vegas Strip will serve as an inspiration.
“We've got some exciting concepts for that property. We're currently discussing and analyzing those,” said Gordon Absher, MGM vice president of public affairs.
MGM's Atlantic City project isn't expected to match the scale or cost of the CityCenter development, but would include similar elements. Scheduled to open in late 2009, CityCenter will feature casino space, hotels, condominiums, retail shops, restaurants and entertainment all wrapped up in one huge project.
Luxury condos, high-end retail, a noncasino hotel and a large entertainment arena are among the attractions under consideration to complement the gaming space in Atlantic City.
“This is the world of possibilities,” Absher said. “We're looking at high density, mixed use and possibly applying that concept to that land.”
Final plans are expected to take about a year to prepare. MGM would next submit the project to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for a Coastal Area Facilities Review Act permit, a key regulation governing construction projects at the shore. Lanni estimated that the CAFRA review would take another year to complete.
MGM already owns the proposed development site next to Borgata. The same property was supposed to be the site of a billion-dollar casino that MGM had proposed several years ago but abandoned in 2002.
MGM has had an on-again, off-again relationship with Atlantic City for 10 years. It once planned to build a lavish gaming resort on a barren site in the South Inlet, only to kill that project to focus on the Marina District. Plans for the Marina then failed. Now MGM is resurrecting the Marina District site for its latest project.
“As we've said for some time, we're going to develop that site without a partner,” Absher said. “We're very enthusiastic about that parcel of land.”
MGM's Atlantic City holdings already include 50 percent ownership of Borgata, the Las Vegas-style megacasino operated by Boyd Gaming. Absher said MGM is happy with its partnership with Boyd for Borgata.
Larry Mullin, Borgata's president and chief operating officer, declined to comment on MGM's proposed casino. Mullin, though, characterized MGM as “a great partner” in Borgata's ownership.
At the same time it is looking to build its own new casino, MGM has been talking to the American Indian tribe that owns Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut about a possible casino project on another parcel it owns in Atlantic City's Marina District.
That site, comprised of 14 acres next to Trump Marina Hotel Casino, is part of an April 24, 2006, memorandum of agreement between MGM and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. The agreement is for potential joint ventures between MGM and the Pequots for projects in Connecticut, Atlantic City and Las Vegas.
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Triangle Poker Journal™ Covering Local News on America's Favorite Game
Subscribe free at http://www.trianglepokerjournal.com/
The site of MGM Mirage's proposed casino lies between Harrah's (buildings in foreground) and the Borgata (tower in background).
MGM Has New Old Plans for Atlantic City
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
ATLANTIC CITY — Las Vegas gaming giant MGM Mirage, which has tantalized Atlantic City for a decade with plans for casinos that were never built, said Wednesday that it may develop a new megaresort on a 71-acre site in the Marina District.
The company's board of directors has approved $20 million to design a project that would rise next to Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, the upscale gaming hall co-owned by MGM with Boyd Gaming Corp.
Terry Lanni, MGM chairman and chief executive officer, said planning work and regulatory approvals will take about two years to complete, with construction expected to start sometime in 2009. It would take about 30 months to build.
“The focus in Atlantic City is on the 71 acres next to Borgata. That's our primary focus,” Lanni said while discussing the project during a conference call with gaming analysts. “We're going to develop that project on our own as a wholly owned entity, and we have been given approval by our board to move ahead with preliminary work.”
MGM executives stressed that the project is in the early stages of development, hardly an ironclad guarantee that the casino will actually be built. The size, scope and cost have not yet been determined, although MGM's $7 billion CityCenter project on the Las Vegas Strip will serve as an inspiration.
“We've got some exciting concepts for that property. We're currently discussing and analyzing those,” said Gordon Absher, MGM vice president of public affairs.
MGM's Atlantic City project isn't expected to match the scale or cost of the CityCenter development, but would include similar elements. Scheduled to open in late 2009, CityCenter will feature casino space, hotels, condominiums, retail shops, restaurants and entertainment all wrapped up in one huge project.
Luxury condos, high-end retail, a noncasino hotel and a large entertainment arena are among the attractions under consideration to complement the gaming space in Atlantic City.
“This is the world of possibilities,” Absher said. “We're looking at high density, mixed use and possibly applying that concept to that land.”
Final plans are expected to take about a year to prepare. MGM would next submit the project to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for a Coastal Area Facilities Review Act permit, a key regulation governing construction projects at the shore. Lanni estimated that the CAFRA review would take another year to complete.
MGM already owns the proposed development site next to Borgata. The same property was supposed to be the site of a billion-dollar casino that MGM had proposed several years ago but abandoned in 2002.
MGM has had an on-again, off-again relationship with Atlantic City for 10 years. It once planned to build a lavish gaming resort on a barren site in the South Inlet, only to kill that project to focus on the Marina District. Plans for the Marina then failed. Now MGM is resurrecting the Marina District site for its latest project.
“As we've said for some time, we're going to develop that site without a partner,” Absher said. “We're very enthusiastic about that parcel of land.”
MGM's Atlantic City holdings already include 50 percent ownership of Borgata, the Las Vegas-style megacasino operated by Boyd Gaming. Absher said MGM is happy with its partnership with Boyd for Borgata.
Larry Mullin, Borgata's president and chief operating officer, declined to comment on MGM's proposed casino. Mullin, though, characterized MGM as “a great partner” in Borgata's ownership.
At the same time it is looking to build its own new casino, MGM has been talking to the American Indian tribe that owns Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut about a possible casino project on another parcel it owns in Atlantic City's Marina District.
That site, comprised of 14 acres next to Trump Marina Hotel Casino, is part of an April 24, 2006, memorandum of agreement between MGM and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. The agreement is for potential joint ventures between MGM and the Pequots for projects in Connecticut, Atlantic City and Las Vegas.
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Friday, February 16, 2007
Juiceless Thursday
There seemed to be something missing. To go out on a limb, and risk sounding like that idiot guy at the poker table who quotes Rounders incessantly (we've all been guilty at one time or another, but this little character flaw marks you as more of a rookie than someone who string bets or can't do a single chip trick), the table was set, you've got your knife, fork, and plate, but there just wasn't any steak.
Okay, there was steak. Or rather pot roast. And some kind of chicken that was out of this world. But without the Juice, or with very little Juice to go around, the evening took on a completely different air.
I showed up about 9:30 or 10. No Juice. He showed his pearly browns later, getting up and down more than Anna Nicole's chemically enhanced mood. He didn't stay long either. Just long enough for him to call my $25 preflop raise in NLHE with Juice-Ten-Unsuited. I had AsQs, and the board was magic. I was already in 2 buy-ins thanks to some horrible short-handed Omaha8 play by me, and some horrible short-handed Omaha8 luck from JRod. The flop comes JTx-two spades. Juice bets. I go all in. Dean calls. Juice calls. Bingo-bongo, spade, spade, and I'm already up for the night.
In an even weirder series of events, Juice builds up quite a stack after this after a pretty nice run, including the following hand, and he cashes out with chips. One of his last hands, he made it $100+ to go preflop. I flopped a monster wrap, something like 9TKA after a something like a QJx flop (2 to a flush). He bets $500 on the flop, and having none to the flush, and no low, I just can't manage to call my big wrap. Of course, I hit. Or would have.
A few other hands stand out as we played 4 handed into the wee hours of the morning, but one in particular. It ought to spawn a new strain of blog... Famous Charles quotes.
Superplayer, myself and Charles each manage to catch a nut straight with 78 in our hand, and a low on board. Something like a 56K29 board. Small betting before the river. The river betting goes something like me: $30, Superplayer: call, Charles: $75 or $125. I call. Superplayer calls. We all show our 78 straights. Neither Superplayer nor I have a low.
Says Charles, "That's why I raised... I was pretty sure my 37 was good for low".
Okay, there was steak. Or rather pot roast. And some kind of chicken that was out of this world. But without the Juice, or with very little Juice to go around, the evening took on a completely different air.
I showed up about 9:30 or 10. No Juice. He showed his pearly browns later, getting up and down more than Anna Nicole's chemically enhanced mood. He didn't stay long either. Just long enough for him to call my $25 preflop raise in NLHE with Juice-Ten-Unsuited. I had AsQs, and the board was magic. I was already in 2 buy-ins thanks to some horrible short-handed Omaha8 play by me, and some horrible short-handed Omaha8 luck from JRod. The flop comes JTx-two spades. Juice bets. I go all in. Dean calls. Juice calls. Bingo-bongo, spade, spade, and I'm already up for the night.
In an even weirder series of events, Juice builds up quite a stack after this after a pretty nice run, including the following hand, and he cashes out with chips. One of his last hands, he made it $100+ to go preflop. I flopped a monster wrap, something like 9TKA after a something like a QJx flop (2 to a flush). He bets $500 on the flop, and having none to the flush, and no low, I just can't manage to call my big wrap. Of course, I hit. Or would have.
A few other hands stand out as we played 4 handed into the wee hours of the morning, but one in particular. It ought to spawn a new strain of blog... Famous Charles quotes.
Superplayer, myself and Charles each manage to catch a nut straight with 78 in our hand, and a low on board. Something like a 56K29 board. Small betting before the river. The river betting goes something like me: $30, Superplayer: call, Charles: $75 or $125. I call. Superplayer calls. We all show our 78 straights. Neither Superplayer nor I have a low.
Says Charles, "That's why I raised... I was pretty sure my 37 was good for low".
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Famous Poker Quotes...
“If he looks at him any longer, he’s going to have to ask him to dinner.”
-------------Norman Chad, when Dutch Boyd took an eternity before deciding whether to call a big bet from Chris Moneymaker
-------------Norman Chad, when Dutch Boyd took an eternity before deciding whether to call a big bet from Chris Moneymaker
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Tuesday with Juice....
Another wild and crazy shoot-em-up night of No Limit Omaha 8 and No Limit Hold'em! I know, that still doesn't sound right. There were several big hands last night, but unfortunately in most of the really big hands, I got quartered. For those of you who may not know what that means, in Omaha 8 if there are 3 cards 8 or below un-paired on the board, a person(s) with the best -LOW- hand will win half the pot and the person(s) with the best -HIGH- hand will win half the pot. In a couple of big hands, I was tied for the best high or low and received half of.... half the pot. In one instance, the first time that I've seen this in a live game, the low was chopped between 4 people. Nice! Yep, I was one of them. So, for every dollar I put in the pot, I'm getting back about .625 ----- that math will mess you up!
Last night, Bill T played some of the best poker that I've seen him play -AND- he was catching cards. That is a tough combination to beat. And..... no one did! He definitely was the big winner and made some great moves that got him paid several times by me et al.
I did hit a couple of monsters that really helped me get back even after I made some donkey calls early. In one hand, I believe it was against Rick and the Juice, I held Qx, 10x, Kx, Jx and the flop was Qx, 10x, 6x. I was first to act and led out with a small bet of about $40 or so. Rick and Dave both called. The turn was a Qx.... Nice! I checked, Rick checked, Dave bet and Rick and I both smooth called. The river.... the fourth Qx! I bet about $250 and everyone folded.
In another hand, not to long after that one, I have 7s, 8s, Jx, Jx and the flop was Ks, Js, 9s. I know... the sucker end of the straight flush. Only at the Juice's would I worry about that costing me..... if it hits. The Juice leads out with a $70 bet and I call and Rick calls..... The turn is the 10s! Dang! The Juice bets $110 and I raise to $250 and they both fold. I know, I played them too hard. I should have slowed down a little. I actually did that in a couple of hands last night. But keep in mind, I've been away from this game for 2 months. It takes some time to get back into the swing of this one....
The other big news last night was our discussion of "chopping" pots. You don't see this happen a lot in most casinos, but it was kind of getting out of hand in this game. And in my personal opinion, which of course, means nothing at this game, it borders on collusion especially when sometimes it would appear that isolation bets were made to get heads up so that the pot could be chopped. I don't believe that anyone at this game would knowingly, intentionally do it, but I do believe that several of us have been the unwilling victim of isolation bets where we would lay down the second or third nut in both directions to huge over bets and then watch the money get chopped up amongst other players. The excellent news about that is that the group discussed it and decided "as a group" ---- NOT TO CHOP! Yea! Now we're back to real poker.
All-in-all, a very good night.... I came back after being down early and a major issue was resolved! Thanks to all involved for doing the right thing!
Last night, Bill T played some of the best poker that I've seen him play -AND- he was catching cards. That is a tough combination to beat. And..... no one did! He definitely was the big winner and made some great moves that got him paid several times by me et al.
I did hit a couple of monsters that really helped me get back even after I made some donkey calls early. In one hand, I believe it was against Rick and the Juice, I held Qx, 10x, Kx, Jx and the flop was Qx, 10x, 6x. I was first to act and led out with a small bet of about $40 or so. Rick and Dave both called. The turn was a Qx.... Nice! I checked, Rick checked, Dave bet and Rick and I both smooth called. The river.... the fourth Qx! I bet about $250 and everyone folded.
In another hand, not to long after that one, I have 7s, 8s, Jx, Jx and the flop was Ks, Js, 9s. I know... the sucker end of the straight flush. Only at the Juice's would I worry about that costing me..... if it hits. The Juice leads out with a $70 bet and I call and Rick calls..... The turn is the 10s! Dang! The Juice bets $110 and I raise to $250 and they both fold. I know, I played them too hard. I should have slowed down a little. I actually did that in a couple of hands last night. But keep in mind, I've been away from this game for 2 months. It takes some time to get back into the swing of this one....
The other big news last night was our discussion of "chopping" pots. You don't see this happen a lot in most casinos, but it was kind of getting out of hand in this game. And in my personal opinion, which of course, means nothing at this game, it borders on collusion especially when sometimes it would appear that isolation bets were made to get heads up so that the pot could be chopped. I don't believe that anyone at this game would knowingly, intentionally do it, but I do believe that several of us have been the unwilling victim of isolation bets where we would lay down the second or third nut in both directions to huge over bets and then watch the money get chopped up amongst other players. The excellent news about that is that the group discussed it and decided "as a group" ---- NOT TO CHOP! Yea! Now we're back to real poker.
All-in-all, a very good night.... I came back after being down early and a major issue was resolved! Thanks to all involved for doing the right thing!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Famous Poker Quotes...
“There are nine Franciscan monks on an island somewhere saying, ‘OK, 100 bucks for the buy-in,’”
---------------Norman Chad
---------------Norman Chad
Monday, February 12, 2007
Famous Poker Quotes...
“I'm shooting myself in the foot by saying this, but I actually hope Hold ‘Em loosens its grip on poker nation and does not take over society. There are other things to do and other games to play. It cannot go on like this, can it?”
----------------Norman Chad
----------------Norman Chad
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Sunday @ PKR
A nice turn out for the tournament at PKR and there were several very interesting hands.... and of course, lots of suck-outs! I stole a couple of pots from a couple of different people but only felt compelled for some reason to show Rob.... I don't know why. The one I showed was 5d, 3d when I flopped an open ended straight draw and a flush draw and bet the flop, the turn and the river when I got no help whatsoever from any future streets. Nice!
Early in the tournament I doubled up through Jason.... I was under the gun and led out with a $400 bet with pocket Js. The flop was perfect! Ax, Jx, 7x and Jason pushed all-in when he hit his Ax, 2x pocket cards. Sweet!
I also let out once with pocket 3s (very un-Charles-like) only to flop a set. Unfortunately for me, no one else hit anything. If there hadn't been two the flush and the straight, I'd probably have checked it.
Mattrix played really well all week-end. He won the Saturday tournament and he finished 2nd to me in Sunday's tournament. I remember one hand where he had pocket AA and he slow-played pre-flop. The flop was the menage a troi flop of KKQ. He led out with a bet and took down the pot.
As we narrowed the field to 3, it was just me, Mattrix and Rob. There were several very interesting hands that came out while we 3 handed. The one where I crippled Rob, I had Kx, 10x and I moved all-in. Rob called immediately and turned over his Gretzky. The flop was absolutely no help with a Qx, Qx, 7x. None on the turn either when the 6x hit. I sucked out on the river when a 10 hit the board.
The next hand I was in the big blind and had 6d, 8d..... not my favorite, but I do like it. And Rob, the small blind, moves all-in for another $4500 or so. I don't know exactly what he said that made me think that he was making a move, but I just knew something was up. I called and he turned over 5x, 3x and the 8 high held up.
It appears that 9 and 10 match-ups weren't done. Matt and I were heads up and I had maybe 2.5 to 1 chip lead. The very next hand after knocking Rob out, I get 99 down and raise it to $6,000 and Mattrix moves all-in and I immediately call only to find that he had 10x, 10x and they held up. Wow!
At one point, we were pretty close to even chip-wise and Rob mentioned something about us chopping and I said that we hadn't had time to even discuss it as just as soon as he busted out, we had some action hands. Ed said something about us chopping and just as he did, the flop with 4x, 4s, 5s hits and Matt bet $6,000 and I called. The turn was a 6x and Matt checked and I checked. The river was a 7x and Matt checked and I checked and my 3x made a straight against his trip fours. Funny how things happen, huh!
The last hand of the tournament, I've got Qx, 10x and Matt raises $6,000 pre-flop. I call and the flop comes Jx, 9h, 7h. I check and Matt moves all-in. The only reason that my call wasn't automatic was because of the hearts on the board. His all-in move was $26,000 which was about half my chip stack and the more I thought about it, he could have been making that move with any Ace, any pair or any flush draw. With my open-ended straight draw, I also felt that if my Queen hit, it was good and any King or any 8 would take the pot and maybe even any 10 so I called. The turn made my straight with the King of diamonds and the river was a meaningless Ace. Mattrix turned over his Ax, 6x and the tournament was over.
Good playing guys! See you next week!
Early in the tournament I doubled up through Jason.... I was under the gun and led out with a $400 bet with pocket Js. The flop was perfect! Ax, Jx, 7x and Jason pushed all-in when he hit his Ax, 2x pocket cards. Sweet!
I also let out once with pocket 3s (very un-Charles-like) only to flop a set. Unfortunately for me, no one else hit anything. If there hadn't been two the flush and the straight, I'd probably have checked it.
Mattrix played really well all week-end. He won the Saturday tournament and he finished 2nd to me in Sunday's tournament. I remember one hand where he had pocket AA and he slow-played pre-flop. The flop was the menage a troi flop of KKQ. He led out with a bet and took down the pot.
As we narrowed the field to 3, it was just me, Mattrix and Rob. There were several very interesting hands that came out while we 3 handed. The one where I crippled Rob, I had Kx, 10x and I moved all-in. Rob called immediately and turned over his Gretzky. The flop was absolutely no help with a Qx, Qx, 7x. None on the turn either when the 6x hit. I sucked out on the river when a 10 hit the board.
The next hand I was in the big blind and had 6d, 8d..... not my favorite, but I do like it. And Rob, the small blind, moves all-in for another $4500 or so. I don't know exactly what he said that made me think that he was making a move, but I just knew something was up. I called and he turned over 5x, 3x and the 8 high held up.
It appears that 9 and 10 match-ups weren't done. Matt and I were heads up and I had maybe 2.5 to 1 chip lead. The very next hand after knocking Rob out, I get 99 down and raise it to $6,000 and Mattrix moves all-in and I immediately call only to find that he had 10x, 10x and they held up. Wow!
At one point, we were pretty close to even chip-wise and Rob mentioned something about us chopping and I said that we hadn't had time to even discuss it as just as soon as he busted out, we had some action hands. Ed said something about us chopping and just as he did, the flop with 4x, 4s, 5s hits and Matt bet $6,000 and I called. The turn was a 6x and Matt checked and I checked. The river was a 7x and Matt checked and I checked and my 3x made a straight against his trip fours. Funny how things happen, huh!
The last hand of the tournament, I've got Qx, 10x and Matt raises $6,000 pre-flop. I call and the flop comes Jx, 9h, 7h. I check and Matt moves all-in. The only reason that my call wasn't automatic was because of the hearts on the board. His all-in move was $26,000 which was about half my chip stack and the more I thought about it, he could have been making that move with any Ace, any pair or any flush draw. With my open-ended straight draw, I also felt that if my Queen hit, it was good and any King or any 8 would take the pot and maybe even any 10 so I called. The turn made my straight with the King of diamonds and the river was a meaningless Ace. Mattrix turned over his Ax, 6x and the tournament was over.
Good playing guys! See you next week!
Saturday, February 10, 2007
PKR Saturday Poker Tournament
Another excellent tournament today at PKR! Although I didn't cash, based on the cards that I was getting, I think I did well to finish in 6th place. The last move I made was very donkey-like.... the blinds were 2,000/4,000 and I had just lost the big blind to a raise when I had the 9, 2os to the small blind. I only had about 8200 after that move. And yes, it sort of put me on tilt.
The next hand every one folds to me in the small blind and with just the big blind remaining, I decided to push with any two cards. Unfortunately for me, the big blind was Rene' and he p/u Qs, 9s and called. And we were all surprised when I turned over the 6, 3os. LOL. And of course, the dealer starts throwing up queens like curdled pea soup.
Well, there is always tomorrow!
The next hand every one folds to me in the small blind and with just the big blind remaining, I decided to push with any two cards. Unfortunately for me, the big blind was Rene' and he p/u Qs, 9s and called. And we were all surprised when I turned over the 6, 3os. LOL. And of course, the dealer starts throwing up queens like curdled pea soup.
Well, there is always tomorrow!
PKR Maillist
Due to some computer problems, PKR has lost its maillist. If you would like to be on the distribution list for events at PKR, please send your email address, name, phone number to ncpokerblog@gmail.com
Friday, February 09, 2007
The night that could have been....
Well, the Juice permitted me to play again last night and it was another night of what could have been..... although it turned out to be a very good night for me, it could have been monstrous!
I made a crying call to Rick once when he rivered Queens full of Jacks and I had a smaller hand with the queen, but his $100 bet at the $600 pot was kind of stinky and he could have been making it with anything, up to and including a missed flush draw. But he pushed my buttons perfectly to get me to toss in the $100. Practically anything BUT the queen and I can fold it. Nice hand sir.
I folded a couple of middle pair in Omaha 8 and would have flopped or turned quads. It was a rather quiet night in terms of getting to hear the monkey. I think that John M was the only one that got to have his way with the monkey and that was rather early in the evening. Nope, I remember Rick flopped a set and rivered quads against Elvie. Rick looked truly disappointed when his fourth nine hit the board. He bet $200 and Elvie called.
There were a couple of very interesting hands though that made some decent pots for me. Once I was on the button and someone, we'll call him the Juice, because even if it wasn't him, it certainly could have been him, raised the bet to $75 straight and there were 3-4 callers including John M. I called with Ah, 2c, 7h, 8c. The flop was 2x, 2x, 9x and I checked and someone, I don't remember who, bet out $100 and John M called and I pushed all-in. Everyone folds except John who calls. He had outs, but they didn't come.
Another hand that was the biggest one of the night for me happened when I was in the big blind and Dave, who was sitting immediately to my left, made it $150 to go. As is usually the case, pretty much everyone at the table and 2-3 travelers speeding their way along the beltline makes the call so by the time it gets to me, there's about $900 or so in the pot. I find Ax, Ax, 4x, 4x rainbow. I check the stacks to see who is likely to call and the only ones that I feel will make the call of a big raise are Dave and Elvie so after a few moments of prodding and insults from the Juice, I push all-in for about $1200 or so. He immediately calls and Elvie calls and everyone else folds. I've got everyone at the table covered except for Rick and Natediggity who thankfully folded. Again, I am always amazed when the best hand pre-flop holds up all the way to the river. There were 3 cards to the diamond flush and 3 cards to the broadway straight, but neither Elvie or the Juice had any of that..... the Juice tried to play a four card straight at an extremely high volume for a minute or two, but we got him calmed down and I scooped one of the biggest pots of the night. Sweet!
A little while later from the big blind, I flopped the nut straight with the "Willie Nelson," Js, 10s (5th of Jack and Dime Bag), Ah, Qh. The flop was the 7s, 9s, 8h.... I love this flop! The only thing that could have made it any better would have involved the monkey...... At any rate, I lead out with a pot sized bet of about $50. Everyone folds to John M, who calls. The turn is a 3h and I like the heart, but not necessarily the 3, so I bet $100 and John calls. The river is another brick and I bet $200 (I think) and John M calls and my straight scoops it. There was a low, but he didn't have one.
I ended up wussing out and leaving before everyone else as I had a big day scheduled at the office and of course had to put up with abuse as I was leaving.... but it was so worth it! I cashed out with the biggest night for me in quite some time, but oh, the night that could have been!
Back to the felt!
I made a crying call to Rick once when he rivered Queens full of Jacks and I had a smaller hand with the queen, but his $100 bet at the $600 pot was kind of stinky and he could have been making it with anything, up to and including a missed flush draw. But he pushed my buttons perfectly to get me to toss in the $100. Practically anything BUT the queen and I can fold it. Nice hand sir.
I folded a couple of middle pair in Omaha 8 and would have flopped or turned quads. It was a rather quiet night in terms of getting to hear the monkey. I think that John M was the only one that got to have his way with the monkey and that was rather early in the evening. Nope, I remember Rick flopped a set and rivered quads against Elvie. Rick looked truly disappointed when his fourth nine hit the board. He bet $200 and Elvie called.
There were a couple of very interesting hands though that made some decent pots for me. Once I was on the button and someone, we'll call him the Juice, because even if it wasn't him, it certainly could have been him, raised the bet to $75 straight and there were 3-4 callers including John M. I called with Ah, 2c, 7h, 8c. The flop was 2x, 2x, 9x and I checked and someone, I don't remember who, bet out $100 and John M called and I pushed all-in. Everyone folds except John who calls. He had outs, but they didn't come.
Another hand that was the biggest one of the night for me happened when I was in the big blind and Dave, who was sitting immediately to my left, made it $150 to go. As is usually the case, pretty much everyone at the table and 2-3 travelers speeding their way along the beltline makes the call so by the time it gets to me, there's about $900 or so in the pot. I find Ax, Ax, 4x, 4x rainbow. I check the stacks to see who is likely to call and the only ones that I feel will make the call of a big raise are Dave and Elvie so after a few moments of prodding and insults from the Juice, I push all-in for about $1200 or so. He immediately calls and Elvie calls and everyone else folds. I've got everyone at the table covered except for Rick and Natediggity who thankfully folded. Again, I am always amazed when the best hand pre-flop holds up all the way to the river. There were 3 cards to the diamond flush and 3 cards to the broadway straight, but neither Elvie or the Juice had any of that..... the Juice tried to play a four card straight at an extremely high volume for a minute or two, but we got him calmed down and I scooped one of the biggest pots of the night. Sweet!
A little while later from the big blind, I flopped the nut straight with the "Willie Nelson," Js, 10s (5th of Jack and Dime Bag), Ah, Qh. The flop was the 7s, 9s, 8h.... I love this flop! The only thing that could have made it any better would have involved the monkey...... At any rate, I lead out with a pot sized bet of about $50. Everyone folds to John M, who calls. The turn is a 3h and I like the heart, but not necessarily the 3, so I bet $100 and John calls. The river is another brick and I bet $200 (I think) and John M calls and my straight scoops it. There was a low, but he didn't have one.
I ended up wussing out and leaving before everyone else as I had a big day scheduled at the office and of course had to put up with abuse as I was leaving.... but it was so worth it! I cashed out with the biggest night for me in quite some time, but oh, the night that could have been!
Back to the felt!
Thursday, February 08, 2007
OK... Let me try this....
I apologize Juice... you were absolutely right all along. I must have been out of mind to question your knowledge of the game of poker!
I was wrong. You are right.
I am short. You are tall.
I am nothing. You are everything.
I am poker donkey! You are the poker god.
I have nothing. You have everything.
Long Live Dave! May I die tonight!
Oh... one more thing.... I'll thank anyone who sucks out on me again for the rest of my life!
So?
I was wrong. You are right.
I am short. You are tall.
I am nothing. You are everything.
I am poker donkey! You are the poker god.
I have nothing. You have everything.
Long Live Dave! May I die tonight!
Oh... one more thing.... I'll thank anyone who sucks out on me again for the rest of my life!
So?
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Ho Hum...
Another Tuesday - another pocketful of cash. The night started off a bit slow, just kind of treading water waiting for cards. My first big hand of the night came in Omaha 8 when I’m in the big blind holding Jh-9s-9d-4h - a real piece of cheese. The Jizz makes a small straddle UTG, everyone calls and I complete. As is normally the case, the action junkie makes one of his patented goofy raises in straddle position. This one was a large one, something like $85. I have a crappy hand, and I’m hoping that half the table folds so that I can just muck and wait for the next hand. No such luck – pretty much the entire table calls, so I toss in the call as well. Hey, you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket.
The flop is about the best I can realistically hope for; 10h-9c-3h, giving me middle set and a flush draw. The important thing here is that there’s only one low card. John M is first to act and pushes all-in for around $300, and I move in over the top for around $400, hoping to isolate. Riiiiight…what kind of drugs was I smoking? Three callers later, I turn over my cards and start praying for the board to pair. The turn brings a 2x, a card I’m obviously not very excited about. I am, however, very excited about the 3x that comes on the river, allowing me to scoop a pot of over $2K. For once, the hand that was ahead when all the money went in stayed ahead – phone the neighbors and wake the kids…
I had a couple smaller scoopers later, and got ¾ of another decent pot (I was on the unpleasant end of one also), but most of the night was just about slowly building the stack. I had around $3,500 when I got down to four-handed with Bill, Dave and John M. I broke Bill, then Davey cashed out, leaving John and I to play heads-up again. He roared out to a nice lead, making some good plays and catching a few cards along the way. The luck finally turned around, and I was able to catch some cards myself, and trap him in a few large pots. It a fairly long heads-up session, but I finally broke him around 7:30am or so, and cashed out for over $4,800.
As usual, Dave wussed out, “pulled a Nate” and got out while the getting was good. The Jizz may be crazy, but he’s not stupid! Come Thursday, Dave, your chips will be mine.
See ya at the tables…
Rick
The flop is about the best I can realistically hope for; 10h-9c-3h, giving me middle set and a flush draw. The important thing here is that there’s only one low card. John M is first to act and pushes all-in for around $300, and I move in over the top for around $400, hoping to isolate. Riiiiight…what kind of drugs was I smoking? Three callers later, I turn over my cards and start praying for the board to pair. The turn brings a 2x, a card I’m obviously not very excited about. I am, however, very excited about the 3x that comes on the river, allowing me to scoop a pot of over $2K. For once, the hand that was ahead when all the money went in stayed ahead – phone the neighbors and wake the kids…
I had a couple smaller scoopers later, and got ¾ of another decent pot (I was on the unpleasant end of one also), but most of the night was just about slowly building the stack. I had around $3,500 when I got down to four-handed with Bill, Dave and John M. I broke Bill, then Davey cashed out, leaving John and I to play heads-up again. He roared out to a nice lead, making some good plays and catching a few cards along the way. The luck finally turned around, and I was able to catch some cards myself, and trap him in a few large pots. It a fairly long heads-up session, but I finally broke him around 7:30am or so, and cashed out for over $4,800.
As usual, Dave wussed out, “pulled a Nate” and got out while the getting was good. The Jizz may be crazy, but he’s not stupid! Come Thursday, Dave, your chips will be mine.
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Reraise confusion
So here was the situation:
After the flop, 5 players are in the hand.
First to act, PlayerA bets $40.
PlayerB calls $40.
PlayerC goes all-in for $60.
PlayerD wants to reraise to $100. This caused some confusion at the table. I said that since PlayerC's all-in wasn't a raise of more-than-half of the previous bet/raise, then it kills the reraising action.
So, it seems that John M was right... ONLY in the case where there are people who have not yet acted is this appropriate... in this case, PlayerD can raise PlayerC's uncompleted raise because he had not acted. However if PlayerD had folded, PlayerA cannot raise PlayerC's all-in because PlayerA had already acted. PlayerA CAN re-raise PlayerD's raise, because PlayerD reopened the betting.
Here are a few links I found:
http://www.pokercoach.us/RobsPkrRulesHome.doc
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=8957479&Main=8932714
After the flop, 5 players are in the hand.
First to act, PlayerA bets $40.
PlayerB calls $40.
PlayerC goes all-in for $60.
PlayerD wants to reraise to $100. This caused some confusion at the table. I said that since PlayerC's all-in wasn't a raise of more-than-half of the previous bet/raise, then it kills the reraising action.
So, it seems that John M was right... ONLY in the case where there are people who have not yet acted is this appropriate... in this case, PlayerD can raise PlayerC's uncompleted raise because he had not acted. However if PlayerD had folded, PlayerA cannot raise PlayerC's all-in because PlayerA had already acted. PlayerA CAN re-raise PlayerD's raise, because PlayerD reopened the betting.
Here are a few links I found:
http://www.pokercoach.us/RobsPkrRulesHome.doc
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=8957479&Main=8932714
Famous Poker Quotes...
Most of the money you'll win at poker comes not from the brilliance of your own play, but from the ineptitude of your opponents.
-------------Lou Krieger
-------------Lou Krieger
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Why should you blog? For many reasons, when you listen to the winners of poker bracelets and major tournaments, many of them speak of being a part of a “think-tank” …. A place or a group of friends who play poker together where tournament play and cash games may be dissected and analyzed for learning purposes. That is what we are striving to create here! And there is nothing more fun than ridiculing each other for the obvious “TILT” plays we make from time to time. And.... (HORNS BLARING).... it's all FREE!
You may ONLY create a POST on this site by invitation and YOU are cordially invited to join, blog, poke-fun, ridicule and learn with the group. Some of the best players in the area frequent our site and we want you to be part of it!
Plus – Be on the look-out for some major announcements about our site! We’re growing! Please, grow with us!
I'm going to post this announcement once a week for the next six weeks or so, just email me at ncpokerblog@gmail.com and I'll forward you an invitation to join us!
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
The Story of "The Weaz"
My name is Sean Gleason but in the Poker World (and a few others), I am called Weaz. The origin and meaning are not important and this story is long enough so I will just say the nick-name developed 17-years ago and was influenced by the fact that I was a 115-pound college freshman that ran Cross Country and Track for NC State. After graduation I left for Asheville, NC and made a few mistakes. I returned to Raleigh at the beginning of 2003 and lived with some friends, Eric and Corey, while searching for a house to buy. At the same time, the World Poker Tour was starting to be aired and the popularity of Texas Hold'em was beginning to soar. The house I was renting at also happened to be the location for Corey Hubbs weekly poker game on Monday night. To their credit, the game had been a weekly event for the past ten-years....long before poker became so popular. I have always been a gambler and with a game in the house, I figured that I must check it out. I had trouble keeping Hold'em and Omaha straight in my head and only played a few times with the boys but my addiction had begun. I bought my house six-months later and with the WPT and the WSOP firmly grasping my heart with addiction, I insisted on hosting a poker game as soon as I moved in to the new house.
The Wednesday night game at my house was only Texas Hold'em and we recruited friends who also were new to the "sport" :) Friends brought friends and thus some great friendships were made with people like Curtis, Pinky, Shannon, Ned, Bob, Eric, Brandon, Lush, Lance, Crab, Huff, etc, etc, etc. We kept a rake to buy food every night and the remaining funds were saved for future group trips to Atlantic City. It was during these early poker games that the discussion of Doyle Brunson getting the 10-2 named after him arose. While we were playing one night, I was running my mouth as usuall and boldly stated that "I will win the World Series of Poker with the 6-9 and after I win, they will name it "The Weaz" for eternity." This brought a few laughs but I was serious. The 6-9 did not have a popular nick-name at the time other than the chuckle that it always brings, so I was determined to have it for me. The guys agreed to call it "The Weaz" from here on out and if I did not win the WSOP then we would give it our best effort to spread the word via "word of mouth".
Texas Hold'em continued to rise in popularity and the boys held true to their word. We even made a house rule that if someone won a pot with the 6-9 then it would go rake free. It's amazing that an incentive of a maximum $4 can induce such loose play....but try it, you will see. So my friends from high school soon learned "The Weaz" and they told their friends. Friends that played in our "Barbershop" tournaments also became privy to "The Weaz". In fact, Brad Morris played in a weekly Tuesday night game with some friends from Cary. When Lance and I went to play in one of their tournaments, I had a few of them come up to me and say "So you are Weaz! I won a pot with your hand the other day.". I had never met these people until then...and they were spreading the word.
Of course, winning the WSOP would certainely help my cause but you have to play to win and I have yet to play. But this past December, our group went to Atlantic City for our yearly trip. We stayed at Harrah's casino and were there for about 33-hours. Sixteen of us made the trip and since it was such a short visit, we played almost non-stop. At 4:30am I found myself in the poker room playing some 1-2 NL with a $200 maximum buy-in. The casino had a badbeat jackpot that was up to about $50,000. The qualifiers were typical and it must be aces over jacks or better to qualify. I was at a table that was not far from breaking up and I was considering getting some sleep after the next round through the table. There were 7-people for most of the hands and no one was particularly loose or drunk. In fact, around 3am one of them had actually said "well, I guess we are all just playing for the badbeat jackpot.". I thought to myself, yep...I guess we are...but I was SO tired and my focus wasn't all there. I had about $200 in chips despite having played for 3-hours....it was actually quite boring. A fairly straight forward playing lady raised it to $6 from UTG and I was in the BB. Two people had just gone to the ATM and to get some smokes so this was 5-handed. Two other people called and I loked down to find the "Suited Weaz" (in spades). Bored and late in the evening with ZERO action and only a raise to $6.....OF COURSE I'm playing! I complete and we go to the flop.
So the Dealer flops an 8c8s5s and I tiredly check. I'm interested in this flop but for a lot of the less obvious reasons. I had won money on the plane....lost a little at Blackjack....lost a little at slots.....got 6th and my money back in a tourney.......and earlier had dropped about $150 playing Hold'em. My mind was on trying to get back to even or better so that I could really LOOSEN up during the last few hours of the next day. So I checked my gut shot straight flush, gut shot straight, and flush draws and waited to see what happens. In my current state of mind, I may have done jsut about anything but I figured....let's see what they do. The lady bets $10 into the other three of us and to my surprise the other two guys call....now it's a no-brainer, easy call. We go to the turn and the clouds parted and the lights of heaven shined down on the table....it was the 7 of spades. Viola! Now, how do I get her to committ to all my chips (she had $100 more than me) and/or bring these guys along for the ride. I check my monster and she bet's out another $10 into the $60+ pot.....the other two guys fold, leaving her and I to fight this out. So I put on my Oscar winning face and take my time raising her another $30....she quickly reraises me $30 and this leaves me with about $70 or $80. I start putting on the act....I am acting truly torn....I look at my now dismal stack and finally and very reluctantly just say "Ok, I'm all in!".
This is the really FUN part. She quickly calls and flips her cards over next to the cards on the board....showing her Quad 8's. I know I've won the hand but have completely forgot about the badbeat....I non-chalantly say straigh flush as I flip my "Suited Weaz" and the Dealer and the other buys IMMEDIATELY go bonkers, saying "Badbeat, Badbeat". This snaps me out of my tired spell and I quickly realize that I've just won a nice sum of money. I did not even know how much the jackpot was but I did know that I was going to up for the trip! The lady however is clueless. The Dealer firmly instructs us not to touch the cards or the board and the floor managers come over quickly. We explain to the lady that she won the jackpot....she still does not completely understand and she is even more confused as to why she lost the hand. We explain slowly and it starts sinking in....the Floor tells me to take my winnings for the current hand which was roughly $550 + or- $50 and wait for them to review the hand. Meanwhile, me and the rest of the table are high fiving all across the table....even with the people who were at the ATM....that is until they realized that they were not part of the hand....then they almost cried and quickly left the poker room. In the end, I won $12,714 for my part of the jackpot, the lady won twice that at $25,000+ and the three other guys all got lucky to split with only the 3 of them and they cleared over $4,000. I tipped the dealer the 6-black chips in my hand....and instructed the lady to make sure she gave him $1,000 or more (which she did). It took almost an hour to complete the deal and they gave me the option of check or cash. I took $1,500 cash and the rest in a check.
The remaining hours of our trip, I really tried to knock it out of the park and also build my comps. I played $50+ blackjack hands and some $2 slots. It was a great weekend and I owe it all to "The Weaz". So next time you are playing and you are dealt the 6-9.....remember to spread the word and call it "The Weaz.".
The Wednesday night game at my house was only Texas Hold'em and we recruited friends who also were new to the "sport" :) Friends brought friends and thus some great friendships were made with people like Curtis, Pinky, Shannon, Ned, Bob, Eric, Brandon, Lush, Lance, Crab, Huff, etc, etc, etc. We kept a rake to buy food every night and the remaining funds were saved for future group trips to Atlantic City. It was during these early poker games that the discussion of Doyle Brunson getting the 10-2 named after him arose. While we were playing one night, I was running my mouth as usuall and boldly stated that "I will win the World Series of Poker with the 6-9 and after I win, they will name it "The Weaz" for eternity." This brought a few laughs but I was serious. The 6-9 did not have a popular nick-name at the time other than the chuckle that it always brings, so I was determined to have it for me. The guys agreed to call it "The Weaz" from here on out and if I did not win the WSOP then we would give it our best effort to spread the word via "word of mouth".
Texas Hold'em continued to rise in popularity and the boys held true to their word. We even made a house rule that if someone won a pot with the 6-9 then it would go rake free. It's amazing that an incentive of a maximum $4 can induce such loose play....but try it, you will see. So my friends from high school soon learned "The Weaz" and they told their friends. Friends that played in our "Barbershop" tournaments also became privy to "The Weaz". In fact, Brad Morris played in a weekly Tuesday night game with some friends from Cary. When Lance and I went to play in one of their tournaments, I had a few of them come up to me and say "So you are Weaz! I won a pot with your hand the other day.". I had never met these people until then...and they were spreading the word.
Of course, winning the WSOP would certainely help my cause but you have to play to win and I have yet to play. But this past December, our group went to Atlantic City for our yearly trip. We stayed at Harrah's casino and were there for about 33-hours. Sixteen of us made the trip and since it was such a short visit, we played almost non-stop. At 4:30am I found myself in the poker room playing some 1-2 NL with a $200 maximum buy-in. The casino had a badbeat jackpot that was up to about $50,000. The qualifiers were typical and it must be aces over jacks or better to qualify. I was at a table that was not far from breaking up and I was considering getting some sleep after the next round through the table. There were 7-people for most of the hands and no one was particularly loose or drunk. In fact, around 3am one of them had actually said "well, I guess we are all just playing for the badbeat jackpot.". I thought to myself, yep...I guess we are...but I was SO tired and my focus wasn't all there. I had about $200 in chips despite having played for 3-hours....it was actually quite boring. A fairly straight forward playing lady raised it to $6 from UTG and I was in the BB. Two people had just gone to the ATM and to get some smokes so this was 5-handed. Two other people called and I loked down to find the "Suited Weaz" (in spades). Bored and late in the evening with ZERO action and only a raise to $6.....OF COURSE I'm playing! I complete and we go to the flop.
So the Dealer flops an 8c8s5s and I tiredly check. I'm interested in this flop but for a lot of the less obvious reasons. I had won money on the plane....lost a little at Blackjack....lost a little at slots.....got 6th and my money back in a tourney.......and earlier had dropped about $150 playing Hold'em. My mind was on trying to get back to even or better so that I could really LOOSEN up during the last few hours of the next day. So I checked my gut shot straight flush, gut shot straight, and flush draws and waited to see what happens. In my current state of mind, I may have done jsut about anything but I figured....let's see what they do. The lady bets $10 into the other three of us and to my surprise the other two guys call....now it's a no-brainer, easy call. We go to the turn and the clouds parted and the lights of heaven shined down on the table....it was the 7 of spades. Viola! Now, how do I get her to committ to all my chips (she had $100 more than me) and/or bring these guys along for the ride. I check my monster and she bet's out another $10 into the $60+ pot.....the other two guys fold, leaving her and I to fight this out. So I put on my Oscar winning face and take my time raising her another $30....she quickly reraises me $30 and this leaves me with about $70 or $80. I start putting on the act....I am acting truly torn....I look at my now dismal stack and finally and very reluctantly just say "Ok, I'm all in!".
This is the really FUN part. She quickly calls and flips her cards over next to the cards on the board....showing her Quad 8's. I know I've won the hand but have completely forgot about the badbeat....I non-chalantly say straigh flush as I flip my "Suited Weaz" and the Dealer and the other buys IMMEDIATELY go bonkers, saying "Badbeat, Badbeat". This snaps me out of my tired spell and I quickly realize that I've just won a nice sum of money. I did not even know how much the jackpot was but I did know that I was going to up for the trip! The lady however is clueless. The Dealer firmly instructs us not to touch the cards or the board and the floor managers come over quickly. We explain to the lady that she won the jackpot....she still does not completely understand and she is even more confused as to why she lost the hand. We explain slowly and it starts sinking in....the Floor tells me to take my winnings for the current hand which was roughly $550 + or- $50 and wait for them to review the hand. Meanwhile, me and the rest of the table are high fiving all across the table....even with the people who were at the ATM....that is until they realized that they were not part of the hand....then they almost cried and quickly left the poker room. In the end, I won $12,714 for my part of the jackpot, the lady won twice that at $25,000+ and the three other guys all got lucky to split with only the 3 of them and they cleared over $4,000. I tipped the dealer the 6-black chips in my hand....and instructed the lady to make sure she gave him $1,000 or more (which she did). It took almost an hour to complete the deal and they gave me the option of check or cash. I took $1,500 cash and the rest in a check.
The remaining hours of our trip, I really tried to knock it out of the park and also build my comps. I played $50+ blackjack hands and some $2 slots. It was a great weekend and I owe it all to "The Weaz". So next time you are playing and you are dealt the 6-9.....remember to spread the word and call it "The Weaz.".
Friday Omaha at PKR
Well, it was another exciting session of Omaha 8 on Friday. A great crowd too - we had two full tables at 3:30am! On a hand-by-hand basis, the luck pretty much evened out for me on this night (I’m glad that little streak seems to be over!). Fortunately though, for the most part the pots I won were larger than the pots I lost. My night really came down to three big hands.
In the first hand, I have Jd-Js-6s-4d, and the flop comes Jc-3s-6d. I have top set, of course, but it’s nothing to write home about. There’s two to a low and two to a straight, plus I have one of my boat cards (6s) in my hand. I hope to take it down right there and go on to the next hand, and I bet the pot. As is usually the case in this game, it’s tough to get anyone to lay down any kind of a draw, and I get three callers. The turn brings the Qd, a good card for me as it gives me a good flush draw as well. Again I bet the pot and get one caller, Elvie. I put him on the low draw, so I’m hoping for any diamond 9 or higher, or for the board to pair. The river brings the Kd, a beautiful card, and I move in with my last $350 or so with the second nut flush. Elvie calls, as he had a 10 to go with his A-low draw, giving him nut straight. I scoop a $1,400 pot.
This hand is a textbook example of the importance of redraws in this game. Hitting your redraw accomplishes two things. First, of course, it improves your hand. Second, and maybe more important, is the fact that many times your opponent doesn’t see it coming and will pay you off. Elvie may have (correctly, by the way) put me on a set, and maybe figured he drew out on me with his straight. Luckily he didn’t have the nut flush redraw to go along with his low draw!
I don’t remember the specifics of my second big hand of the night, but I scooped a $1,000+ pot with a double-nut flush.
Luckily, the final big hand for me came at around 5am, just as we were calling it a night. I have Ax-4x-6x-Kx in first position, and the flop comes Q-7-3 rainbow. Not a bad flop, as I have the second-nut draw and a gutshot. I check, Big Dave checks, and a new kid I haven’t played with before tonight makes a pot-sized bet – around $30. I call, as does Dave. The turn brings a 5x – bingo! I check, Dave bets the pot, and the other kid calls. I’m not sure whether Dave has the nut low, or the same straight as me. I put the kid on a set, and at this point I’m on the fence about raising. I love my hand, but if the board pairs I might get nothing. I decide that if a brick comes I’m still getting paid, so why risk more chips than necessary – I just call. The river brings a Kx – sweet! Again I check, and again Dave bets the pot, $480 or so. The kid is torn, but makes the call. It couldn’t have worked out better for me, and I raise all-in. Dave mentions that he’s afraid maybe he’s quartered, and makes the call. When he said that, I figured he had the nut low and we’d be chopping. The kid knows he’s dead, but by now he only has $250 or so left, so he makes the call as well, and turns over Q-Q. Dave turns over the nut straight and a crappy low, and I win ¾ of a monster pot to end the night on a good note, cashing out for over $3,400.
In my opinion, this is a prime example of how easy it is to get yourself into trouble after flopping top set. Some players simply cannot let it go. Here the kid played fairly well and tight most of the night, and had over $1,000 in chips for a while. He gave some of them back, but still started the hand with close to $900, and simply didn’t need to go broke here. He was a bit unlucky, of course, but the bottom line is that when the big money started going in (on the turn), he was drawing to half the pot. Again, this shows the importance of having a backup plan. You can draw some interesting comparisons to my first big hand, when I flopped the top set of jacks. Here I’m fully prepared to dump the hand (depending on the action, of course) if the turn brings something like a 5s. Once the queen comes on the turn, however, I’m comfortable betting big because I have a hand that, at the time, is good for the entire pot, and I have a redraw as well.
I think most people who play with me would be surprised at just how often I fold the best hand at any given time, especially when they consider the seemingly marginal hands I may call a big bet with at other times. For me it’s all about the big pot, and that’s why I place so much importance on the implied odds. Those sneaky little two-way drawing hands so often get you paid after you hit them, but just as often everyone folds when the board pairs and your big set turns into a boat.
So it’s off to The Jizz’s game tonight, where the plan (as usual) is to sneak up on Dave and take all his chips. Of course, there’s not much challenge in that - you can sneak up on him with a chainsaw and squeaky shoes. Call it a guilty pleasure. Still, like a Wes Craven movie, it’s entertaining just the same. Dave, the call is coming from inside the house!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
In the first hand, I have Jd-Js-6s-4d, and the flop comes Jc-3s-6d. I have top set, of course, but it’s nothing to write home about. There’s two to a low and two to a straight, plus I have one of my boat cards (6s) in my hand. I hope to take it down right there and go on to the next hand, and I bet the pot. As is usually the case in this game, it’s tough to get anyone to lay down any kind of a draw, and I get three callers. The turn brings the Qd, a good card for me as it gives me a good flush draw as well. Again I bet the pot and get one caller, Elvie. I put him on the low draw, so I’m hoping for any diamond 9 or higher, or for the board to pair. The river brings the Kd, a beautiful card, and I move in with my last $350 or so with the second nut flush. Elvie calls, as he had a 10 to go with his A-low draw, giving him nut straight. I scoop a $1,400 pot.
This hand is a textbook example of the importance of redraws in this game. Hitting your redraw accomplishes two things. First, of course, it improves your hand. Second, and maybe more important, is the fact that many times your opponent doesn’t see it coming and will pay you off. Elvie may have (correctly, by the way) put me on a set, and maybe figured he drew out on me with his straight. Luckily he didn’t have the nut flush redraw to go along with his low draw!
I don’t remember the specifics of my second big hand of the night, but I scooped a $1,000+ pot with a double-nut flush.
Luckily, the final big hand for me came at around 5am, just as we were calling it a night. I have Ax-4x-6x-Kx in first position, and the flop comes Q-7-3 rainbow. Not a bad flop, as I have the second-nut draw and a gutshot. I check, Big Dave checks, and a new kid I haven’t played with before tonight makes a pot-sized bet – around $30. I call, as does Dave. The turn brings a 5x – bingo! I check, Dave bets the pot, and the other kid calls. I’m not sure whether Dave has the nut low, or the same straight as me. I put the kid on a set, and at this point I’m on the fence about raising. I love my hand, but if the board pairs I might get nothing. I decide that if a brick comes I’m still getting paid, so why risk more chips than necessary – I just call. The river brings a Kx – sweet! Again I check, and again Dave bets the pot, $480 or so. The kid is torn, but makes the call. It couldn’t have worked out better for me, and I raise all-in. Dave mentions that he’s afraid maybe he’s quartered, and makes the call. When he said that, I figured he had the nut low and we’d be chopping. The kid knows he’s dead, but by now he only has $250 or so left, so he makes the call as well, and turns over Q-Q. Dave turns over the nut straight and a crappy low, and I win ¾ of a monster pot to end the night on a good note, cashing out for over $3,400.
In my opinion, this is a prime example of how easy it is to get yourself into trouble after flopping top set. Some players simply cannot let it go. Here the kid played fairly well and tight most of the night, and had over $1,000 in chips for a while. He gave some of them back, but still started the hand with close to $900, and simply didn’t need to go broke here. He was a bit unlucky, of course, but the bottom line is that when the big money started going in (on the turn), he was drawing to half the pot. Again, this shows the importance of having a backup plan. You can draw some interesting comparisons to my first big hand, when I flopped the top set of jacks. Here I’m fully prepared to dump the hand (depending on the action, of course) if the turn brings something like a 5s. Once the queen comes on the turn, however, I’m comfortable betting big because I have a hand that, at the time, is good for the entire pot, and I have a redraw as well.
I think most people who play with me would be surprised at just how often I fold the best hand at any given time, especially when they consider the seemingly marginal hands I may call a big bet with at other times. For me it’s all about the big pot, and that’s why I place so much importance on the implied odds. Those sneaky little two-way drawing hands so often get you paid after you hit them, but just as often everyone folds when the board pairs and your big set turns into a boat.
So it’s off to The Jizz’s game tonight, where the plan (as usual) is to sneak up on Dave and take all his chips. Of course, there’s not much challenge in that - you can sneak up on him with a chainsaw and squeaky shoes. Call it a guilty pleasure. Still, like a Wes Craven movie, it’s entertaining just the same. Dave, the call is coming from inside the house!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Monday, February 05, 2007
Sunday @ PKR
The Sunday tournament proved to be pretty painful even though I won. I slow played trying to trap only to get trapped twice with the nut straight hitting the board. Billy built a nice stack again this week prior to the end of the re-buy period, but I managed to get him to heads up which was my goal. I felt that if I did, I stood a better than average chance even being dominated in the chip count. Fortunately by the time that we got down to heads up, I had about 20,000 although he had closer to 60,000 or so.
Shortly after the re-buy period ended, Carl and I both flopped huge hands! I was in the small blind and he was the big blind. Everyone folds around to me and I find aces..... I decided to raise a little to see if I can get him to bet at the pot. I raised the 100/200 blind to 500. He re-raised 1000. I re-raised him 1000 and he pushed all-in. I call and the small blind has Aces and the big blind turns over Queens! Talk about a cold deck.... and amazingly, the deck doesn't start spewing Queens! LOL. The Aces hold up and Carl is almost out of the tournament. He had me covered, but not by much.
There were a couple of very interesting hands. Once I raised with Kh, 4h the 1000/2000 blinds to 7,000 and he smooth called. The flop was 10x, Jx, Qx and we both checked. The turn was a 4x and he checked so I bet about 6,000 and he moved all-in. He's flopped or turned a couple of straights today and caught me with two pair once or twice.... I showed him my bottom pair and nut straight DRAW and folded. He showed his 8x, 9x... another flopped straight. We did a little rabbit hunting and the Ace that hit the river would have given me the pot and the tournament.
Another hand, I had the 8d, 9d and limped on the small blind and he raised all-in. I folded and would have flopped the nut straight. LOL. At one point, he had me down to about 2 blinds worth of chips and I doubled through him a couple of times to take back the chip lead. The last hand of the tournament was interesting. I had 8x, 9x in the big blind and he moved all-in. I started to call as it was only about 15,000 additional chips, but decided that I didn't want to double him up. As I was about to fold, I said... "I'd call, but I don't want to put my chips in when I'm behind again!" He said, "then fold" and I don't know what made me do it, but it was just something in the way that he said it that made me believe that he was making a move so I called. He turned over 2x, 5x and my 9 high won the pot. Sweet!
It was fun though... we went back and forth on the chip lead about 4 or 5 times! All that time Rick and I spent playing heads up 5/10 No Limit was good for me. We had a lot of fun and I think that we both learned a lot from it, I know that I did!
Oh well.... back to the felt!
Shortly after the re-buy period ended, Carl and I both flopped huge hands! I was in the small blind and he was the big blind. Everyone folds around to me and I find aces..... I decided to raise a little to see if I can get him to bet at the pot. I raised the 100/200 blind to 500. He re-raised 1000. I re-raised him 1000 and he pushed all-in. I call and the small blind has Aces and the big blind turns over Queens! Talk about a cold deck.... and amazingly, the deck doesn't start spewing Queens! LOL. The Aces hold up and Carl is almost out of the tournament. He had me covered, but not by much.
There were a couple of very interesting hands. Once I raised with Kh, 4h the 1000/2000 blinds to 7,000 and he smooth called. The flop was 10x, Jx, Qx and we both checked. The turn was a 4x and he checked so I bet about 6,000 and he moved all-in. He's flopped or turned a couple of straights today and caught me with two pair once or twice.... I showed him my bottom pair and nut straight DRAW and folded. He showed his 8x, 9x... another flopped straight. We did a little rabbit hunting and the Ace that hit the river would have given me the pot and the tournament.
Another hand, I had the 8d, 9d and limped on the small blind and he raised all-in. I folded and would have flopped the nut straight. LOL. At one point, he had me down to about 2 blinds worth of chips and I doubled through him a couple of times to take back the chip lead. The last hand of the tournament was interesting. I had 8x, 9x in the big blind and he moved all-in. I started to call as it was only about 15,000 additional chips, but decided that I didn't want to double him up. As I was about to fold, I said... "I'd call, but I don't want to put my chips in when I'm behind again!" He said, "then fold" and I don't know what made me do it, but it was just something in the way that he said it that made me believe that he was making a move so I called. He turned over 2x, 5x and my 9 high won the pot. Sweet!
It was fun though... we went back and forth on the chip lead about 4 or 5 times! All that time Rick and I spent playing heads up 5/10 No Limit was good for me. We had a lot of fun and I think that we both learned a lot from it, I know that I did!
Oh well.... back to the felt!
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Friday PKR Omaha Hi or Hi-Lo
What a night! I was a little late arriving and Mike D cashed out so that I could sit down at the full table. I sort of wish that he wouldn't as I had completely busted out to TWO COOLERS within 45 minutes. I had to go to the ATM to reload! LOL. But I'm really glad that I did.... not that it was a really big night for me in terms of winning, but it was a fun night and I did win. We had a great table and good times and happy faces were all around. Except for, you know, those significant instances where crap happens!
Probably the most significant thing about last nights Omaha event was the number of people. Shortly after midnight, we had a full table with people waiting! I finally called Mike D and asked him to come back and open up the other table and until about 4 in the morning, we had two full tables of Omaha 8 2/5 Pot Limit going! Awesome!
My first big hand of the night was really just poor judgement and bad luck on my part. I typically WON'T chase a low only board when someone is betting big, but in this particular instance, it was Rick, and you know how much I like to piss him off. LOL. I don't even remember the specifics of the board but there were 2 cards on board to the low and he was betting the pot. Probably a big set with a nice flush draw and maybe even a draw to the low. I don't recall, but I do remember putting most of my chips in since there were so many callers and I was last to act only to miss everything. Then just a couple of hands later, I flop the middle set, tens; with a nut low re-draw and a flush re-draw and Scooper Dave's top set held up.
So I went to the ATM and came back determined to get me some. I did run into a couple of monsters (held by others) a couple of times. In one hand, I flopped a boat, 3's full of 2's with an A, 5 - only to have the A and the 5 get counterfeited. Unfortunately for me, Ed was holding pocket 2's! He did let me bet on the flop as he was out of position. I sensed that something wasn't quite right so when he checked the turn, I checked. He lead out with a pot sized bet, around 270 if I remember correctly. I made a crying call and he turned over the quads. Nice!
There were only a couple of times where I scooped pots -and- in both instances, I got really lucky. Once or twice against Rick.... yea! And one big pot against a new guy, Chris, I believe was his name where he flopped trips nines and I had a nut flush and 3rd nut low re-draw and both got there.
Based on the people at my table, I'm inclined to think that the Friday Omaha game is fixed and will be loaded going forward. I won't always be able to make it, but I'll be there whenever possible.
Probably the most significant thing about last nights Omaha event was the number of people. Shortly after midnight, we had a full table with people waiting! I finally called Mike D and asked him to come back and open up the other table and until about 4 in the morning, we had two full tables of Omaha 8 2/5 Pot Limit going! Awesome!
My first big hand of the night was really just poor judgement and bad luck on my part. I typically WON'T chase a low only board when someone is betting big, but in this particular instance, it was Rick, and you know how much I like to piss him off. LOL. I don't even remember the specifics of the board but there were 2 cards on board to the low and he was betting the pot. Probably a big set with a nice flush draw and maybe even a draw to the low. I don't recall, but I do remember putting most of my chips in since there were so many callers and I was last to act only to miss everything. Then just a couple of hands later, I flop the middle set, tens; with a nut low re-draw and a flush re-draw and Scooper Dave's top set held up.
So I went to the ATM and came back determined to get me some. I did run into a couple of monsters (held by others) a couple of times. In one hand, I flopped a boat, 3's full of 2's with an A, 5 - only to have the A and the 5 get counterfeited. Unfortunately for me, Ed was holding pocket 2's! He did let me bet on the flop as he was out of position. I sensed that something wasn't quite right so when he checked the turn, I checked. He lead out with a pot sized bet, around 270 if I remember correctly. I made a crying call and he turned over the quads. Nice!
There were only a couple of times where I scooped pots -and- in both instances, I got really lucky. Once or twice against Rick.... yea! And one big pot against a new guy, Chris, I believe was his name where he flopped trips nines and I had a nut flush and 3rd nut low re-draw and both got there.
Based on the people at my table, I'm inclined to think that the Friday Omaha game is fixed and will be loaded going forward. I won't always be able to make it, but I'll be there whenever possible.
Friday, February 02, 2007
John Hennigan Wins the Borgata Poker Classic!
The final hand went something like this.....
Chuck Kelley raises to $500,000 on the button and John Hennigan calls....
The flop is 7s, 3d, 3s - Hennigan checks and Kelley bets $700,000 and Hennigan calls. The turn is the Ah. Hennigan checks and Kelley bets $800,000... Hennigan calls. Then, out of the blue, un-provoked and without cause, Kelley flips over his hole cards prematurely showing the Qh, 7h!
The river is the 3h! Hennigan moves all-in and Kelley calls thinking his full house is good. Hennigan nods his head and shows his winning full house of with his hole cards of Ac, 5h.
Hennigan wins $1,606,223 for first place and Kelley earns nearly $850K! I'm looking forward to the televised version as I understand that this was the second time in this tournament that Kelley prematurely flips his hole cards!
The tournament information and interviews may be found at www.worldpokertour.com
Chuck Kelley raises to $500,000 on the button and John Hennigan calls....
The flop is 7s, 3d, 3s - Hennigan checks and Kelley bets $700,000 and Hennigan calls. The turn is the Ah. Hennigan checks and Kelley bets $800,000... Hennigan calls. Then, out of the blue, un-provoked and without cause, Kelley flips over his hole cards prematurely showing the Qh, 7h!
The river is the 3h! Hennigan moves all-in and Kelley calls thinking his full house is good. Hennigan nods his head and shows his winning full house of with his hole cards of Ac, 5h.
Hennigan wins $1,606,223 for first place and Kelley earns nearly $850K! I'm looking forward to the televised version as I understand that this was the second time in this tournament that Kelley prematurely flips his hole cards!
The tournament information and interviews may be found at www.worldpokertour.com
Thursday night MMC Tournament
What a great tournament and a lot of fun! I went down and played last night. They had an excellent turn-out and once it got started, the pace moved along very well. I don't know what it is about poker tournaments and starting times, but as a general rule, there has to be a way to get to start "at least" close to their advertised starting time. I don't remember exactly when we finally got started but it was at least 30 minutes late.
I played at a fun table anyway. A friend of mine from the Bogey Cup Tour, Steve was there and catching cards like a maniac at least in the first and second blind levels. The format again is a $40 no re-buy tournament and with the excellent turn-out, 1st place was about $600. Not bad. The blind structure starts at 25/50 with 20 minute blinds. Everyone starts with $5,000 in chips. At the end of the 3rd level, 100/200, they took a short break and colored out the 25 chips. The last hand before that break I played and could have easily lost all my chips. I made a small raise and was called from an early position player. The flop was 3 hearts and I made a pot sized bet and he called. I immediately put him on a big heart and of course, another heart hits the turn. He checks and I check. The river, yet another heart, and he makes a big bet which probably was a mistake unless he really had me with no heart at all since there was a gut shot straight flush on the board. I fold and he shows a King of hearts as if there was some magical unforeseen power that had provided him with his 3rd nut flush.... yes, well it's called a suck-out.... no matter where you are, it's still a suck-out. LOL. After that hand, I had about $4600 chips remaining.
Shortly after the break, as we are consolidating tables, I get moved to the table where George S is immediately on my left. I'm in middle position and raise the $200/$400 blinds to $1200 with an AQos. George calls and the flop is Jx, 5x, 5x. I check and George leads out with a pot sized bet and I show him my cards and fold expecting that he probably had an A, J or maybe even a middle pocket pair. He didn't show. After that hand, I'm getting really short-stacked and just a couple of hands later in the un-raised big blind with 10c, 5s, there was one limper with a decent chip stack and small blind limps. The flop is sweet.... 10x, 6x, 5x. The small blind checks and I move all in for another $2700 or so. The limper calls saying that he is probably behind and the small blind struggles with the decision and eventually folds. I turn over my two pair and the limper turns over 10x, 8x. He is actually not in a horrible situation since his kicker is bigger than my second pair. After the flop, headed for the turn, he has 6 outs... any 8 or any 6 would make him a better two pair with a better kicker. I'm probably about 70% and he's probably about 24% with the difference being a chop. The turn is a J which makes me about an 80% favorite, but of course he hits his 8 on the river and I'm out the door..... Flopping two pair has been my downfall a couple of times this past month, but I don't think that I'll play them any differently going forward as I was a huge favorite on the flop and the turn and actually had my opponents exactly where I wanted them to be.... a huge underdog. But as is sometimes the case, their outs hit!
No big deal.... Again, it was an excellent tournament. I didn't hang around to see who won as I thought that I could still make the Juice's game only to find out that there wasn't one. Nice!
But again, I would recommend this tournament. Nice guys and other than the starting time delay, well run.
I played at a fun table anyway. A friend of mine from the Bogey Cup Tour, Steve was there and catching cards like a maniac at least in the first and second blind levels. The format again is a $40 no re-buy tournament and with the excellent turn-out, 1st place was about $600. Not bad. The blind structure starts at 25/50 with 20 minute blinds. Everyone starts with $5,000 in chips. At the end of the 3rd level, 100/200, they took a short break and colored out the 25 chips. The last hand before that break I played and could have easily lost all my chips. I made a small raise and was called from an early position player. The flop was 3 hearts and I made a pot sized bet and he called. I immediately put him on a big heart and of course, another heart hits the turn. He checks and I check. The river, yet another heart, and he makes a big bet which probably was a mistake unless he really had me with no heart at all since there was a gut shot straight flush on the board. I fold and he shows a King of hearts as if there was some magical unforeseen power that had provided him with his 3rd nut flush.... yes, well it's called a suck-out.... no matter where you are, it's still a suck-out. LOL. After that hand, I had about $4600 chips remaining.
Shortly after the break, as we are consolidating tables, I get moved to the table where George S is immediately on my left. I'm in middle position and raise the $200/$400 blinds to $1200 with an AQos. George calls and the flop is Jx, 5x, 5x. I check and George leads out with a pot sized bet and I show him my cards and fold expecting that he probably had an A, J or maybe even a middle pocket pair. He didn't show. After that hand, I'm getting really short-stacked and just a couple of hands later in the un-raised big blind with 10c, 5s, there was one limper with a decent chip stack and small blind limps. The flop is sweet.... 10x, 6x, 5x. The small blind checks and I move all in for another $2700 or so. The limper calls saying that he is probably behind and the small blind struggles with the decision and eventually folds. I turn over my two pair and the limper turns over 10x, 8x. He is actually not in a horrible situation since his kicker is bigger than my second pair. After the flop, headed for the turn, he has 6 outs... any 8 or any 6 would make him a better two pair with a better kicker. I'm probably about 70% and he's probably about 24% with the difference being a chop. The turn is a J which makes me about an 80% favorite, but of course he hits his 8 on the river and I'm out the door..... Flopping two pair has been my downfall a couple of times this past month, but I don't think that I'll play them any differently going forward as I was a huge favorite on the flop and the turn and actually had my opponents exactly where I wanted them to be.... a huge underdog. But as is sometimes the case, their outs hit!
No big deal.... Again, it was an excellent tournament. I didn't hang around to see who won as I thought that I could still make the Juice's game only to find out that there wasn't one. Nice!
But again, I would recommend this tournament. Nice guys and other than the starting time delay, well run.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Another Tuesday at Dave's
Another Tuesday means another night of food, drink, porn, laughter, and, oh yeah, poker. The table dynamic Tuesday was a bit on the tight side (which is to say it’s still looser than most games). As usual, Dave, Elvie and Bill were there to represent the crazies of the poker world. Tom, Charles and Nate were there also, waiting for pocket aces so they could at least see a flop before folding.
Most of the night was relatively uneventful, though I did have quads five times in Omaha 8 (queens, nines, fours, and aces twice). None of them scooped any large pots however. Quads were sure cheap – we probably saw them a dozen times! The rest of the night mostly consisted of folding pre-flop, busted draws, or watching my flopped nuts get drawn out on. One or two of the draw-outs were a bit painful, but nothing that required a doctor’s visit.
During the entire 12 hour session, there were exactly two occasions where I had a hand at the river and actually got paid off. The first was Omaha 8, where I’m dealt Ah-4h-X-X, and get a flop of something like 2h-7s-Qh. Nothing to get too excited about just yet, but I’ve got the nut flush draw and second-nut low draw. I bet $35 or so and get five callers. I’m trying to use my telekinetic abilities to bring the 3h to the top of the deck, but alas, I fail and get the 8h instead. Two of the guys are short-stacked, and I go ahead and go all-in for my last $350 or so. I think everyone but one guy calls, so I assume at least one, maybe two of them have the but low. While I’m hoping for a 3, I’m really just rooting for the board not to pair. It doesn’t, and I’m happy to win half of a nice pot. I become even happier when we all turn our cards up and I discover that my low is good also! Yep, it’s a funny game…
The second big hand came during the wee hours of the morning, as Bill, Charles and I were playing $5/10 Omaha High three-handed. I have 5-6-X-X, and the board shows 2-4-X-X on the turn. I’m first to act and check to Bill, who leads out. Charles calls, so I decide to call with my gutshot. The pot’s not very big, but we all have over $1,000 in chips, and I just have the feeling I’m getting paid if it hits. As you know by now, the 3 comes. I glance over at Bill, who’s already reaching for his chips, so I check to him. He bets $100, and Charles calls (sweet!). I forget if I raise another $100 or $150 (hey, it was late…), but Bill raises another $400. Well, good news / bad news. The good news is that I’ve got the nuts and another guy is re-raising me. The bad news is that he probably has the same hand, and his raise will drive out the third player. Charles folds, and I go all-in, of course. Bill studies at the board again before calling, just to make sure he truly has the nuts and didn’t misread the cards. He calls, putting the pot at around $2,500, and turns over A-5, for the second-nut wheel. It takes him a moment to process what just transpired, but shoving all those chips over my way gives him some time to do just that. It’s happened to all of us, especially at the end of a long session. Charles said he had A-5 also, by the way. We didn’t play too much longer after that (sadly, I had a meeting to attend), and I end up cashing out for just over $3K.
One other note: As you’ve gathered already, Tuesday marked the return of Charles to our game after a 2-3 month absence. It’s nice to see that he and Dave have kissed and made up after their lover’s quarrel. Normally I would be jealous, but I have learned to deal with the fact that Dave is just not the type of person that can ever maintain a monogamous relationship – he will donk off his chips to anyone. I’ve learned to take the bad with the good.
We’ve missed Charles’ sunny disposition at the game. We’ve missed his trite expressions. We’ve missed his incessant whining at anything and everything. We’ve missed his off-key whistling (okay, not the whistling so much…). Mostly though, we’ve missed his money. Again, I’ve learned to take the bad with the good, so welcome back Charles!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Most of the night was relatively uneventful, though I did have quads five times in Omaha 8 (queens, nines, fours, and aces twice). None of them scooped any large pots however. Quads were sure cheap – we probably saw them a dozen times! The rest of the night mostly consisted of folding pre-flop, busted draws, or watching my flopped nuts get drawn out on. One or two of the draw-outs were a bit painful, but nothing that required a doctor’s visit.
During the entire 12 hour session, there were exactly two occasions where I had a hand at the river and actually got paid off. The first was Omaha 8, where I’m dealt Ah-4h-X-X, and get a flop of something like 2h-7s-Qh. Nothing to get too excited about just yet, but I’ve got the nut flush draw and second-nut low draw. I bet $35 or so and get five callers. I’m trying to use my telekinetic abilities to bring the 3h to the top of the deck, but alas, I fail and get the 8h instead. Two of the guys are short-stacked, and I go ahead and go all-in for my last $350 or so. I think everyone but one guy calls, so I assume at least one, maybe two of them have the but low. While I’m hoping for a 3, I’m really just rooting for the board not to pair. It doesn’t, and I’m happy to win half of a nice pot. I become even happier when we all turn our cards up and I discover that my low is good also! Yep, it’s a funny game…
The second big hand came during the wee hours of the morning, as Bill, Charles and I were playing $5/10 Omaha High three-handed. I have 5-6-X-X, and the board shows 2-4-X-X on the turn. I’m first to act and check to Bill, who leads out. Charles calls, so I decide to call with my gutshot. The pot’s not very big, but we all have over $1,000 in chips, and I just have the feeling I’m getting paid if it hits. As you know by now, the 3 comes. I glance over at Bill, who’s already reaching for his chips, so I check to him. He bets $100, and Charles calls (sweet!). I forget if I raise another $100 or $150 (hey, it was late…), but Bill raises another $400. Well, good news / bad news. The good news is that I’ve got the nuts and another guy is re-raising me. The bad news is that he probably has the same hand, and his raise will drive out the third player. Charles folds, and I go all-in, of course. Bill studies at the board again before calling, just to make sure he truly has the nuts and didn’t misread the cards. He calls, putting the pot at around $2,500, and turns over A-5, for the second-nut wheel. It takes him a moment to process what just transpired, but shoving all those chips over my way gives him some time to do just that. It’s happened to all of us, especially at the end of a long session. Charles said he had A-5 also, by the way. We didn’t play too much longer after that (sadly, I had a meeting to attend), and I end up cashing out for just over $3K.
One other note: As you’ve gathered already, Tuesday marked the return of Charles to our game after a 2-3 month absence. It’s nice to see that he and Dave have kissed and made up after their lover’s quarrel. Normally I would be jealous, but I have learned to deal with the fact that Dave is just not the type of person that can ever maintain a monogamous relationship – he will donk off his chips to anyone. I’ve learned to take the bad with the good.
We’ve missed Charles’ sunny disposition at the game. We’ve missed his trite expressions. We’ve missed his incessant whining at anything and everything. We’ve missed his off-key whistling (okay, not the whistling so much…). Mostly though, we’ve missed his money. Again, I’ve learned to take the bad with the good, so welcome back Charles!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
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