Tuesday Juice & My Biggest Hand of the Night!

The usual suspects showed up for this past Tuesday's game of $5/$10 No Limit Omaha 8.... we had Rick, Ronnie, the Juice (of course), Bill T, Bart, SuperPlaya, John M, Braxton and me. You can tell already that its going to be a night with plenty of action. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that there were 3-4 players all-in on the first or second hand. I think Bart took it down with the 6, 7, 9, J off-suit... LOL. Lots of action!

I had to leave around 8:30 to catch my son's hockey game at the Rec Zone... he plays in a house league. So of course, I dumped off my chips prior to leaving so I wouldn't slow the game down by having to cash out. Nice! I got back around 10pm and my spot was taken... damn! I had to move dead man's curve... next to Rick.

And it was crazy action for most of the night. It was pretty late when I got really lucky with a hand that would usually cost me all of my chips. I'm on the button to the left of the dealer when I spy....

As is normally the case, there's a straddle and a raise pre-flop so there's about $300 in the pot before the flop ever hits.

The flop is not perfect, but I like it -and- depending on who is playing, I may love it!

I flopped bottom set with a crappy low... yep, generally speaking this hand will usually have me re-buying within minutes. The good news is that for some unknown reason, the Juice had folded pre-flop and Bill T in early position leads out with a $50 bet. Everyone folds to Bart who smooth calls and when it gets to me.... I'm thinking my set is probably good against these two guys and my crappy low draw may even be good if the set isn't. I know that Bill T will make that bet with anything from top 2 pair to 2nd nut low draw. The problem is if the board pairs with anything other than my quad card, I'm almost drawing dead. Well, it's go time. I pump it up another $200 on top hoping that Rick folds (it would be just like him to have a set of sevens). Rick folds, SuperPlaya folds and Bill T & Bart can't get their $200 in the pot fast enough.

The turn is beautiful!

Now I've got 2nd nut low and a set.... and when both Bill T & Bart check to me, I know that I'm good. I move all-in with exactly $750. Again, they can't get their chips in fast enough. The river is somewhat of a scare card, but when neither bets, I know they missed their draws.

The river...

I turn over my bottom set and 2nd nut low and scoop a $3000plus pot.... after the rake, I cleared $12.50. Nice!

Let the suck outs begin!

Poker with John & Big Dave

Off to the Friday night game of one round of $2/$5 NL Hold'em and one round of Omaha 8....

Whee!

Let the suck outs begin!

PPA May 2008 Newsletter

May 2008 Newsletter *** Excerpt! ***

Register at the New PPA Website and Win a Chance to Play in WSOP '08 Main Event

Last week the PPA launched a new and improved Web site and a new slate of membership benefits. These include automatic enrollment into PPA Advantages an online loyalty reward program that gives you up to 70 percent savings when making online purchases at more than 600 merchants. And, for a limited time if you sign up for a PPA Premium Online Membership you will be included in a drawing to win a $10,000 seat in the World Series of Poker Main Event. Don't wait any longer, register at the enhanced PPA Web site and become a member of this powerful poker community.

* DISCLAIMER: All entrants into the WSOP Main Event seat contest must be over the age of 25 and the prize winner must show proof thereof. The winner is responsible for paying any taxes associated with the prize. Contest expires 12:00 AM EDT, June 10th, 2008. PPA employees, PPA Board Members, OneBigPlanet employees and members of their immediate families are not eligible to win the WSOP Main Event seat. Void where prohibited by law. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. See Official Terms and Conditions for details.

Any Red Queen!

Yep... I said it! I can't remember exactly what night or specifically what crappy hand that I had at the time that would require such a thing, but I definitely said it! Now... anytime there is anybody, especially me on some crappy draw... I get it ---- courtesy of the Juice, or Rick or now Bill T (who at last night's game enjoyed a big belly laugh with me about Any Red Queen).

So now I'm thinking of re-naming the blog site... Any Red Queen!

What do you think?

Let the suck outs begin!

NC PokerTek Inc. gets contract with Trump casino

According to the local media in Charlotte, PokerTek Inc. has signed a contract with Trump Plaza Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., to offer its PokerPro electronic system for a field trial.

As we understand it, it will be the first automated poker room in the state. The 12-table PokerPro poker room will open pending approval by the State of New Jersey Casino Control Commission.

No details of the agreement have been released.

PokerTek headquarters in Matthews could not be reached for comment. The publicly traded company sells/leases electronic tables where up to 10 people can play Texas Hold 'em. The system is designed to increase casino revenue by playing more hands per hour and reducing labor costs within poker rooms.

http://www.pokertek.com/

I am hosting in Cary

I will be hosting a $1/$3 NLHE game in Cary on Wednesday June 4th.

Poker with John & Big Dave

1 Round NL Hold'em --- 1 Round $2/$5 Pot Limit Omaha *** Today at 4PM!

Economic Downturn Affecting Casinos?

There's a general buzz on the Internet and in some of the local games about the economic downturn that we are experiencing and whether or not it is affecting the brick and mortar casinos in traditionally "recession-proof" areas such as AC and even more so, Vegas. I was hoping to get some information from others posted here relative to what you are seeing in both online and live games (local & legal).

Feel free to comment on this post or create another one if you have comments or have noticed an impact on your games.

See... now that didn't hurt... did it?

Welcome to John and thanks for your recent post! He had some technical difficulties but he called me and while I was on the phone with him, he got it working. I am hoping that we'll see many more of you guys from the Cary game get started blogging!

Welcome and nice job!

sick,sick,sick game

sick,sick,sick game
My game on friday was action packed;unfortunatly,I GOT CRUSHED.We play2-5 one round of holdem then one of plo.The big hands I lost were aces full verse quads(2000 dollar pot)I floped a top set, made a move, then the flush came in (1500 pot).The big hand of the night I stradled the button for 15 it got raised to 45 with 6 people in the pot,I have 5567 the 5 and 7 are dimonds.The flop is 568 the 6 and the 8 are dimonds.Someone leads out for a 100 it gets raised to 200 the last one to call (Brian)goes all in for 2000,doc Stan calls for less(705)ED Y calles less(500)BART folds,doc Todd calls the 2000.I am last to act with 1000 left,I am sure A2 is out there and my boat draw and flush draw are no good,I only think I have the straight flush draw as outs(what to do?).Foolishly I of course gamble and call.Brian shows a23,doc Stan a27,Ed has top set88 no low,doc Todd 79 no low.The great news is my dimond draw is live,if a 9 comes I chop high with Todd,and if a boat comes I win a large side pot.Turn q of hearts ,river does not help either .This Game SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poker with John & Big Dave

1 Round Hold'em --- 1 Round Omaha *** $2/$5 Pot Limit! Tonight!

WSOP already here almost....

Believe it or not, the 2008 WSOP kicks off NEXT week! At least this way it won't be so hot unlike last year they ran it in the late summer time and that was a mistake. I think it should be ran the same time every year. That only makes sense. Over the past few years they keep moving it around but it really needs to find a home and keep it there. This year it will run for two months with 54 total events. There are still an abundance of No Limit Hold'em tournaments but now there are starting to be a lot more traditional games coming back into the mix. Razz, stud, stud8, horse, etc....with a few more Omaha variations in the mix this year.

There's no telling how many players will sit for the Main Event but this bs about them moving the final table until November is that dumbest crap I've ever heard of!! WTF!?!?!?! For those who don't know, Harrah's has officially decided to move the final table play to November. That's FOUR months! Absolutely the dumbest idea I've ever heard of. It brings up a ton of questions that will involve possible collusion between final table players, deals among them, endorsement issues. Just horrible idea...horrible. What happens if one of them gets in a accident and can't play? Just tons of issues here.

Oh well, it will be interesting none the less no matter what to a degenerate like myself!

Off to the Eagles Concert in Charlottesville

There were a couple of interesting hands last night with the Juice... I'll blog them on my return. In the meantime, blog something....

Let the suck outs begin!

Cops on Top raises more than $2,600

Copied from www.statesville.com States Record & Landmark

http://www.statesville.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=SRL%2FMGArticle%2FSRL_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173355480144&path=!news

Cops on Top raises more than $2,600
By Donna Swicegood
dswicegood@statesville.com
Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The conditions weren’t ideal for Statesville police officers Chan Austin and Nicole Meyer to camp atop the roof at Chick-fil-A.

Their first night, Thursday, brought high winds and rain, and tornado warnings. And while the rain went away Friday, temperatures topped 80 degrees.

The spirits of the two officers, a little worn after spending two nights on the roof, were bolstered when they saw the final figure on funds they raised for the N.C. Special Olympics.

The total amount of money raised from T-shirt sales and donations from restaurant patrons topped $2,600.

Officer Jaime Welborn, crime prevention officer for the SPD, said the event brought in a total of $2,628.67, shy of the nearly $3,000 raised last year.

That money, along with the funds being raised by law enforcement statewide via the N.C. Law Enforcement Torch Run next week and a poker run sponsored by the SPD, will help pay expenses for Special Olympics athletes.

The local coordinator of the Special Olympics games, Betty Millsaps of the Statesville Recreation and Parks Department, said a local aquatics team is headed to the state summer games June 6-8 in Raleigh.

The team is comprised of 12 athletes, three certified coaches and one chaperone.

A bowling team, consisting of two athletes and two coaches, will be headed to the mid-summer games later this summer.

The SPD works year-round to raise money for the Special Olympics, with a heavy concentration in the spring.

Cops on Top, in which officers spend two nights on the roof at Chick-fil-A, is the first and one of the most visible fundraisers.Welborn said restaurant patrons tossed money into donation buckets set up in the drive-through line and inside the business.

“We want to thank all that donated to this worthwhile event,” Welborn said.

Next week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, SPD officers and Iredell County sheriff’s deputies will be leading the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run from the Catawba to Rowan county line. The torch will arrive in Iredell County on U.S. 70 at the Catawba County line on the afternoon of May 20 and will proceed into Statesville.

On May 21, the torch will leave BB&T on East Broad Street at Salisbury Road at 12 p.m. and go to the Rowan County line, where it will be turned over to officers from that county to resume its trip across the state.

And on July 26, the SPD and Tilley-Harley Davidson/Buell will sponsor run to benefit Special Olympics. Registration will start at 9 a.m. and continue to 10:45 a.m. The ride starts at 11 a.m.The entry fee is $30 for singles and $35 for doubles.

The poker run, escorted by the SPD, will begin at Tilley Harley-Davidson and end at the Statesville Civic Center.

There will be a 50/50 drawing, door prizes and music, and registration will include a meal provided by Outback Steakhouse.

The best hand wins a 6x14 enclosed trailer, which is valued at $3,625. The worst hand wins a $500 gift certificate from Tilley-Harley Davidson/Buell.

For more information on either the Torch Run or poker run, call Welborn at (704) 878-3442.

http://www.statesville.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=SRL%2FMGArticle%2FSRL_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173355480144&path=!news

Copied from www.statesville.com States Record & Landmark

The Game, Antonius vs. Ilari

Chan vs Seed....smooth laydown

2008 National Heads Up Poker Championship Final Four

Semifinal and final round action to air this Sunday, May 18

The National Heads-Up Poker Championship began with 64 players, and now there are only 4 remaining. Both of the semifinal matches, as well as the best-of-three finals, will air on NBC this Sunday, May 18, at 12:00 p.m. EDT in an action packed 3-hour finale which will culminate with a new champion being crowned.

The remaining players are Andy Bloch, Huck Seed, Chris Ferguson and Phil Ivey.

Spring Cleaning....

I've gone through and moved all the "drafts" post dates out to 12/31/2008... I didn't delete any, just made them easier to find. Please take a moment and finish yours or at least plan to and help me clean up the site.

Thanks!

Famous Poker Quotes...

"Trust everyone, but always cut the cards."

-------------Benny Binion

Times they are a chang'n.....

Doyle Brunson once said that the best judge of the economy is a poker room. If you look around the local games, I'd have to agree. Of course I would say there's two main factors involved for the games drying up around here, one is the economy. When things get a little tight and the wife starts complaining about not having enough money for her shopping, its the husband's fun money first to be sacrificed. The second is the types of games that everyone wants to play. With the poker boom of the past few years and with high stakes games being broadcast on a regular basis that has trickled down to the home games in some respects. People want bigger pots, more action so naturally the game has to change and the introduction of Omaha comes to the forefront. Its not a stretch to say that the majority of players playing Omaha and O8 really are bad players. They were bad at hold'em and are even worse at Omaha but in their mind they think they have a better chance to win bc they have more cards. They fail to realize that everyone has more cards too...lol. Another aspect that they always forget is that Omaha is an extremely high variance game that takes far more money/bankroll to support. Used to, a $200 buy in in HE would last for a night with only a couple of rebuys maybe but most people can't make that last two hours in a Omaha game. So for some strange reason players will buy in for more upfront not realizing that they will lose more money at the same rate with a smaller buy in. Second nut is second nut and you're going broke with it every time just about. I've said it before and I'm really starting to see more and more of it coming true, I really think that dealer's choice games are going to make a strong come back along with more tournaments replacing the local cash games. Of course the problem with that is the house will not be able to make money hand over fist every night a game is held. It will be interesting to see what happens over the summer with gas prices going higher and higher, vacations, longer days, and just plain ol' burnout of playing poker so much. The games are going to only get tougher with more and more sharks circling the softer games. The last time I went to one of the games here in Greenville I noticed that even though there were a lot of players there, the majority of them were not action players but tightwads waiting around for monster starters and there were only a handful of fish compared to what used to be there in the past. On Friday night's were I play, an interesting change is taking place with the introduction of Badugi and double draw low ball which allows for a lot of action with just about everyone there chasing really horrible draws just to be part of the game and we're having some really sick action bc of it.

Also online I've noticed a huge influence into the limit games and especially Razz where I'm still trying to concentrate on. The Full Tilt Online Championship is going on right now and is running strong last time I checked. I'm really looking forward to Thursday night's Razz championship bc last time I really donked it off at the end when I was playing asleep and made a massive misread. Hope to be smarter and more focused this time and make the final table or I'll be greatly disappointed.

Well, good luck to everyone out there end hopefully come this fall games will be running strong again around town. I sure hope so....

My Omaha 8 Games Drying Up

Seems that the crazy action and large pots generated from Omaha 8 are really not of interest to most folks around Raleigh... at least the games that I have been frequenting. The normal Friday night game in Cary has finally busted up. It has been limping for weeks with hardly enough people to make it interesting. I think that JC is willing enough if the game attracts the required attendees. No such luck for now. That just leaves me with the regular game with the Juice. IBut I don't believe that there is anything "regular" about that game. I may go back to hold'em too. LOL.


I'll definitely see what game replaces the Friday night O8. I know that there will be a game there and I'm guessing it'll be some higher buy-in no limit hold'em game. That seems to be the direction that those guys are headed.


I'll keep you posted.... Let the suck outs begin!

PartyPoker Million VI Results

Final Table Positions and Payouts:

1 Alexander Jung, Germany, $358, 280

2 Dominik Stopka, Germany, $285,583

3 Cory Albertson, USA, $159,235

4 Mika Paasonen, Finland, $119,425

5 Raymond Estall, UK, $92,883

6 Andreas Jorbeck, Sweden, $67,675

7 Johannes Strassman, Germany, $47,770

8 Peter Steinlesberger, Austria, $31,845

9 Kenneth Gregersen, Denmark, $21,230

PartyPoker Million VI

The first PartyPoker.com Million to visit the Mediterranean is underway! It set sail on May 3 from Venice in Italy and will stop at ports in Bari, Italy; Olympia/Katakolon, Greece; Izmir, Turkey; Istanbul, Turkey; and Dubrovnik, Croatia. The final day of the cruise is May 10 this Saturday.

You may remember that PartyPoker Million was the event that skyrocketed NC resident Michael Gracz to the upper echelon of poker phenoms only a few short years ago.

The final table starts today and I believe that PartyPoker.Com is providing a blog to track the events and players.

The Final Table Chip Counts and Payouts are as follows:

Final Table Chip Counts:
1 Dominik Stopka, Germany, 327,000
2 Alexander Jung, Germany, 326,000
3 Mika Paasonen, Finland, 236,000
4 Raymond Estall, UK, 187,000
5 Andreas Jorbeck, Sweden, 182,000
5 Johannes Strassmann, Germany, 182,000
7 Peter Steinlesberger, Austria, 132,000
8 Cory Albertson, USA, 90,000
9 Kenneth Gregersen, Denmark, 44,000

Other results:
10 Mikael Erixon, $21,230
11 Fredrik Keitel, $17,250
12 Samir Shakhtoor, $17,250
13 Victor Sazonkin, $17,250
14 Paul Testud, $13,270
15 Florian Langmann, $13,270
16 Alexey Yuzikov, $13,270
17 Marcel Finnema, $11,280
18 Julian Lenz, $11,280
19 Allan Forsyth, $11,280
20 Matthew Dobbins, $11,280
21 Joseph Myles, $11,280
22 Christoph Haller, $11,280
23 Heinrich Mayr, $11, 280
24 Nicholas Bower, $11,280
25 Keith McGrath
26 Simon Munz
27 Christoph Niesert
28 Thomas Bihl
29 Epifanio Armando Licon
30 Ralph Rudd
31 Christian Schafer
32 George Dunst
33 Philip Hulse

Final Table Payouts:
1 $358,280
2 $285,583
3 $159,235
4 $119,425
5 $92, 883
6 $67,675
7 $47,770
8 $31,845
9 $21,230

The winner of the event will join a short but exclusive list: Kathy Liebert, Howard Lederer, Erick Lindgren, Michael Gracz and Mike Schneider were the previous winners of the PartyPoker Million.

It's PartyPoker.... so the suck outs have already begun!

Top Two Against Middle Set - Hansen vs Seidel

High Stakes Poker Cancelled!

Carteret police make illegal gambling bust *** From Early April ***

Copied from www.jdnews.com/
http://www.jdnews.com/news/city_55975___article.html/morehead_police.html

Carteret police make illegal gambling bust
April 11, 2008 - 12:29AM
Jannette Pippin
DAILY NEWS STAFF

MOREHEAD CITY - Five Carteret County residents have been cited on misdemeanor charges after police uncovered an alleged gambling operation at the site of a Morehead City business.

Police seized approximately $7,000 from the individuals as well as a poker table, chips and cards, and ledgers that indicated there was more than a friendly game of poker going on, said Morehead City Police Department Maj. Richard Abell.

"This had been going on for some time," he said. "We seized ledgers indicating names and either money won or monies owed."

A poker game was under way Wednesday when authorities conducted a search at O'Malley's Pub and Grill on Arendell Street in Morehead City, Abell said. The alleged gambling operation was going on in a building detached from the main restaurant and used by the business for storage, he said.

Abell said the gambling operation was uncovered during a separate investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the two agencies conducted a search of the business at the same time.

Public affairs officials at Cherry Point Air Station confirmed the search Wednesday was related to an investigation of a worker's compensation matter.

The investigation is ongoing and no further information can be released, 1st Lt. Ryan Powell said.

Abell said each of the five men playing poker at the time had money on them. Each was cited by Morehead City Police Department with a misdemeanor charge for gambling by playing or betting on a game of chance.

According to police the following individuals received citations and will have to appear in court on the charges: David Reid Rickman, 68, of Emerald Isle; John Eric Main, 62, of Morehead City; Joseph William Giffin, 48, of Newport; Luke Bradshaw Midgett Jr., 70 of Beaufort; and John Francis McGuire, 83, of Morehead City.

Copied from www.jdnews.com/
http://www.jdnews.com/news/city_55975___article.html/morehead_police.

Woman Charged with Operating Poker Machines *** Davidson County ***

Copied from www.news-record.com
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080501/NRSTAFF/75402839

Woman charged with operating poker machines
Thursday, May. 1, 2008 10:21 am

A 56-year-old woman was arrested on charges of illegally operating poker machines at a business in Clemmons following a two-month undercover operation, the sheriff's office said today.

Pamela Marguerite Dana's unsecured bond was set at $1,000, according to the Davidson County Sheriffs Office.

The sheriffs office said investigators discovered that Logo's and More at 8527 North N.C. 150, Suite A, was a business front for an illegal gambling operation.

Four poker machines and $2,080 were also seized

Copied from www.news-record.com
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080501/NRSTAFF/75402839

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NHL Network Taking a good penalty

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