Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Cary Police Sponsor Poker Event
I think I might know why they needed the poker tables and chips.... Thanks to Dena for finding this one!
http://carycrimestoppers.net/Poker-Run/Poker_Run_Flyer.jpg
http://carycrimestoppers.net/Poker-Run/Poker_Run_Flyer.jpg
Don't Be Cheated by Counterfeit Poker Chips
Reprinted from PokerChipLounge
Don’t Be Cheated By Counterfeit Poker Chips
It’s currently very easy to be fooled into buying low quality, counterfeit poker chips and supplies. A poker chip set photo can be very deceiving. Images of poker chips can easily be touched up, hiding from you the flaws in the design. What you may not know is that many poker chips you see around the internet are actually illegal duplicates of U.S copyrighted designs.
These type of poker chips are illegally produced in Asian factories that do not pay attention to quality. The websites and Ebay vendors that push these knock-off poker chips try to persuade you by their low prices.
But what you don’t know until the set you purchased arrives is that the chip molding is poor, they are uneven in width and diameter, and the material used to produced the poker chips is usually a recycled plastic that easily scuffs.
Many of these counterfeit chip retailers will make false claims about clay poker chips as well, as most chips that claim to be clay have little or no clay content at all. You will see them advertise ridiculous 100+% price match guarantees, but one thing they can not guarantee is quality. You probably know from experience that you get what you pay for, and this is true for poker chips as well.
Purchasing a quality set of poker chips is important! Educate yourself about the chips BEFORE you buy so that you’ll at least know what to look out for as well as be able to appreciate and identify fine poker chips & supplies.
Pokerchiplounge.com, our affiliate partner for poker supplies, is about high quality poker chips & gaming supplies at reasonable prices. If you’re not concerned about quality and are content with a set of cheap knock off poker chips, then you will not find what you’re looking for here.
Reprinted from PokerChipLounge
Don’t Be Cheated By Counterfeit Poker Chips
It’s currently very easy to be fooled into buying low quality, counterfeit poker chips and supplies. A poker chip set photo can be very deceiving. Images of poker chips can easily be touched up, hiding from you the flaws in the design. What you may not know is that many poker chips you see around the internet are actually illegal duplicates of U.S copyrighted designs.
These type of poker chips are illegally produced in Asian factories that do not pay attention to quality. The websites and Ebay vendors that push these knock-off poker chips try to persuade you by their low prices.
But what you don’t know until the set you purchased arrives is that the chip molding is poor, they are uneven in width and diameter, and the material used to produced the poker chips is usually a recycled plastic that easily scuffs.
Many of these counterfeit chip retailers will make false claims about clay poker chips as well, as most chips that claim to be clay have little or no clay content at all. You will see them advertise ridiculous 100+% price match guarantees, but one thing they can not guarantee is quality. You probably know from experience that you get what you pay for, and this is true for poker chips as well.
Purchasing a quality set of poker chips is important! Educate yourself about the chips BEFORE you buy so that you’ll at least know what to look out for as well as be able to appreciate and identify fine poker chips & supplies.
Pokerchiplounge.com, our affiliate partner for poker supplies, is about high quality poker chips & gaming supplies at reasonable prices. If you’re not concerned about quality and are content with a set of cheap knock off poker chips, then you will not find what you’re looking for here.
Reprinted from PokerChipLounge
Consumer Guide to Poker Chips
Reprinted from PokerChipLounge
Consumer Guide to Poker Chips
Understanding what you're buying is important with any purchase you make, and this goes for poker chips as well. The following tutorial will help explain the different poker chips available today, and more importantly, show you how to spot quality poker supplies.
There are many websites out there selling cheaply manufactured poker chips and poker chip cases, while trying to lure you with too good to be true prices. For legal reasons, we cannot disclose the names of these websites, but after reading the information below, you'll be an informed consumer and know how to spot a quality poker chip.
Poker Chip Composition
There are three different classifications of poker chips available today:
Plastic Chips - Composed entirely of plastic, these are the ones you've probably played with at one time in your life.
Also known as "Supermarket Poker Chips", they weigh only a few grams, and are for those who are on a tight budget. Since these can be found in almost any store, we do not carry this grade of poker chip.
Composite Chips - Can be composed of a range of different materials, but most composite chips are made of a material called ABS (high impact strength plastic).
Composite chips contain a metal insert that adds weight to the chip, and also gives it the ability to be custom hot stamped. This is the type of chip you see on most gaming supply websites.
Many times you'll hear unscrupulous internet retailers refer to an ABS composite poker chip as "clay composite", when they know it has no clay content at all. We emailed a company who was calling their chips clay composite, when we knew for afact the particular line of chips they were selling was ABS, with no clay content whatsoever. Here was their response:
Dear David,
All of our chips are ABS composite (plastic). The word “Clay Composite” wascoined by many on the internet over a year ago for ABS composite (plastic)chips and everybody went along. Most internet merchants call them claycomposite with or without knowing that the chips actually have little of no clay inthem. It is just a buzzword that has been created and now everybody wantsclay composite, so we are just following along. Hope this explains it.
Sincerely,
(name kept anonymous for legal reasons)
This is an example of what's going on out there, so be careful when you see a chip called clay composite! It probably has no clay content at all. Just know that most of the chips you see online are ABS composite chips.
ABS Composite chips have certain advantages. The first is price. ABS is a less expensive material than clay. So a composite chip is always going to be lower in price than a chip with actual clay content.
Secondly, composite chips can yield sharper, more detailed designs than aclay chip can (ABS plastic used in composites is harder than clay, and this hardness creates sharper designs). Composite chips also have more durability and lifespan. Poker chips with clay content can easily chip and wear down much faster than ABS composite chips.
You may hear or have read a variety of complaints about composite chips. One that we have heard is that it has a metal insert. We really don't see a problem with a metal insert in a poker chip.
It gives the chip weight and ability to be hot stamped without cracking as much. Some players don't like the pinging sound it makes when dropped into a pile of chips, while others actually like the sound. So it's a matter of preference.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE QUALITY OF THE POKER CHIP
Important! Our recommendation when shopping for any chip is to pay attention to quality! There are a lot of low quality ABS composite chips out there. Many are illegal knock off versions of copyrighted designs.
All poker chips sold at Pokerchiplounge.com are from the manufacturer that holds the original US copyright for that chip design. This ensures you are getting only the best quality.
Clay Composite Chips - Composed of clay plus some other material. Sometimes metal inserts are added for extra weight and hot stamping ability.
There is no such thing as 100% pure clay poker chips. A pure clay chip would be so weak and brittle you would be able to snap it in half. That means that any clay chip is a clay composite, even a real Las Vegas casino chip, which is usually a clay-ceramic composite.
Certain players prefer clay composite because the chips have a duller texture and different feel than that of an ABS composite chip. One advantage to the dull surface of a clay composite poker chip is its better stacking ability. ABS composite chips have a slicker surface, and do not stack on top of each other as well as clay composite does. Based on customer feedback, stacking ability is more of an issue to professional and frequent players than it is to the average player.
A second advantage is one of nostalgia. For some players, just knowing that they are playing with clay in their chips, the same material that original poker chips were composed of, is important. Also since clay composites are used in casinos, knowing you're playing with the same type of chip as they do in Las Vegas may mean something to you.
Owning a set of clay composite poker chips does have its disadvantages as well. Most importantly is the fact that they simply have less durability than that of ABS composite. A clay composite chip is more fragile than an ABS composite, it can chip and will show scuff marks much easier. Because they are clay composite, real casino chips get beat up quite easily. But for those who really prefer clay, this is accepted and actually adds character to the chip.
Price is another factor when considering a clay composite poker chip set. Clay is a much more expensive material than ABS, and the price of the chip will reflect that. Clay chips also have different sound when splashed against the pot than ABS chips. The clay gives it more of a "thud" than the "ping" you get with a composite chip.
Pokerchiplounge.com clearly defines the difference between clay composite vs. standard composite. In other words, if it has clay in it, it will be simply identified as clay composite. Now within the clay composite chip selections, different chips use varying amounts of clay. Generally speaking, the more clay in a chip, the more you'll pay for the set.
We have put together a fantastic selection of high quality clay composite poker chips thatare affordable in price.
Summary
Composite Poker Chip Advantages: Affordability, Sharper Detail, Better Durability
Clay Composite Poker Chips Advantages: Better Stacking, Nostalgic, Different Sound
Once you have decided which type of chip best fits what you're looking for, the next very important step is finding a quality poker chip. There are hundreds of composite and supposed clay poker chips found on online and at various department stores, many are low in quality.
Reprinted from PokerChipLounge
Consumer Guide to Poker Chips
Understanding what you're buying is important with any purchase you make, and this goes for poker chips as well. The following tutorial will help explain the different poker chips available today, and more importantly, show you how to spot quality poker supplies.
There are many websites out there selling cheaply manufactured poker chips and poker chip cases, while trying to lure you with too good to be true prices. For legal reasons, we cannot disclose the names of these websites, but after reading the information below, you'll be an informed consumer and know how to spot a quality poker chip.
Poker Chip Composition
There are three different classifications of poker chips available today:
Plastic Chips - Composed entirely of plastic, these are the ones you've probably played with at one time in your life.
Also known as "Supermarket Poker Chips", they weigh only a few grams, and are for those who are on a tight budget. Since these can be found in almost any store, we do not carry this grade of poker chip.
Composite Chips - Can be composed of a range of different materials, but most composite chips are made of a material called ABS (high impact strength plastic).
Composite chips contain a metal insert that adds weight to the chip, and also gives it the ability to be custom hot stamped. This is the type of chip you see on most gaming supply websites.
Many times you'll hear unscrupulous internet retailers refer to an ABS composite poker chip as "clay composite", when they know it has no clay content at all. We emailed a company who was calling their chips clay composite, when we knew for afact the particular line of chips they were selling was ABS, with no clay content whatsoever. Here was their response:
Dear David,
All of our chips are ABS composite (plastic). The word “Clay Composite” wascoined by many on the internet over a year ago for ABS composite (plastic)chips and everybody went along. Most internet merchants call them claycomposite with or without knowing that the chips actually have little of no clay inthem. It is just a buzzword that has been created and now everybody wantsclay composite, so we are just following along. Hope this explains it.
Sincerely,
(name kept anonymous for legal reasons)
This is an example of what's going on out there, so be careful when you see a chip called clay composite! It probably has no clay content at all. Just know that most of the chips you see online are ABS composite chips.
ABS Composite chips have certain advantages. The first is price. ABS is a less expensive material than clay. So a composite chip is always going to be lower in price than a chip with actual clay content.
Secondly, composite chips can yield sharper, more detailed designs than aclay chip can (ABS plastic used in composites is harder than clay, and this hardness creates sharper designs). Composite chips also have more durability and lifespan. Poker chips with clay content can easily chip and wear down much faster than ABS composite chips.
You may hear or have read a variety of complaints about composite chips. One that we have heard is that it has a metal insert. We really don't see a problem with a metal insert in a poker chip.
It gives the chip weight and ability to be hot stamped without cracking as much. Some players don't like the pinging sound it makes when dropped into a pile of chips, while others actually like the sound. So it's a matter of preference.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE QUALITY OF THE POKER CHIP
Important! Our recommendation when shopping for any chip is to pay attention to quality! There are a lot of low quality ABS composite chips out there. Many are illegal knock off versions of copyrighted designs.
All poker chips sold at Pokerchiplounge.com are from the manufacturer that holds the original US copyright for that chip design. This ensures you are getting only the best quality.
Clay Composite Chips - Composed of clay plus some other material. Sometimes metal inserts are added for extra weight and hot stamping ability.
There is no such thing as 100% pure clay poker chips. A pure clay chip would be so weak and brittle you would be able to snap it in half. That means that any clay chip is a clay composite, even a real Las Vegas casino chip, which is usually a clay-ceramic composite.
Certain players prefer clay composite because the chips have a duller texture and different feel than that of an ABS composite chip. One advantage to the dull surface of a clay composite poker chip is its better stacking ability. ABS composite chips have a slicker surface, and do not stack on top of each other as well as clay composite does. Based on customer feedback, stacking ability is more of an issue to professional and frequent players than it is to the average player.
A second advantage is one of nostalgia. For some players, just knowing that they are playing with clay in their chips, the same material that original poker chips were composed of, is important. Also since clay composites are used in casinos, knowing you're playing with the same type of chip as they do in Las Vegas may mean something to you.
Owning a set of clay composite poker chips does have its disadvantages as well. Most importantly is the fact that they simply have less durability than that of ABS composite. A clay composite chip is more fragile than an ABS composite, it can chip and will show scuff marks much easier. Because they are clay composite, real casino chips get beat up quite easily. But for those who really prefer clay, this is accepted and actually adds character to the chip.
Price is another factor when considering a clay composite poker chip set. Clay is a much more expensive material than ABS, and the price of the chip will reflect that. Clay chips also have different sound when splashed against the pot than ABS chips. The clay gives it more of a "thud" than the "ping" you get with a composite chip.
Pokerchiplounge.com clearly defines the difference between clay composite vs. standard composite. In other words, if it has clay in it, it will be simply identified as clay composite. Now within the clay composite chip selections, different chips use varying amounts of clay. Generally speaking, the more clay in a chip, the more you'll pay for the set.
We have put together a fantastic selection of high quality clay composite poker chips thatare affordable in price.
Summary
Composite Poker Chip Advantages: Affordability, Sharper Detail, Better Durability
Clay Composite Poker Chips Advantages: Better Stacking, Nostalgic, Different Sound
Once you have decided which type of chip best fits what you're looking for, the next very important step is finding a quality poker chip. There are hundreds of composite and supposed clay poker chips found on online and at various department stores, many are low in quality.
Reprinted from PokerChipLounge
More Links to News about the Bust
Thanks Brian for finding these for us!
An actual original article from PokerNews.com
http://www.pokernews.com/news/2007/3/north-carolina-raid-nabs.htm
Looks like a reprint of Wral material from PokerGazette.com
http://www.pokergazette.com/simpnews/news.php?category=1
An actual original article from PokerNews.com
http://www.pokernews.com/news/2007/3/north-carolina-raid-nabs.htm
Looks like a reprint of Wral material from PokerGazette.com
http://www.pokergazette.com/simpnews/news.php?category=1
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Poker Makes FRONT PAGE Raleigh Newspaper Today....
Here's the article from the Raleigh News & Observer that made front page news today!
http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/558678.html
http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/558678.html
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Juice Poker
The game is Omaha 8 and we typically have several big pots per night.... Last night, I tried to change it up a little and play some different hands. That worked out really well.... if you don't mind putting your chips through the shredder.....
The big pot of the night came a little after midnight. I had already announced that I was done after one more lap.... I had hovered around even most of the night. My $400 buy-in had floated up to $600-$700 and down to $200 or so and if I remember correctly, I had about $475 when this hand took place. There was the typical pre-flop raise of the $2/$5 blinds to about $15 or $20 and there were at least 3 callers.... Dave bet.... and me, Rick and Tom called (that I am sure of)...... The flop was a paltry Ax, 7x, 9x and the Juice (first to act) moves all-in for approximately $1100 or so. Tom calls and my hand is something like Ax, 2x, 4x, 8x.... I wish I had more $$ in front of me (you know, so that I could have lost them as well) because I'm certain my re-raise would have had NO IMPACT whatsoever..... I'm thinking that my Ace might be good against Dave and my low draw, although not the nut is probably good because I have 3 low cards for the draw. I'm tired, my head hurts, my feet stink and I don't love Jesus, so I push my $400ish remaining into the pot really hoping that Rick folds. No such luck. He actually had top two pair, Ax, 9x and I definitely could not have gotten away from that hand even with his $1300 or so in chips. With everyone in the hand all-in, you'd expect that all cards were flipped up and the cards were run down. No such luck either.... everyone wants to slow-roll everyone else. The turn pairs the board with a 7x.... no low yet -AND- the river pairs the board with another 9 ----- and Rick gets the big scooper! Nice hand again sir..... No low gets there. Tom folds his cards without showing anyone but Michael and/or John M I believe. He probably had my low dominated. I'd really like to know what he had there. I believe the Juice had a big straight wrap around the 7-9 board that didn't get there either.
There was only one other big hand that I played and it was a monster hand although the pot didn't get out of control. I was in late position and the flop was As, 2s, 7h (or something close). I was holding the 3s, Qs, 4h, 9h. So I flopped the nut low with 2nd nut flush draw. I led with a pot-building bet of $25 or so. There are 3 callers. The turn is 8s giving me the 2nd nut flush and the nut low. I led with a bet of $125 and Michael calls and everyone else folds. The river is a 4x screwing up my nut low but still giving me a low, just no longer the nut low. I still push all in as that could have just as easily screwed up Michael's low as well, but he turns over the 3x, 5x, and no other significant cards that I can remember. So, it is the old chop/chop.
One other hand against Frank stands out as the river gave me the 2nd nut straight and a decent low. I bet $75 and Frank pushed all-in for another $80 or so. There's about $300 - $350 in the pot, so I have to call and he turns over the nut straight and the nut low. Just another day in the neighborhood.....
Back to the felt!
The big pot of the night came a little after midnight. I had already announced that I was done after one more lap.... I had hovered around even most of the night. My $400 buy-in had floated up to $600-$700 and down to $200 or so and if I remember correctly, I had about $475 when this hand took place. There was the typical pre-flop raise of the $2/$5 blinds to about $15 or $20 and there were at least 3 callers.... Dave bet.... and me, Rick and Tom called (that I am sure of)...... The flop was a paltry Ax, 7x, 9x and the Juice (first to act) moves all-in for approximately $1100 or so. Tom calls and my hand is something like Ax, 2x, 4x, 8x.... I wish I had more $$ in front of me (you know, so that I could have lost them as well) because I'm certain my re-raise would have had NO IMPACT whatsoever..... I'm thinking that my Ace might be good against Dave and my low draw, although not the nut is probably good because I have 3 low cards for the draw. I'm tired, my head hurts, my feet stink and I don't love Jesus, so I push my $400ish remaining into the pot really hoping that Rick folds. No such luck. He actually had top two pair, Ax, 9x and I definitely could not have gotten away from that hand even with his $1300 or so in chips. With everyone in the hand all-in, you'd expect that all cards were flipped up and the cards were run down. No such luck either.... everyone wants to slow-roll everyone else. The turn pairs the board with a 7x.... no low yet -AND- the river pairs the board with another 9 ----- and Rick gets the big scooper! Nice hand again sir..... No low gets there. Tom folds his cards without showing anyone but Michael and/or John M I believe. He probably had my low dominated. I'd really like to know what he had there. I believe the Juice had a big straight wrap around the 7-9 board that didn't get there either.
There was only one other big hand that I played and it was a monster hand although the pot didn't get out of control. I was in late position and the flop was As, 2s, 7h (or something close). I was holding the 3s, Qs, 4h, 9h. So I flopped the nut low with 2nd nut flush draw. I led with a pot-building bet of $25 or so. There are 3 callers. The turn is 8s giving me the 2nd nut flush and the nut low. I led with a bet of $125 and Michael calls and everyone else folds. The river is a 4x screwing up my nut low but still giving me a low, just no longer the nut low. I still push all in as that could have just as easily screwed up Michael's low as well, but he turns over the 3x, 5x, and no other significant cards that I can remember. So, it is the old chop/chop.
One other hand against Frank stands out as the river gave me the 2nd nut straight and a decent low. I bet $75 and Frank pushed all-in for another $80 or so. There's about $300 - $350 in the pot, so I have to call and he turns over the nut straight and the nut low. Just another day in the neighborhood.....
Back to the felt!
Poker Players Alliance: Defend the American Tradition
Copied from www.pokerplayersalliance.org -- JOIN TODAY!
Poker Players Alliance: Defend the American Tradition
Unlike games of chance where a roll of the die is all that determines the win or the loss, poker is a game of skill.
Demanding high levels of strategy, observation, cunning, and memory, poker has challenged and sharpened some of America's greatest tactical minds such as Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight Eisenhower.
Today, more than 70 million poker players are reviving America's tradition.
The recent expansion of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) best illustrates the exponential growth of the game in the past five years - the number of entrants in the WSOP has increased from 4,700 to 23,000.
Unfortunately, even as public support for poker grows, some over-zealous government and law enforcement officials have begun attacking the game and trampling on the rights of those who play.
The American tradition of poker must be defended. Poker players should have the freedom to continue to enjoy this favorite pastime as they always have.
Copied from www.pokerplayersalliance.org - JOIN TODAY!
Poker Players Alliance: Defend the American Tradition
Unlike games of chance where a roll of the die is all that determines the win or the loss, poker is a game of skill.
Demanding high levels of strategy, observation, cunning, and memory, poker has challenged and sharpened some of America's greatest tactical minds such as Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight Eisenhower.
Today, more than 70 million poker players are reviving America's tradition.
The recent expansion of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) best illustrates the exponential growth of the game in the past five years - the number of entrants in the WSOP has increased from 4,700 to 23,000.
Unfortunately, even as public support for poker grows, some over-zealous government and law enforcement officials have begun attacking the game and trampling on the rights of those who play.
The American tradition of poker must be defended. Poker players should have the freedom to continue to enjoy this favorite pastime as they always have.
Copied from www.pokerplayersalliance.org - JOIN TODAY!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
Press Release: BB&GH Now the Official Blog of the Triangle Poker Journal
For immediate release, Monday, March 26, 2007
BB&GH NOW THE THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE TRIANGLE POKER JOURNAL
Bad Beats and Great Hands (BB&GH) edited by Charles Richards and others, has become one of the foremost poker blogs in the Triangle. Especially designed for people who love the game of poker, players share your stories about Texas Hold 'em and Omaha 8 among other games.
Today, Triangle Poker Journal (TPJ) has absorbed BB&GH which will now be called simply the Triangle Poker Journal Blog. TPJ Executive Editor George Smart named Richards as Senior Blog Editor. Richards will continue to drive TPJ blog postings and will write articles for the main website.
TPJ Website: http://www.trianglepokerjournal.com
TPJ Blog Website: http://badbeatsandgreathands.blogspot.com.
BB&GH NOW THE THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE TRIANGLE POKER JOURNAL
Bad Beats and Great Hands (BB&GH) edited by Charles Richards and others, has become one of the foremost poker blogs in the Triangle. Especially designed for people who love the game of poker, players share your stories about Texas Hold 'em and Omaha 8 among other games.
Today, Triangle Poker Journal (TPJ) has absorbed BB&GH which will now be called simply the Triangle Poker Journal Blog. TPJ Executive Editor George Smart named Richards as Senior Blog Editor. Richards will continue to drive TPJ blog postings and will write articles for the main website.
TPJ Website: http://www.trianglepokerjournal.com
TPJ Blog Website: http://badbeatsandgreathands.blogspot.com.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Local Cary Game Raided by Authorities
Last night, Thursday, March 22, a very popular local poker game was raided by local law enforcement. The establishment is located at 233 East Johnson Street, Unit M in Cary just off Chapel Hill Road known to some as MMC.
The Cary Police cited approximately 40 players that were present when they arrived around midnight. Everyone present was given a citation for violation of State Law 14.292, a misdemeanor. We believe the organizer was also cited for an alcohol violation, but at the time of this document we are not certain of the details of any additional charges.
One person cited offered this account. At approximately midnight, there was an "unusually" loud knock at the main entrance. The person who opened the door without utilizing the peep hole was very surprised to permit entry to approximately a dozen police officers outfitted in full body armor and brandishing assault rifles. The crowd was ordered to lie on the floor while law enforcement officers processed each one individually. The entire process lasted about two hours and then everyone was sent home. Police seized all the poker chips, playing cards, tables, TV’s, and papers. Also of interest, apparently the Cary Police had also brought some trainees and interns who watched the entire operation unfold.
It would be interesting to find out how many serious crimes were being committed in the area while a major portion of the local law enforcement resources were dedicated to breaking up a friendly poker game.
The popularity of poker has truly exploded over the past few years seeing an exponential growth spurt following Chris Moneymaker's amateur win of the World Series of Poker in 2003.
The booming popularity of poker has spawned cable television shows and made household names out of professionals like Raleigh’s Greg Raymer -- who won millions in the 2004 World Series of Poker. For a list of other local players who have cashed in on poker's growth, please visit the Triangle Poker Journal's website at http://www.trianglepokerjournal.com/.
Today, about 70 million Americans play, primarily in home games but also at casinos, card rooms, and at scores of internet web sites. There is a movement within the US to bring poker out of the shadows and into the light. The law in most states that is preventing the growth of local poker rooms is similar to NC State Law 14.292 which groups "poker" in with games of chance, such as craps, roulette and lotteries. However, poker is a game of skill. The statute under which the 40 people were charged, 14.292, applies only to games of chance. Therefore the charges brought against these players were incorrect. If the Police want to arrest those playing a game of chance, they should cite everybody buying a lottery ticket in NC. Poker is a game of skill, and in fact the NC Court of Appeals is currently hearing a case on the matter.
Senator Alphonse D’Amato takes issue with efforts to lump in poker with games of pure chance like lotteries, roulette, and craps. “It’s really a great sport,” Mr. D’Amato said, perhaps the country’s favorite sport. “You don’t have 70 million people participating in baseball.”
There are also organizations such at the Poker Players Alliance which are taking up the fight on a national level to legalize and grow the game. More information may be found at their website http://www.pokerplayersalliance.org/
The Cary Police cited approximately 40 players that were present when they arrived around midnight. Everyone present was given a citation for violation of State Law 14.292, a misdemeanor. We believe the organizer was also cited for an alcohol violation, but at the time of this document we are not certain of the details of any additional charges.
One person cited offered this account. At approximately midnight, there was an "unusually" loud knock at the main entrance. The person who opened the door without utilizing the peep hole was very surprised to permit entry to approximately a dozen police officers outfitted in full body armor and brandishing assault rifles. The crowd was ordered to lie on the floor while law enforcement officers processed each one individually. The entire process lasted about two hours and then everyone was sent home. Police seized all the poker chips, playing cards, tables, TV’s, and papers. Also of interest, apparently the Cary Police had also brought some trainees and interns who watched the entire operation unfold.
It would be interesting to find out how many serious crimes were being committed in the area while a major portion of the local law enforcement resources were dedicated to breaking up a friendly poker game.
The popularity of poker has truly exploded over the past few years seeing an exponential growth spurt following Chris Moneymaker's amateur win of the World Series of Poker in 2003.
The booming popularity of poker has spawned cable television shows and made household names out of professionals like Raleigh’s Greg Raymer -- who won millions in the 2004 World Series of Poker. For a list of other local players who have cashed in on poker's growth, please visit the Triangle Poker Journal's website at http://www.trianglepokerjournal.com/.
Today, about 70 million Americans play, primarily in home games but also at casinos, card rooms, and at scores of internet web sites. There is a movement within the US to bring poker out of the shadows and into the light. The law in most states that is preventing the growth of local poker rooms is similar to NC State Law 14.292 which groups "poker" in with games of chance, such as craps, roulette and lotteries. However, poker is a game of skill. The statute under which the 40 people were charged, 14.292, applies only to games of chance. Therefore the charges brought against these players were incorrect. If the Police want to arrest those playing a game of chance, they should cite everybody buying a lottery ticket in NC. Poker is a game of skill, and in fact the NC Court of Appeals is currently hearing a case on the matter.
Senator Alphonse D’Amato takes issue with efforts to lump in poker with games of pure chance like lotteries, roulette, and craps. “It’s really a great sport,” Mr. D’Amato said, perhaps the country’s favorite sport. “You don’t have 70 million people participating in baseball.”
There are also organizations such at the Poker Players Alliance which are taking up the fight on a national level to legalize and grow the game. More information may be found at their website http://www.pokerplayersalliance.org/
Thursday, March 22, 2007
The Official Blog of the Triangle Poker Journal
THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE TRIANGLE POKER JOURNAL
Yes indeed, the ink isn't dry yet, as a matter of fact, I don't think that there was any ink, but effective immediately Bad Beats & Great Hands is now officially partnered with the premier information site in NC for all things poker.... The Triangle Poker Journal!
Watch for the official press release coming soon!
Yes indeed, the ink isn't dry yet, as a matter of fact, I don't think that there was any ink, but effective immediately Bad Beats & Great Hands is now officially partnered with the premier information site in NC for all things poker.... The Triangle Poker Journal!
Watch for the official press release coming soon!
SEVEN SINS TO AVOID IN '07
This is a re-post from earlier in the year. It highlights the importance of proper etiquette and the impact that poor etiquette has on the game and the outcome of hands at the table everyday. I hope you read, enjoy, and apply.
Source: The Offical World Poker Tour Magazine
www.worldpokertour.com
http://www.worldpokertour.com/magazine/?x=detail&aID=389
SEVEN SINS TO AVOID IN ’07
Polish your poker etiquette with some sensible New Year resolutions. Poker dealer Ian Hatlen helps you avoid being slapped with a poker ASBO.
1. Never discuss a hand that you’re not involved with.
Casino rules prohibit the discussion of a live hand by players not active in the hand – which is to say, those holding cards. This is perhaps the most fundamental tenet of poker etiquette, yet amazingly it’s also the most frequently breached. As a dealer I’m baffled by how badly some people want to discuss hands they’re not involved in, even after being repeatedly informed both that it’s against house rules and that it shows a lack of respect for others.
In 95% of cases, people talk about hands not to help out a friend or purposely try to sabotage someone, but to demonstrate just how ‘smart’ they are. They love to point out ‘Look how he’s shaking! He must have a monster hand,’ or ‘Remember he did that bet five hands ago and then showed a bluff?’ so everyone at the table will respect their poker knowledge. But this is counter-productive.
2. Quality players shouldn’t draw attention to their abilities.
When weaker players realize they’re up against a strong player, two things tend to happen: they avoid playing marginal hands against the stronger player, and they start to play smarter. Good players know this, and tend not to try to impress others with their abilities.
The dealer should control his or her table and prevent repeated commenting on the hands. If every hand is turning into a 10-man discussion on what the current bettor is holding, you have the right to ask the dealer to control the table. There are very few times I’d advise complaining about a dealer to a floor person, but if a dealer is blatantly allowing table talk that’s affecting the outcome of hands (especially if you’re involved), then it’s perfectly acceptable to speak to a floor person – in a calm and reasonable way, of course.
3. Don’t ‘sandbag’ or ‘slowroll’.
A few places refer to check-raising as ‘sandbagging’, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Although the odd cardroom still doesn’t allow it, check-raising is much more accepted and commonplace in poker than it was 20 years ago. Sandbagging occurs when two or more players have reached the showdown and it’s time to turn over their hole cards to determine the winner of the pot, but one player misrepresents his hand to make the opponent believe they’ve got a chance at winning the pot when, in reality, they don’t.
For example, Player A shows Ad Kd on a Qd Qh Jd 3d 7c for an Ace-high flush. Player B says: “Wow! Nice hand! You got me!” and pretends to throw his cards in the muck…then slams Qs Qc face up and says: “Just kidding! Quads, baby! Ship that pot over here!”
This is terrible etiquette, and will infuriate Player A – not to mention the rest of the table, plus the dealer will likely think Player B is an idiot. Even if Player A has been a jerk all night, there’s really no need to stoop to that level. Also, gloating of any type is generally considered poor form – especially if you’ve outdrawn someone to win the pot.
4. Keep the action going.
There’s nobody at the poker table who wants a slow game – especially if you’re playing in a game where the house takes an hourly session fee instead of a hand rake. For those that play professionally (and for the dealers), unnecessary delays mean fewer hands per hour and less earning potential. For recreational players, fewer hands mean less excitement.
Behavior that’s not appreciated by anyone includes habitually not paying attention to when it’s your turn to act, not posting your blinds, taking extra time to ponder folding when there’s really no decision, and laboring simple actions, such as counting out chips for a call. If the bet is $14, you can verbally announce call and let the action continue, then put your chips in the pot. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching for 30 seconds while a player counts out 17 single chips to call a bet, when he could have simply verbally announced it and allowed the action to continue.
Nobody’s asking you to rush your actions at the table, or to maintain razor-sharp concentration at all times. It’s simply appreciated when you do your best to keep up with the action, and don’t purposely waste time.
Probably the biggest time waster and pet peeve of many dealers, which you should avoid at all costs, is the actor-fold. You’re entitled to take time to make decisions during a hand, and if you’ve a legitimate decision to make, I strongly advise you to take some time to think about it (although someone at the table can usually ask for a clock to be put on you, which gives you one minute). If you’re facing a $950 all-in call, it’s fine to take 45 seconds to ponder your move; it’s not likely to be an easy decision.
But what nobody wants to see, and what drives many players and dealers crazy, is when you take 40 seconds to fold your 7-2 off-suit to an all-in pre-flop because you want to create a table image (that table image, by the way, will be of somebody who wastes time). Occasionally, you won’t want to fold immediately to a bet, and will pretend to think about it a little bit (like when you’ve just put in a bet on a bluff, and you’ve been re-raised), but try to keep the amount of time to a reasonable limit.
5. It’s poker. Just deal with it!
Rarely do 10 hands go by at any given table without someone insulting another player for how they chose to play their hand, or pointing out why it was an unsound play in terms of game theory or pot odds. I know it hurts to have your Aces cracked by 4-9 off-suit, especially when you bet hard all the way, but that’s poker.
Before you sit down at the table, remind yourself that other people have the right to use their money however they see fit, and that it’s the nature of the game that powerful hands can change in value after one card hits the turn or river.
If pocket Aces were the be-all and end-all in the poker world, there would be a rule that pocket Aces were wild, guaranteeing victory every time. Obviously, no such rule exists, so if you don’t want to be the token whiner at the table, take your beats with your chin up.
You might also want to keep in mind that in order for someone to lay a bad beat on you, you have to be ahead in the hand, and they have to have made a mistake in terms of game theory. Let’s say your opponent calls a $300 all-in with 9-4 pre-flop. Sure, when the flop comes 4-4-4, you want to throw a tantrum and call him every name under the sun, but remember that in the long term, every penny you earn at the poker table is going to come from mistakes just like this made by your opponents.
If everyone at the table played optimal game strategy there’d be no long-term winners (except the house rake). You want players to make idiotic calls, and belittling them for doing so makes them feel bad and, believe it or not, even bad players can play better when they want to. Don’t make someone fold their 9-4 off-suit to a raise because they remember how you’ll insult them if it wins – you want that player to be in there with every possible piece of trash to a raise.
6. Understand that a 19% draw will hit…19% of the time.
There’s a certain proportion of players at the table who like to whine about how unlucky they are and how ‘everyone else hits their flush draws all the time, and I never hit mine’. If you prefer that the people around you don’t find you incredibly annoying, I’d recommend trying to avoid being seen as this person at the table.
Even if you’ve had a spat of bad luck, nobody at the table really cares. In fact, opposite to the pity you’re looking for when you complain, other players are happy when you miss your draws, because they want your money. Frustration is a normal part of the game, but if you find yourself commenting every hand on just how bad your hole cards are or how you get no action on your Kings, you might just be the table whiner.
7. Remember the dealer has enough to do.
I, like most dealers, have no problem making change between pots or exchanging money for chips when a player loses part of his or her stack. What I, and many others, find annoying, however, is the player who makes the dealer do unnecessary work because they’re superstitious about their stack.
For example, some players like having black ($100) chips, and will ask the dealer to color up their $5 and $1 chips for blacks simply because they like them. The especially frustrating part about a player like this is that, two hands later, he throws that same $100 in to call an $8 bet because he has no more singles or fives.
Others don’t like having a particular denomination of chip, like quarters for example, and will ask to change up that chip every time they win a pot with one in it. This nonsense not only annoys the dealer, but slows down the entire game, especially if done frequently.
In games where cash plays on the table, you’ll often see players buying chips off one another to save going through the dealer and slowing down the game. Some players, however, don’t like taking cash for their chips (even when they have monumental stacks of chips in front of them). But there’s a reason why I actually consider that this is often good practice.
American casinos in particular are magnets for counterfeit money, because of the volume they process, and unless you know your currency, it can be difficult to be sure if the money you’re being asked to exchange is legitimate. If you’re playing in a $1 / $2 game, it’s not necessarily a big deal, but if it’s $20 / $40 you could easily wind up stuck with $500 in counterfeit currency if you sell chips to the wrong person.
Reprinted from www.worldpokertour.com/
Source: The Offical World Poker Tour Magazine
www.worldpokertour.com
http://www.worldpokertour.com/magazine/?x=detail&aID=389
SEVEN SINS TO AVOID IN ’07
Polish your poker etiquette with some sensible New Year resolutions. Poker dealer Ian Hatlen helps you avoid being slapped with a poker ASBO.
1. Never discuss a hand that you’re not involved with.
Casino rules prohibit the discussion of a live hand by players not active in the hand – which is to say, those holding cards. This is perhaps the most fundamental tenet of poker etiquette, yet amazingly it’s also the most frequently breached. As a dealer I’m baffled by how badly some people want to discuss hands they’re not involved in, even after being repeatedly informed both that it’s against house rules and that it shows a lack of respect for others.
In 95% of cases, people talk about hands not to help out a friend or purposely try to sabotage someone, but to demonstrate just how ‘smart’ they are. They love to point out ‘Look how he’s shaking! He must have a monster hand,’ or ‘Remember he did that bet five hands ago and then showed a bluff?’ so everyone at the table will respect their poker knowledge. But this is counter-productive.
2. Quality players shouldn’t draw attention to their abilities.
When weaker players realize they’re up against a strong player, two things tend to happen: they avoid playing marginal hands against the stronger player, and they start to play smarter. Good players know this, and tend not to try to impress others with their abilities.
The dealer should control his or her table and prevent repeated commenting on the hands. If every hand is turning into a 10-man discussion on what the current bettor is holding, you have the right to ask the dealer to control the table. There are very few times I’d advise complaining about a dealer to a floor person, but if a dealer is blatantly allowing table talk that’s affecting the outcome of hands (especially if you’re involved), then it’s perfectly acceptable to speak to a floor person – in a calm and reasonable way, of course.
3. Don’t ‘sandbag’ or ‘slowroll’.
A few places refer to check-raising as ‘sandbagging’, but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Although the odd cardroom still doesn’t allow it, check-raising is much more accepted and commonplace in poker than it was 20 years ago. Sandbagging occurs when two or more players have reached the showdown and it’s time to turn over their hole cards to determine the winner of the pot, but one player misrepresents his hand to make the opponent believe they’ve got a chance at winning the pot when, in reality, they don’t.
For example, Player A shows Ad Kd on a Qd Qh Jd 3d 7c for an Ace-high flush. Player B says: “Wow! Nice hand! You got me!” and pretends to throw his cards in the muck…then slams Qs Qc face up and says: “Just kidding! Quads, baby! Ship that pot over here!”
This is terrible etiquette, and will infuriate Player A – not to mention the rest of the table, plus the dealer will likely think Player B is an idiot. Even if Player A has been a jerk all night, there’s really no need to stoop to that level. Also, gloating of any type is generally considered poor form – especially if you’ve outdrawn someone to win the pot.
4. Keep the action going.
There’s nobody at the poker table who wants a slow game – especially if you’re playing in a game where the house takes an hourly session fee instead of a hand rake. For those that play professionally (and for the dealers), unnecessary delays mean fewer hands per hour and less earning potential. For recreational players, fewer hands mean less excitement.
Behavior that’s not appreciated by anyone includes habitually not paying attention to when it’s your turn to act, not posting your blinds, taking extra time to ponder folding when there’s really no decision, and laboring simple actions, such as counting out chips for a call. If the bet is $14, you can verbally announce call and let the action continue, then put your chips in the pot. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching for 30 seconds while a player counts out 17 single chips to call a bet, when he could have simply verbally announced it and allowed the action to continue.
Nobody’s asking you to rush your actions at the table, or to maintain razor-sharp concentration at all times. It’s simply appreciated when you do your best to keep up with the action, and don’t purposely waste time.
Probably the biggest time waster and pet peeve of many dealers, which you should avoid at all costs, is the actor-fold. You’re entitled to take time to make decisions during a hand, and if you’ve a legitimate decision to make, I strongly advise you to take some time to think about it (although someone at the table can usually ask for a clock to be put on you, which gives you one minute). If you’re facing a $950 all-in call, it’s fine to take 45 seconds to ponder your move; it’s not likely to be an easy decision.
But what nobody wants to see, and what drives many players and dealers crazy, is when you take 40 seconds to fold your 7-2 off-suit to an all-in pre-flop because you want to create a table image (that table image, by the way, will be of somebody who wastes time). Occasionally, you won’t want to fold immediately to a bet, and will pretend to think about it a little bit (like when you’ve just put in a bet on a bluff, and you’ve been re-raised), but try to keep the amount of time to a reasonable limit.
5. It’s poker. Just deal with it!
Rarely do 10 hands go by at any given table without someone insulting another player for how they chose to play their hand, or pointing out why it was an unsound play in terms of game theory or pot odds. I know it hurts to have your Aces cracked by 4-9 off-suit, especially when you bet hard all the way, but that’s poker.
Before you sit down at the table, remind yourself that other people have the right to use their money however they see fit, and that it’s the nature of the game that powerful hands can change in value after one card hits the turn or river.
If pocket Aces were the be-all and end-all in the poker world, there would be a rule that pocket Aces were wild, guaranteeing victory every time. Obviously, no such rule exists, so if you don’t want to be the token whiner at the table, take your beats with your chin up.
You might also want to keep in mind that in order for someone to lay a bad beat on you, you have to be ahead in the hand, and they have to have made a mistake in terms of game theory. Let’s say your opponent calls a $300 all-in with 9-4 pre-flop. Sure, when the flop comes 4-4-4, you want to throw a tantrum and call him every name under the sun, but remember that in the long term, every penny you earn at the poker table is going to come from mistakes just like this made by your opponents.
If everyone at the table played optimal game strategy there’d be no long-term winners (except the house rake). You want players to make idiotic calls, and belittling them for doing so makes them feel bad and, believe it or not, even bad players can play better when they want to. Don’t make someone fold their 9-4 off-suit to a raise because they remember how you’ll insult them if it wins – you want that player to be in there with every possible piece of trash to a raise.
6. Understand that a 19% draw will hit…19% of the time.
There’s a certain proportion of players at the table who like to whine about how unlucky they are and how ‘everyone else hits their flush draws all the time, and I never hit mine’. If you prefer that the people around you don’t find you incredibly annoying, I’d recommend trying to avoid being seen as this person at the table.
Even if you’ve had a spat of bad luck, nobody at the table really cares. In fact, opposite to the pity you’re looking for when you complain, other players are happy when you miss your draws, because they want your money. Frustration is a normal part of the game, but if you find yourself commenting every hand on just how bad your hole cards are or how you get no action on your Kings, you might just be the table whiner.
7. Remember the dealer has enough to do.
I, like most dealers, have no problem making change between pots or exchanging money for chips when a player loses part of his or her stack. What I, and many others, find annoying, however, is the player who makes the dealer do unnecessary work because they’re superstitious about their stack.
For example, some players like having black ($100) chips, and will ask the dealer to color up their $5 and $1 chips for blacks simply because they like them. The especially frustrating part about a player like this is that, two hands later, he throws that same $100 in to call an $8 bet because he has no more singles or fives.
Others don’t like having a particular denomination of chip, like quarters for example, and will ask to change up that chip every time they win a pot with one in it. This nonsense not only annoys the dealer, but slows down the entire game, especially if done frequently.
In games where cash plays on the table, you’ll often see players buying chips off one another to save going through the dealer and slowing down the game. Some players, however, don’t like taking cash for their chips (even when they have monumental stacks of chips in front of them). But there’s a reason why I actually consider that this is often good practice.
American casinos in particular are magnets for counterfeit money, because of the volume they process, and unless you know your currency, it can be difficult to be sure if the money you’re being asked to exchange is legitimate. If you’re playing in a $1 / $2 game, it’s not necessarily a big deal, but if it’s $20 / $40 you could easily wind up stuck with $500 in counterfeit currency if you sell chips to the wrong person.
Reprinted from www.worldpokertour.com/
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Press Release Today from Neteller
NETELLER Takes Positive Step Towards Returning US Customers’ Funds
Wednesday, 21 March 2007 – The NETELLER Plc Group (LSE: NLR), the leading global independent online money transfer business, today announced that it has signed agreements with each of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (“USAO”) and Navigant Consulting, Inc. (“Navigant”).
On 8 February 2007, the Group announced that it was in discussions with the USAO to manage an orderly return of funds to US customers and that it was contemplated that a forensic accounting firm would be engaged, at the Group's expense, to assist in this process and to examine the Group's financial position.
The Group is pleased to announce that on 20 March 2007, it signed agreements with the USAO and Navigant which, among other things, outline terms and a timeline under which NETELLER will work toward the orderly distribution of funds to its US customers. Per the agreements, the Group anticipates that within the next 75 days it will announce a plan by which the funds will be distributed to US customers. Navigant will also provide a report to the USAO on the Group’s current financial condition.
“We continue to be committed to returning funds to our US customers and working with the US Attorney’s Office,” said Ron Martin, Group President and CEO. “Progress, while not always visible to the outside observer, has been steady and these agreements mark a milestone in the process.”
NETELLER is continuing to cooperate with the USAO’s investigation, under the advice of its legal advisers and in accordance with court orders in the Isle of Man.
Further updates with relation to the US situation will be made as soon as there are any material developments. In the meantime, US customers should visit updates.neteller.com for more information, including newly updated FAQs that provide additional clarity, where the Group is able, around certain issues currently being raised in a number of public forums. Additionally US Customers can contact NETELLER Customer Service on the web or by phone at 1-888-258-5859.
About the NETELLER Group
Trusted by millions of consumers in over 160 countries to move and manage billions of dollars each year, the NETELLER Group operates the largest independent online money transfer business in the world. The Group specializes in providing innovative and instant payment services where money transfer is difficult or risky due to identity, trust, currency exchange, or distance. Being independent has allowed the Group to support thousands of retailers and merchants in many geographies and across multiple industries.
The Group is quoted on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market, with a ticker symbol of NLR. NETELLER (UK) Limited is authorised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to operate as a regulated e-money issuer. For more information about the Group visit www.netellergroup.com.
Media and Investor Contacts
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Sarah Gestetner or George Cazenove
Tel: +44 (0) 207 638 9571
Wednesday, 21 March 2007 – The NETELLER Plc Group (LSE: NLR), the leading global independent online money transfer business, today announced that it has signed agreements with each of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (“USAO”) and Navigant Consulting, Inc. (“Navigant”).
On 8 February 2007, the Group announced that it was in discussions with the USAO to manage an orderly return of funds to US customers and that it was contemplated that a forensic accounting firm would be engaged, at the Group's expense, to assist in this process and to examine the Group's financial position.
The Group is pleased to announce that on 20 March 2007, it signed agreements with the USAO and Navigant which, among other things, outline terms and a timeline under which NETELLER will work toward the orderly distribution of funds to its US customers. Per the agreements, the Group anticipates that within the next 75 days it will announce a plan by which the funds will be distributed to US customers. Navigant will also provide a report to the USAO on the Group’s current financial condition.
“We continue to be committed to returning funds to our US customers and working with the US Attorney’s Office,” said Ron Martin, Group President and CEO. “Progress, while not always visible to the outside observer, has been steady and these agreements mark a milestone in the process.”
NETELLER is continuing to cooperate with the USAO’s investigation, under the advice of its legal advisers and in accordance with court orders in the Isle of Man.
Further updates with relation to the US situation will be made as soon as there are any material developments. In the meantime, US customers should visit updates.neteller.com for more information, including newly updated FAQs that provide additional clarity, where the Group is able, around certain issues currently being raised in a number of public forums. Additionally US Customers can contact NETELLER Customer Service on the web or by phone at 1-888-258-5859.
About the NETELLER Group
Trusted by millions of consumers in over 160 countries to move and manage billions of dollars each year, the NETELLER Group operates the largest independent online money transfer business in the world. The Group specializes in providing innovative and instant payment services where money transfer is difficult or risky due to identity, trust, currency exchange, or distance. Being independent has allowed the Group to support thousands of retailers and merchants in many geographies and across multiple industries.
The Group is quoted on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market, with a ticker symbol of NLR. NETELLER (UK) Limited is authorised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to operate as a regulated e-money issuer. For more information about the Group visit www.netellergroup.com.
Media and Investor Contacts
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Sarah Gestetner or George Cazenove
Tel: +44 (0) 207 638 9571
Dave's New Favorite Number?
I’ll give you a hint:
_____ Dog Night
_____ Times a Lady
_____ Blind Mice
_____ On the River to Scoop a $3,800 Pot!
After last night, Davey Boy will probably be seeing threes in his sleep for a week. After playing mostly Omaha 8 all night, by 3am I’ve accumulated a decent stack (though definitely nothing to write home about). I have maybe $1,300 in chips when I’m dealt 3c-3s-4c-5s. We were doing a lot of straddling, and I believe there was one this hand as well. As usual, pretty much the entire table sees the flop, 9-8-3 with one club. Dave makes a fairly large bet ($140 I think?), and gets a couple callers before it gets to me. I’ve only got bottom set, but I’ve got some back door possibilities as well, and I toss in the call.
The turn brings a Kc. Not exactly what I was looking for, but not a horrible card either, as I now have a flush draw. It checks to Dave, who pushes all-in for $1,500+. Someone (Mike, I think, but all the hands run together after a while…) calls for less, and the action is to me. Against most players, I would feel like I was definitely behind at this point. Our hero, however, could literally have anything. I figure almost no matter what he has, I either have the best hand, or at the very least, a draw to win half or all of the pot. Besides, it’s late and I’m ready to go get some sleep if I lose the hand and my chip stack, so I make the call. I was hoping for something like a 2c (I don’t like to get tooooooo greedy asking for cards – it just pisses off the poker gods), No such luck. The low doesn’t come…the boat doesn't come...the flush doesn’t come…but the fourth 3 does – Get the Monkey!
Now the fun part. All the chips were in on the turn, but nobody has turned up their hand yet. Dave, for whatever reason, is on this kick lately about slow-rolling. Dean used to be the only one utilizing this ploy (a ploy, by the way, that will get your ass kicked in most games), but lately there has almost been a contest to see who can make the longest delayed slow-roll. While it’s against my nature to slow-roll, it’s even more against my nature to pass up a chance to torture Dave. I tried to look disappointed, shaking my head and saying I missed my draw, and that I was ready to go home. Dave mumbled something along those same lines, so a few seconds later, after it appeared to me that nobody else had much of a hand, I threw my cards down on the table and exclaimed “Get the Monkey!” Dave let out a gut-wrenching yell, and turned over pocket nines - the bastard outlasted me! Turns out he was trying to slow-roll me as well. If I just could have hung tough for a few more seconds, I really could have twisted the knife in his gut. I must admit to feeling a bit cheated, but a $3,800 outdraw helped to ease the pain a bit… :-)
Good job, Scout! As usual, Dave did his job the way I trained him - gathering chips from the other players, then bringing them back to me. Remember, Dave – it’s the second mouse that gets the cheese!
See ya at the tables….
Rick
_____ Dog Night
_____ Times a Lady
_____ Blind Mice
_____ On the River to Scoop a $3,800 Pot!
After last night, Davey Boy will probably be seeing threes in his sleep for a week. After playing mostly Omaha 8 all night, by 3am I’ve accumulated a decent stack (though definitely nothing to write home about). I have maybe $1,300 in chips when I’m dealt 3c-3s-4c-5s. We were doing a lot of straddling, and I believe there was one this hand as well. As usual, pretty much the entire table sees the flop, 9-8-3 with one club. Dave makes a fairly large bet ($140 I think?), and gets a couple callers before it gets to me. I’ve only got bottom set, but I’ve got some back door possibilities as well, and I toss in the call.
The turn brings a Kc. Not exactly what I was looking for, but not a horrible card either, as I now have a flush draw. It checks to Dave, who pushes all-in for $1,500+. Someone (Mike, I think, but all the hands run together after a while…) calls for less, and the action is to me. Against most players, I would feel like I was definitely behind at this point. Our hero, however, could literally have anything. I figure almost no matter what he has, I either have the best hand, or at the very least, a draw to win half or all of the pot. Besides, it’s late and I’m ready to go get some sleep if I lose the hand and my chip stack, so I make the call. I was hoping for something like a 2c (I don’t like to get tooooooo greedy asking for cards – it just pisses off the poker gods), No such luck. The low doesn’t come…the boat doesn't come...the flush doesn’t come…but the fourth 3 does – Get the Monkey!
Now the fun part. All the chips were in on the turn, but nobody has turned up their hand yet. Dave, for whatever reason, is on this kick lately about slow-rolling. Dean used to be the only one utilizing this ploy (a ploy, by the way, that will get your ass kicked in most games), but lately there has almost been a contest to see who can make the longest delayed slow-roll. While it’s against my nature to slow-roll, it’s even more against my nature to pass up a chance to torture Dave. I tried to look disappointed, shaking my head and saying I missed my draw, and that I was ready to go home. Dave mumbled something along those same lines, so a few seconds later, after it appeared to me that nobody else had much of a hand, I threw my cards down on the table and exclaimed “Get the Monkey!” Dave let out a gut-wrenching yell, and turned over pocket nines - the bastard outlasted me! Turns out he was trying to slow-roll me as well. If I just could have hung tough for a few more seconds, I really could have twisted the knife in his gut. I must admit to feeling a bit cheated, but a $3,800 outdraw helped to ease the pain a bit… :-)
Good job, Scout! As usual, Dave did his job the way I trained him - gathering chips from the other players, then bringing them back to me. Remember, Dave – it’s the second mouse that gets the cheese!
See ya at the tables….
Rick
Garner Ducks Unlimited Texas Hold'em Charity Poker Tournament
GARNER DUCKS UNLIMITED TEXAS HOLD’EM CHARITY POKER TOURNAMENT
Saturday, March 24th, I-40/NC-42 (Cleveland School Area)
****** Donation to Ducks Unlimited is $100 ******
(There will also be a $500 table and a $100 Ladies-only table)
The event includes:
***A catered meal
***A seat in the tournament
***A one-year membership to Ducks Unlimited
***A one-year subscription to the DU magazine
Doors open at 5:00PM Tournament Starts at 6:00PM
In addition to the poker tournament, there will be a silent auction, raffles, and games.
Space is limited to the first 100 tickets sold!
For TICKET INFORMATION, please contact David at dhwall@gmail.com or 919.673.3303
****** Donation to Ducks Unlimited is $100 ******
(There will also be a $500 table and a $100 Ladies-only table)
The event includes:
***A catered meal
***A seat in the tournament
***A one-year membership to Ducks Unlimited
***A one-year subscription to the DU magazine
Doors open at 5:00PM Tournament Starts at 6:00PM
In addition to the poker tournament, there will be a silent auction, raffles, and games.
Space is limited to the first 100 tickets sold!
For TICKET INFORMATION, please contact David at dhwall@gmail.com or 919.673.3303
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Florida Reps Want to Attract Major Poker Tourneys
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Florida Reps Want to Attract Major Poker Tourneys
Change in Law Will Allow Cardroom to Host Large-Buy-in Events
A bill is currently going through committees in both the Florida state house and senate that is designed to bring large multi-day poker tournaments to the states card rooms.
The bill would allow the state’s casinos and pari-mutuel facilities to each hold a major poker tournament twice a year. Although almost every casino, race track, and jai alai center in Florida has a cardroom, the law limits the hours of operation from noon to midnight, and cardrooms aren’t allowed to be open whenever an event isn’t taking place at the tracks or arenas.
The bill is working its way through committees in both the state house and senates, and, if everything goes as planned for the two sponsors, will be approved by the wings of government in May.
If that happens, the law change will take effect in July. If it doesn’t make it through the House by May, the bill will probably die because the House meets for only two months each year.
The sponsors, Senator Steve Geller and House Member Joe Gibbons, who are both Democrats, hope the law change will help further boost tourism in a state that depends on it.
“People want to come to Florida to begin, with so let’s compete with these other cities to have [big-time poker tournaments] here," said Kristin Carter, a legislative aid to Gibbons. “Poker’s gotten big, and a lot of people travel to these tournaments and we would love to have them come to Florida and patronize our districts.”
The bill requires the tournaments to be broadcast nationally, although specific language on what exactly that means is being revised.
This bill does not affect how cash ring games are run in Florida. Betting in ring games is limited to $2, with a maximum of three raises per hand. Despite this major restriction, live poker is very popular in the state, and through several major pub poker leagues in the state, its popularity continues to grow.
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Florida Reps Want to Attract Major Poker Tourneys
Change in Law Will Allow Cardroom to Host Large-Buy-in Events
A bill is currently going through committees in both the Florida state house and senate that is designed to bring large multi-day poker tournaments to the states card rooms.
The bill would allow the state’s casinos and pari-mutuel facilities to each hold a major poker tournament twice a year. Although almost every casino, race track, and jai alai center in Florida has a cardroom, the law limits the hours of operation from noon to midnight, and cardrooms aren’t allowed to be open whenever an event isn’t taking place at the tracks or arenas.
The bill is working its way through committees in both the state house and senates, and, if everything goes as planned for the two sponsors, will be approved by the wings of government in May.
If that happens, the law change will take effect in July. If it doesn’t make it through the House by May, the bill will probably die because the House meets for only two months each year.
The sponsors, Senator Steve Geller and House Member Joe Gibbons, who are both Democrats, hope the law change will help further boost tourism in a state that depends on it.
“People want to come to Florida to begin, with so let’s compete with these other cities to have [big-time poker tournaments] here," said Kristin Carter, a legislative aid to Gibbons. “Poker’s gotten big, and a lot of people travel to these tournaments and we would love to have them come to Florida and patronize our districts.”
The bill requires the tournaments to be broadcast nationally, although specific language on what exactly that means is being revised.
This bill does not affect how cash ring games are run in Florida. Betting in ring games is limited to $2, with a maximum of three raises per hand. Despite this major restriction, live poker is very popular in the state, and through several major pub poker leagues in the state, its popularity continues to grow.
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Monday, March 19, 2007
Sunday PKR Tournament - Good Turnout!
We had a very good tournament at PKR on Sunday with a full-table for the 60/25/25 tourney.... There were some amazing hands.... probably the biggest of the day was when Bob raised the $200/$400 blinds to about $1000 and Scott re-raised it to $2000 and Bob pushed all-in.... Scott immediately called... Scott turned over AK and Bob flipped As, 3s and proceeded to flop a 3 and then turn another one for trips to knock Scott out of the tournament..... I'd be willing to bet that Scott is still murmuring about that one..... Bob did the same thing to me just before the re-buys ended when I pushed pre-flop with AK and he called with 6c, 9c and flopped a 6..... nice!
But I'm sure that Mattrix is waiting to see if I blog a hand that quadrupled me up and paved the way for me to get the chip lead and ultimately chop the 1st and 2nd money with Ed Flush.... I probably only had 4 times the big blind with about $8000-$10000 and in middle position with only 4 players remaining I raised all-in with Qc, Jc... Ed called and Unc called and Mattrix re-raised all-in with pocket 10s... of course Ed and Unc folded and Mattrix isolated me but unfortunately for him.... ye olde Queen hit on the river! Wee!
Once Unc was eliminated, it was only a few hands before I picked up pocket 7s under the gun and raised the $1,000/$2,000 blinds to $8,000. By the time it got back around to Mattrix in the big blind, I could tell that he was contemplating a move and I could hardly wait to call his all-in with my pocket pair. He flipped over K, 10os and the 7s held up... Ed and I played another 15-20 minutes and decided to chop the remaining cash.
It seems like it has been months since I've won any races at all and it does feel good to get the old monkey off my back.... at least for a little while.
Back to the felt!
But I'm sure that Mattrix is waiting to see if I blog a hand that quadrupled me up and paved the way for me to get the chip lead and ultimately chop the 1st and 2nd money with Ed Flush.... I probably only had 4 times the big blind with about $8000-$10000 and in middle position with only 4 players remaining I raised all-in with Qc, Jc... Ed called and Unc called and Mattrix re-raised all-in with pocket 10s... of course Ed and Unc folded and Mattrix isolated me but unfortunately for him.... ye olde Queen hit on the river! Wee!
Once Unc was eliminated, it was only a few hands before I picked up pocket 7s under the gun and raised the $1,000/$2,000 blinds to $8,000. By the time it got back around to Mattrix in the big blind, I could tell that he was contemplating a move and I could hardly wait to call his all-in with my pocket pair. He flipped over K, 10os and the 7s held up... Ed and I played another 15-20 minutes and decided to chop the remaining cash.
It seems like it has been months since I've won any races at all and it does feel good to get the old monkey off my back.... at least for a little while.
Back to the felt!
Bill to Repeal UIGE Act May Be in the Works
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Bill to Repeal UIGE Act May Be in the Works
Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank is considering a bill that would repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
According to Reuters, a spokesman for Frank confirmed that the liberal Democrat is considering legislation that would repeal the entire UIGE Act.
The UIGE Act started to play havoc on the online poker industry as soon as President George Bush signed it into law in October. The bill, which targets online payment systems, caused many sites to flee, knocked millions of dollars off the values of a handful of publicly traded sites and eWallets, and more recently, is preventing thousands of online poker players from withdrawing their winnings from their preferred sites.
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Bill to Repeal UIGE Act May Be in the Works
Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank is considering a bill that would repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
According to Reuters, a spokesman for Frank confirmed that the liberal Democrat is considering legislation that would repeal the entire UIGE Act.
The UIGE Act started to play havoc on the online poker industry as soon as President George Bush signed it into law in October. The bill, which targets online payment systems, caused many sites to flee, knocked millions of dollars off the values of a handful of publicly traded sites and eWallets, and more recently, is preventing thousands of online poker players from withdrawing their winnings from their preferred sites.
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Sunday, March 18, 2007
PKR - SUNDAY TOURNAMENT
60 Buy-in - 3,000 Chips
25 Re-buys - 2,000 Chips (First four blinds, must be below 2,000 chips to re-buy)
25 Add-ons - 5,000 Chips (At end of re-buy period)
Plan on being there by 2PM on Sunday and let's have a great tournament!
25 Re-buys - 2,000 Chips (First four blinds, must be below 2,000 chips to re-buy)
25 Add-ons - 5,000 Chips (At end of re-buy period)
Plan on being there by 2PM on Sunday and let's have a great tournament!
Saturday PKR - TIMELY HANDS!
There was one or two timely hands for me yesterday....... I was relatively short-stacked during the re-buy period and stumbled on to AQos in middle position. I limped hoping that there would be 1-3 other limpers but that someone would push. Sure enough... Brendan, I believe was his name. He was on the button and raised the $100/$200 blinds to $2000 which had me covered and I quickly called. There was a new guy at the game yesterday who had been pushing quite a bit and putting pressure on everyone at the table... unfortunately, he folded as did everyone else. Brendan turns over 8d, 5d.... nice! The flop held 2 queens and 2 diamonds.... well, it is poker! Unfortunately for Brendan, the turn was the 4th queen! There were a couple other hands where I knew that I was ahead of the new guy pre-flop but just limped to catch first.... in one big hand, I had AKos and the new guy raised to 3 times the big blind and I called and there were 1-2 other callers. The queen high flop missed me and he led out with a big bet and I folded. He showed AQ. Donkey! I re-played it several times, if I re-raise pre-flop, he calls and probably busts me there.
The hand that took me out of the tournament..... keep in mind that we've been playing over 2 hours and I never raised pre-flop once.... until this hand. The new guy was sitting there the entire time and had to know that I wouldn't raise without a premium hand. I wake up to pocket 10s and raise the $300/$600 blinds to $2200. Ed calls and the new guy deliberates for several minutes and pushes all-in. I tried to put him on a pair but kept coming back to AK or AQ.... Because I had not raised pre-flop and I felt that he had to know it, I almost folded. I also looked at Ed's stack and he was short stacked and I felt like he probably had a crappier ace than the new guy which means that my race was probably going to be against at least 2 overcards and maybe 3. I almost folded, but just couldn't lay it down when I knew that I was ahead. So I put the other $6200 in the pot and Ed quickly called. Ed flips AJ and the new guy flips AK.... and of course the king comes on the flop and no 10s show up. Fortunately I understand that the new guy went out in about 11th place....
I understand that Carl finished in the money again and is having a great series!
The hand that took me out of the tournament..... keep in mind that we've been playing over 2 hours and I never raised pre-flop once.... until this hand. The new guy was sitting there the entire time and had to know that I wouldn't raise without a premium hand. I wake up to pocket 10s and raise the $300/$600 blinds to $2200. Ed calls and the new guy deliberates for several minutes and pushes all-in. I tried to put him on a pair but kept coming back to AK or AQ.... Because I had not raised pre-flop and I felt that he had to know it, I almost folded. I also looked at Ed's stack and he was short stacked and I felt like he probably had a crappier ace than the new guy which means that my race was probably going to be against at least 2 overcards and maybe 3. I almost folded, but just couldn't lay it down when I knew that I was ahead. So I put the other $6200 in the pot and Ed quickly called. Ed flips AJ and the new guy flips AK.... and of course the king comes on the flop and no 10s show up. Fortunately I understand that the new guy went out in about 11th place....
I understand that Carl finished in the money again and is having a great series!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
PKR Saturday Poker Tournament
This is Tournament Number THREE of 12!
A series of 12 tournaments!
The 12 season tournaments let's participants earn points each week based on their performance to determine the seasons TOP 10 point-getters PLUS 1 WILD CARD.
The weekly tournament is a 40/40/40 re-buy/add-on tournament.
40 Buy-in - 3000 chips
40 Re-buy - 2000 chips
40 Add-on - 5000 chips
Rebuys are permitted through the first few blind levels any time your chip count falls below 2000. At the end of the re-buy period, you may purchase ONE add-on. This is a great format and participation has been excellent!
See you there!
A series of 12 tournaments!
The 12 season tournaments let's participants earn points each week based on their performance to determine the seasons TOP 10 point-getters PLUS 1 WILD CARD.
The weekly tournament is a 40/40/40 re-buy/add-on tournament.
40 Buy-in - 3000 chips
40 Re-buy - 2000 chips
40 Add-on - 5000 chips
Rebuys are permitted through the first few blind levels any time your chip count falls below 2000. At the end of the re-buy period, you may purchase ONE add-on. This is a great format and participation has been excellent!
See you there!
Friday, March 16, 2007
Wild hands at MMC....
I went down to play in the $40 tournament at MMC last night and arrived early and played for a little while in the cash game.... There were 2 big hands in the cash game.....
The first one I was only watching.... but it was pretty wild. UTG raised the $1/$3 blinds to $30 and got 2 callers.... the guy to his immediate left and the button. The raiser and the guy to his immediate left were apparently pretty good friends as they bantered for several minutes before the guy actually called... talking about who's pocket pair was larger. Nice! At any rate, there's now a $94 pot and the flop comes 8, 8, 8. The original raiser made some comment about his pair and said I'll probably get called by some donkey playing A, 8 off-suit and moves all in for about $140 and his buddy deliberated for several minutes and then mucked. The button turned over Ah, 8h. LOL.
I played my button with the 2c, 6c to a $9 raise with 4 callers. The flop Qh, 3c, 4s and the big blind leads out with a $20 bet and there's 2 callers and I call. The turn is the 5h and the big blind leads out with a $30 bet and there are 2 callers and I raised an additional $59 and both guys call. The river is a blank and they both check to me and I bet $75 and get 1 caller and scoop it with the straight.
I was knocked out of the $40 tournament when I flopped broadway with Kd, Jh, but there were 2 diamonds on the board so I had no intention of slow playing. The lady to my left and the button were still in and they both had me covered. The blinds were $300/$600 so I made a pot-sized bet of $1900 and both called. Now I wish I had bet more to get the button to go away. I expected the lady to fold, but she ended up giving the button pot-odds with 2 crappy diamonds. At any rate, it was 180 degrees in there last night with no breeze except for the occasional fart which did little to relieve the heat and put this daunting green tint on everything, so I pre-turn committed to push after the turn regardless of the card. It's a diamond of course... so I push all-in for another $7000. The lady finally folds, but the button calls me for about half his stack with a 5-high flush. I figured he had a crappy flush and since I had the Kd in my hand, I thought that a big bet would make him go away. No such luck. And of course, unlike all the talented players who hit the four-card-board-flush against me, the river is a brick..... so I am east-bound and down and in search of some serious air conditioning.
Back to the felt!
The first one I was only watching.... but it was pretty wild. UTG raised the $1/$3 blinds to $30 and got 2 callers.... the guy to his immediate left and the button. The raiser and the guy to his immediate left were apparently pretty good friends as they bantered for several minutes before the guy actually called... talking about who's pocket pair was larger. Nice! At any rate, there's now a $94 pot and the flop comes 8, 8, 8. The original raiser made some comment about his pair and said I'll probably get called by some donkey playing A, 8 off-suit and moves all in for about $140 and his buddy deliberated for several minutes and then mucked. The button turned over Ah, 8h. LOL.
I played my button with the 2c, 6c to a $9 raise with 4 callers. The flop Qh, 3c, 4s and the big blind leads out with a $20 bet and there's 2 callers and I call. The turn is the 5h and the big blind leads out with a $30 bet and there are 2 callers and I raised an additional $59 and both guys call. The river is a blank and they both check to me and I bet $75 and get 1 caller and scoop it with the straight.
I was knocked out of the $40 tournament when I flopped broadway with Kd, Jh, but there were 2 diamonds on the board so I had no intention of slow playing. The lady to my left and the button were still in and they both had me covered. The blinds were $300/$600 so I made a pot-sized bet of $1900 and both called. Now I wish I had bet more to get the button to go away. I expected the lady to fold, but she ended up giving the button pot-odds with 2 crappy diamonds. At any rate, it was 180 degrees in there last night with no breeze except for the occasional fart which did little to relieve the heat and put this daunting green tint on everything, so I pre-turn committed to push after the turn regardless of the card. It's a diamond of course... so I push all-in for another $7000. The lady finally folds, but the button calls me for about half his stack with a 5-high flush. I figured he had a crappy flush and since I had the Kd in my hand, I thought that a big bet would make him go away. No such luck. And of course, unlike all the talented players who hit the four-card-board-flush against me, the river is a brick..... so I am east-bound and down and in search of some serious air conditioning.
Back to the felt!
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Bills to Legalize Poker & Casinos in Texas Introduced
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Bills to Legalize Poker & Casinos in Texas Introduced
by PokerPages.com Wed,
by PokerPages.com Wed,
Mar 14th, 2007 @ 12:00am
It appears Texas state coffers are running so dry, that not one, but 3 separate bills have been introduced relating to poker and casino gambling as a means of generating revenues for Texas.
Legislation to regulate poker in Texas was filed in the Texas House last Thursday March 8. Bill HB 3186 defines poker as a game of skill and proposes a set of guidelines for thousands of Texans who already play poker to follow. The bill was filed by Representative Jose Menendez (D) of San Antonio.
HB 3186 would allow up to four live or electronic poker tables at establishments meeting stringent requirements and task the Lottery Commission with deciding the number of tables allowed at racetracks.
"This legislation could raise over a billion dollars over the next biennium for state coffers while bringing the game out of legal limbo and into the light," said Mike Lavigne, treasurer of the Texas Poker Political Action Committee (PAC), a grassroots organization created to encourage legal, safe and accessible poker in Texas.
The legislation also specifically allows for charitable poker, which would be overseen again by the Lottery Commission. HB 3186 would mean bigger and more successful regular charitable tournaments benefiting a variety of important Texas causes.
"Charitable poker means more Texans win," said Lavigne. "Texas charities are losing out on millions of dollars due to the antiquated laws governing the game."
Here are highlights of HB 3186:
**4 live and/or electronic, raked tables allowed in each establishment that meets requirements
**Lottery Commission decides how many tables are allowed in each racetrack
**Charitable poker enabled
**Mandatory dealer training and licensing (inexpensive)
**Licensing for distributors of commercial poker equipment
**Money raised will be dedicated to necessary state services
**Criminal penalties for dishonest operators
**Raises over a billion dollars for state services
**4 live and/or electronic, raked tables allowed in each establishment that meets requirements
**Lottery Commission decides how many tables are allowed in each racetrack
**Charitable poker enabled
**Mandatory dealer training and licensing (inexpensive)
**Licensing for distributors of commercial poker equipment
**Money raised will be dedicated to necessary state services
**Criminal penalties for dishonest operators
**Raises over a billion dollars for state services
Despite recent federal attempts to eliminate online poker and online gambling, the popularity of poker keeps growing all around the world. As gaming-related television programming continues to spread in popularity, so do the many new tournaments that attract tourists and visitors. States like Oklahoma, California and Connecticut have long been reaping the benefits of the poker boom.
Last fall, Texas gubernatorial candidates Bell, Friedman and Strayhorn all agreed that Texans are active gamblers but leave the state to do so, which leaves state tax coffers dry.
"We are sucking conservatively 2 billion dollars a year out of our Texas classrooms. They are going to Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico and now Oklahoma," independent Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn said.
To stem the flow of Texas gambling dollars to other states, two high-profile senators, backed by major gambling interests, introduced a change to the state constitution (SJR 45) and a bill, separate from the poker bill, to make Texas casino gambling resorts legal (SB 1359) to the Texas house last week, the same week as the poker bill.
Senators John Carona, a Dallas Republican, and Sen. Rodney Ellis, a Houston Democrat say that a main selling point of the plan is a provision that would dedicate $1 billion per year to a fund to pay for eligible Texans to attend a community college or public university.
In addition to slowing the flow of gambling money leaving the state, they said "destination resort casinos" will attract tourism money for related activities, like high-end entertainment. 
The proposed constitutional amendment, if approved by Texas voters, would allow for 12 casino gambling sites: seven in urban areas, two along the Gulf coast and three on Indian reservations. It also would legalize video slot machines at horse and dog race tracks.
The bill proposes that a gaming commission appointed by state leaders would decide which cities casinos could be located in and which developers receive permits to operate them.
Economist Ray Perryman said the Ellis-Carona proposal would provide $1 billion per year for a trust fund to pay for college tuition covering about 240,000 students once the program is fully running. He estimated that it would also create up to 400,000 new jobs and generate $3 billion to $4.5 billion in state and local revenue.
"Texans are already voting with their feet and going out of state," Ellis said. "It's time for Texas to reap the economic benefits and use that revenue to help Texas students go to college."
A third and entirely separate bill was introduced to allow video slots at Texas race tracks and on Indian reservations. Bill HB 1405 was introduced by Rep. Ismael "Kino" Flores, a Palmview Democrat.
Ellis and Carona said they would be working closely with Flores, but said they would oppose a gambling measure that allows only video slot machines at tracks without establishing full resort casinos.
So Texans have a variety of poker and gambling bills in play on the table at this time: the casino gambling bill and constitutional amendment promoted by Ellis and Carona are SB 1359 and SJR 45 respectively. Flores' video slots bill is HB 1405. And Menendez's poker bill is HB 3186.
Do we detect a crack in the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) armor?
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
TPJ Featured on local Radio Show
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
TPJ Editor George Smart and poker player Christine Wilson will be appearing on WPTF, 680AM, The Bob Langford Show this Saturday night, March 17, at 9pm. Listen in and have a chance to win a 500-chip poker set!
Bob Langford
Christine, who goes by Chris to all her many Triangle poker buddies, started playing in 2003 when she first started watching the World Poker Tour on TV. From the couch she sprang to the felt, playing in the Durham Poker League and the Raleigh Poker League. When asked about how she learned the game so fast, she responded "mostly by watching."
Out at the WSOP, her journey to the top was "really exciting." Wilson racked in chips against multiple pros like Joe Hachem, Daniel Negreanu, and Allen Goehring. She had breakfast with 1983WSOP champ Tom McEvoy -- who she knows through her 7th grade math teacher and chess coach Richard Sanborn, Tom's college roommate at Ferris State.
How much did winning the $42,000 cost her? Just $55. Yep, that's it. By playing qualifiers on Party Poker, she won a $10,000 seat and all expenses to Las Vegas.
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
TPJ Editor George Smart and poker player Christine Wilson will be appearing on WPTF, 680AM, The Bob Langford Show this Saturday night, March 17, at 9pm. Listen in and have a chance to win a 500-chip poker set!Bob Langford
Christine Wilson
Christine, who goes by Chris to all her many Triangle poker buddies, started playing in 2003 when she first started watching the World Poker Tour on TV. From the couch she sprang to the felt, playing in the Durham Poker League and the Raleigh Poker League. When asked about how she learned the game so fast, she responded "mostly by watching."
Out at the WSOP, her journey to the top was "really exciting." Wilson racked in chips against multiple pros like Joe Hachem, Daniel Negreanu, and Allen Goehring. She had breakfast with 1983WSOP champ Tom McEvoy -- who she knows through her 7th grade math teacher and chess coach Richard Sanborn, Tom's college roommate at Ferris State.
How much did winning the $42,000 cost her? Just $55. Yep, that's it. By playing qualifiers on Party Poker, she won a $10,000 seat and all expenses to Las Vegas.
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Monday, March 12, 2007
The Return of Bubble Boy
I made my way out to Benson on Saturday to try my luck in the $500 buy-in tournament they hold every 2-3 months. As you may recall, during the last tournament they held a couple months back I ended up on the bubble (10th) after, as usual, getting all my chips in with the best hand. It’s nice to know that in this ever-changing world of ours, there are still a few things you can always count on: Death, Taxes, and the Benson Suckout (much like the PKR Suckout, but exponentially more painful).
As far as the tournament structure goes, I don’t remember the exact number, but I think there were 90+ entries. The $500 buy-in gets you $4,000 in chips, and you can rebuy ($300 for $3,000 in chips) right away, or anytime your stack falls below $4,000 during the first five levels (20 minutes each). After the rebuy period, all players then have the option of purchasing an additional $6,000 in chips for $400. Unless you have accumulated a very large stack, this is usually a good purchase. Levels move to 30 minutes after the rebuy period. They’re paying nine places - first place is around $30K and I think ninth is a bit more than $2K.
As is normally my strategy for tourneys like this, I played tight-aggressive poker for the first several hours or so. There’s usually no need to try any elaborate traps during the rebuy period. You might as well just bet and raise with your good hands, because there will normally be one or two donkeys who will go along for the ride. The blinds are insignificant by comparison, so it doesn’t make sense to do much stealing early on. There will be plenty of time for stealing once the blinds get up there, and once I’ve established a tight table image.
I picked up a few hands, got some action, and built my stack up to around $16K by the end of the rebuy period. After filling my clip with the $6K from the add-on, I was ready for the real battle to begin. I continued to build up my stack, and was in pretty good shape (well over the average) when the inevitable suckouts began. The first was against Chris B, when he pushes in with 8-8 from middle position. I’m in late position with K-K, call of course, and we see a flop of 8-6-6. Lovely... Not only do I lose a good portion of my stack, but one of the best players in the tourney gets new life after having one foot out the door.
I went back to work building my stack back up, but once I did, here comes suckout #2. Action folds around to the button who pushes in with a short stack. I’m in the big blind with A-9 and make the call. He turns over A-5, and makes a straight when the board shows 3-4-6-7. Beautiful…
I shook off the hit and started rebuilding again. I knocked a few players out along the way, each time going in with the best hand and having it actually hold up (so that’s what it feels like…). I did have a couple interesting hands along the way. After one of my tables broke, I ended up sitting to the left of “Crazy Mike,” the guy who knocked me out of the last tournament by sucking out with nine-high. A guy in middle position makes a standard raise, Mike calls from the small blind, and I call from the big blind with 6h-7h. The flop comes K-6-2, all spades, and it checks around. The turn brings a 3x, and again it checks around. At this point I’m almost certain I have the best hand, though in retrospect I probably should’ve made a feeler bet on the turn. The river brings another K, and Mike loudly announces a bet of $10K, almost twice the size of the pot. This has “bluff” written all over it. It’s close to half my stack to make the call, but I just about beat him in the pot. The other guy folds, I turn up my 6, and Mike announces “Ace-high, nice call.” Though it hardly made us even after that last suckout, he never made another bluff when I was in a pot with him.
After a while, we were down to 11 players (two tables – ours had 6 players), and I was in good shape with around $125K in chips (I think average was about $105K). Then came the crippler. Blinds at this point are $3,000/6,000, with a $500 ante. I’m on the button with K-Q and make a standard raise to $18K. The big blind moves all-in for another $50K or so on top. I’m getting not quite 2:1 on my money, but more importantly, I think this kid’s making a move. After thinking for a moment I trust my instincts and make the call, and he turns over 6d-4d. This kid just played 10 hours of poker, is almost in the money, and puts it all at risk with six-high. After one diamond comes on the flop, I figure I go from a 2:1 favorite to a 6:1 dog. When the turn brought another diamond, I’m all but drawing dead. And, of course, the third one on the river is the nail in the coffin. Nice hand, kid. How proud you must be…
So now I’m officially one of the short stacks. A few hands later, a lady in late position makes a standard raise. This was an interesting woman - she raised every ace and any two face cards she got. She had got very lucky a few times earlier, and had amassed a fairly big stack. It was almost as if someone coached her to raise with any good blackjack hand (anything adding up to 20 or 21). It folds to me in the big blind, and I look down at Ac-Jc. I figure it’s about 80% I’m ahead right now, so I re-raise all-in. She calls, I turn my cards up, and she seems genuinely surprised as she says “Wow, your hand is way better than mine.” She turns up K-10os. Again I’m close to a 2:1 favorite, but I told her she would win for two reasons: 1) She’s in against me, and 2) She has the worst hand. Sure enough, a 10 comes on the turn, and I’m out the door in 11th place. To this day, despite ever-growing and overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Charles still swears I’m a lucky player…
Much like the last Benson tournament, it would have been easy to go into the deep-freeze once I had $125K and just coast into the money, but that’s not my goal. My goal is to win, and in order to do that, you have to end up with every chip on the table. Of course it’s disappointing to again play all day and leave with nothing, but there are very few hands in the tournament that I’d go back and play differently. Poker, like life, is almost unfair by nature. Of the four all-in suckouts described above, three of my opponents made the final table (including Chris B, who is truly descended from leprechauns – the suckout against me was just the first of several…).
I left feeling like a baseball player who went 0-5 at the plate after hitting five screeching line-drives right at someone, only to watch a player on the other team go 3-4 with two infield hits and a broken-bat blooper over first base. Frank R. and I were talking before the tournament, and I said “I don’t know where I’ll finish, but I can promise you I’ll have the best hand when the chips get in.” This was the case every time but once, when early on I raise in late position with A-Q, and a short-stack pushes in for not much more with A-K, and his hand holds up. Though I made no money, I again left with additional experience, and the added confidence of knowing I outplayed most of the remaining players. At the end of the day, that’s all you can do – the rest is up to luck, fate, and vengeful poker gods… :-)
See ya at the tables…
Rick
As far as the tournament structure goes, I don’t remember the exact number, but I think there were 90+ entries. The $500 buy-in gets you $4,000 in chips, and you can rebuy ($300 for $3,000 in chips) right away, or anytime your stack falls below $4,000 during the first five levels (20 minutes each). After the rebuy period, all players then have the option of purchasing an additional $6,000 in chips for $400. Unless you have accumulated a very large stack, this is usually a good purchase. Levels move to 30 minutes after the rebuy period. They’re paying nine places - first place is around $30K and I think ninth is a bit more than $2K.
As is normally my strategy for tourneys like this, I played tight-aggressive poker for the first several hours or so. There’s usually no need to try any elaborate traps during the rebuy period. You might as well just bet and raise with your good hands, because there will normally be one or two donkeys who will go along for the ride. The blinds are insignificant by comparison, so it doesn’t make sense to do much stealing early on. There will be plenty of time for stealing once the blinds get up there, and once I’ve established a tight table image.
I picked up a few hands, got some action, and built my stack up to around $16K by the end of the rebuy period. After filling my clip with the $6K from the add-on, I was ready for the real battle to begin. I continued to build up my stack, and was in pretty good shape (well over the average) when the inevitable suckouts began. The first was against Chris B, when he pushes in with 8-8 from middle position. I’m in late position with K-K, call of course, and we see a flop of 8-6-6. Lovely... Not only do I lose a good portion of my stack, but one of the best players in the tourney gets new life after having one foot out the door.
I went back to work building my stack back up, but once I did, here comes suckout #2. Action folds around to the button who pushes in with a short stack. I’m in the big blind with A-9 and make the call. He turns over A-5, and makes a straight when the board shows 3-4-6-7. Beautiful…
I shook off the hit and started rebuilding again. I knocked a few players out along the way, each time going in with the best hand and having it actually hold up (so that’s what it feels like…). I did have a couple interesting hands along the way. After one of my tables broke, I ended up sitting to the left of “Crazy Mike,” the guy who knocked me out of the last tournament by sucking out with nine-high. A guy in middle position makes a standard raise, Mike calls from the small blind, and I call from the big blind with 6h-7h. The flop comes K-6-2, all spades, and it checks around. The turn brings a 3x, and again it checks around. At this point I’m almost certain I have the best hand, though in retrospect I probably should’ve made a feeler bet on the turn. The river brings another K, and Mike loudly announces a bet of $10K, almost twice the size of the pot. This has “bluff” written all over it. It’s close to half my stack to make the call, but I just about beat him in the pot. The other guy folds, I turn up my 6, and Mike announces “Ace-high, nice call.” Though it hardly made us even after that last suckout, he never made another bluff when I was in a pot with him.
After a while, we were down to 11 players (two tables – ours had 6 players), and I was in good shape with around $125K in chips (I think average was about $105K). Then came the crippler. Blinds at this point are $3,000/6,000, with a $500 ante. I’m on the button with K-Q and make a standard raise to $18K. The big blind moves all-in for another $50K or so on top. I’m getting not quite 2:1 on my money, but more importantly, I think this kid’s making a move. After thinking for a moment I trust my instincts and make the call, and he turns over 6d-4d. This kid just played 10 hours of poker, is almost in the money, and puts it all at risk with six-high. After one diamond comes on the flop, I figure I go from a 2:1 favorite to a 6:1 dog. When the turn brought another diamond, I’m all but drawing dead. And, of course, the third one on the river is the nail in the coffin. Nice hand, kid. How proud you must be…
So now I’m officially one of the short stacks. A few hands later, a lady in late position makes a standard raise. This was an interesting woman - she raised every ace and any two face cards she got. She had got very lucky a few times earlier, and had amassed a fairly big stack. It was almost as if someone coached her to raise with any good blackjack hand (anything adding up to 20 or 21). It folds to me in the big blind, and I look down at Ac-Jc. I figure it’s about 80% I’m ahead right now, so I re-raise all-in. She calls, I turn my cards up, and she seems genuinely surprised as she says “Wow, your hand is way better than mine.” She turns up K-10os. Again I’m close to a 2:1 favorite, but I told her she would win for two reasons: 1) She’s in against me, and 2) She has the worst hand. Sure enough, a 10 comes on the turn, and I’m out the door in 11th place. To this day, despite ever-growing and overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Charles still swears I’m a lucky player…
Much like the last Benson tournament, it would have been easy to go into the deep-freeze once I had $125K and just coast into the money, but that’s not my goal. My goal is to win, and in order to do that, you have to end up with every chip on the table. Of course it’s disappointing to again play all day and leave with nothing, but there are very few hands in the tournament that I’d go back and play differently. Poker, like life, is almost unfair by nature. Of the four all-in suckouts described above, three of my opponents made the final table (including Chris B, who is truly descended from leprechauns – the suckout against me was just the first of several…).
I left feeling like a baseball player who went 0-5 at the plate after hitting five screeching line-drives right at someone, only to watch a player on the other team go 3-4 with two infield hits and a broken-bat blooper over first base. Frank R. and I were talking before the tournament, and I said “I don’t know where I’ll finish, but I can promise you I’ll have the best hand when the chips get in.” This was the case every time but once, when early on I raise in late position with A-Q, and a short-stack pushes in for not much more with A-K, and his hand holds up. Though I made no money, I again left with additional experience, and the added confidence of knowing I outplayed most of the remaining players. At the end of the day, that’s all you can do – the rest is up to luck, fate, and vengeful poker gods… :-)
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Busted in 9th
I played very tight today.... trying to put myself in the best positions not to get sucked out on.... and as the saying goes.... "scared money is dead money!"
I don't know if I really played scared, I definitely played tight-aggressive, but I just didn't get any cards. I actually showed Joe Bob a huge lay down to Carl when I was in the big blind with 2 limpers and flopped trip fives with a 2 kicker. The flop was J, 5, 5 and I checked hoping someone would bet, nobody did. The turn put a club flush draw on the board and I checked again hoping that someone would bet, nobody did. The river was another club and Carl bets $2,000 into a $600 pot. It was a pretty simple fold for me although there was a chance that I was ahead. Carl showed a bluff.
The hand that finally did me in was against Joe Bob. He's the big blind and I limp with Kh, Jh and he raised another $2,000 (the blinds were $1,000/$2,000). I call and the flop is Kc, Jc, 7s. I lead out with a $4,500 bet and he smooth calls. The turn is another club so I push all in for another $5,000 and he calls. I turn over my two pair and he turns over pocket Queens with a Qc and of course the river is a fourth club giving him the winner with a four club board and the Qc in his hand.
Well, there you go..... I would have been sitting pretty with about $20,000 in chips and lose to Joe Bob with four clubs on the board! Nice!
Back to the felt!
I don't know if I really played scared, I definitely played tight-aggressive, but I just didn't get any cards. I actually showed Joe Bob a huge lay down to Carl when I was in the big blind with 2 limpers and flopped trip fives with a 2 kicker. The flop was J, 5, 5 and I checked hoping someone would bet, nobody did. The turn put a club flush draw on the board and I checked again hoping that someone would bet, nobody did. The river was another club and Carl bets $2,000 into a $600 pot. It was a pretty simple fold for me although there was a chance that I was ahead. Carl showed a bluff.
The hand that finally did me in was against Joe Bob. He's the big blind and I limp with Kh, Jh and he raised another $2,000 (the blinds were $1,000/$2,000). I call and the flop is Kc, Jc, 7s. I lead out with a $4,500 bet and he smooth calls. The turn is another club so I push all in for another $5,000 and he calls. I turn over my two pair and he turns over pocket Queens with a Qc and of course the river is a fourth club giving him the winner with a four club board and the Qc in his hand.
Well, there you go..... I would have been sitting pretty with about $20,000 in chips and lose to Joe Bob with four clubs on the board! Nice!
Back to the felt!
Friday, March 09, 2007
WSOP Circuit Event at Caesars
So this is my first post on this blog...figured now was as good a time as any. I just returned from the WSOP Circuit up in Atlantic City.
I had been running really well the weeks leading up to the trip winning a bunch of SNGs and 2 table tourneys in our home game and also taking 1st in the Thursday night $40 MTT at MMC the week before.
On to AC...I played in a total of 4 tournaments (2 small non-WSOP events) and cashed in 3 of them. My biggest finish for the week (not financially - but accomplishment wise) was finishing 65th in Event 1 of the World Series of Poker Circuit at Caesars.
http://cardplayer.com/players/results/Derek_Tenbusch/53695
Here is a little blurb about that event from The Poker Forum:
Atlantic City, NJ (March 6, 2007) Winning a poker tournament is never easy. The task is even more challenging when there are over a thousand competitors, all with the same desire to win. Then, there are the emotional challenges such as losing big pots, taking bad beats, and otherwise trying to remain focused no matter which cards are dealt out and what flops come.
A whopping 1,106 players entered the $300 buy-in no-limit hold em tournament officially listed as Event #1. The thousand-plus field ranked as the second-largest tournament in the three-year history of the WSOP Circuit. Only the recent Circuit event held at the Grand Tunica Casino-Resort in Mississippi in January 2007 attracted more entries (with 1,345).
As you can see, it was a huge field so I was pretty stoked to play as well as I did and finish in 65th. I dont have any bad beat stories or dramatic ways that I went bust. I simply got in to some pots toward the end that I ended up having to fold, and then got short stacked to where I had to push all in with my next good hand. I pushed and got called by a btter hand and did not improve. The end.
My only memorable hands were pretty straight forward. I had AA 4 times early and merely stole the blinds with two of them. One other time I raised 3x the big blind and got a caller. Flop came A10x and I checked. He bet out and I smooth called. The flop brought another 10 and I was praying that he had A10 or at least a 10. I checked again he bet the minimum and when I raised, he folded. Perhaps I could have made a little more on this hand by just smooth calling again. I cant imagine he put me on AA here which makes me think he probably had a small A so when I reraised he figured me for a 10.
I also pushed all in with JJ when the blinds were 500/1000 and I had about 8,000 chips left. Got called by AQ and my jacks actually held up...maybe for the first time ever? This was the hand that really propelled me into the money as I now had chips to make some moves with and accumulate more chips.
All in all a good time and a memorable few days in AC.
I had been running really well the weeks leading up to the trip winning a bunch of SNGs and 2 table tourneys in our home game and also taking 1st in the Thursday night $40 MTT at MMC the week before.
On to AC...I played in a total of 4 tournaments (2 small non-WSOP events) and cashed in 3 of them. My biggest finish for the week (not financially - but accomplishment wise) was finishing 65th in Event 1 of the World Series of Poker Circuit at Caesars.
http://cardplayer.com/players/results/Derek_Tenbusch/53695
Here is a little blurb about that event from The Poker Forum:
Atlantic City, NJ (March 6, 2007) Winning a poker tournament is never easy. The task is even more challenging when there are over a thousand competitors, all with the same desire to win. Then, there are the emotional challenges such as losing big pots, taking bad beats, and otherwise trying to remain focused no matter which cards are dealt out and what flops come.
A whopping 1,106 players entered the $300 buy-in no-limit hold em tournament officially listed as Event #1. The thousand-plus field ranked as the second-largest tournament in the three-year history of the WSOP Circuit. Only the recent Circuit event held at the Grand Tunica Casino-Resort in Mississippi in January 2007 attracted more entries (with 1,345).
As you can see, it was a huge field so I was pretty stoked to play as well as I did and finish in 65th. I dont have any bad beat stories or dramatic ways that I went bust. I simply got in to some pots toward the end that I ended up having to fold, and then got short stacked to where I had to push all in with my next good hand. I pushed and got called by a btter hand and did not improve. The end.
My only memorable hands were pretty straight forward. I had AA 4 times early and merely stole the blinds with two of them. One other time I raised 3x the big blind and got a caller. Flop came A10x and I checked. He bet out and I smooth called. The flop brought another 10 and I was praying that he had A10 or at least a 10. I checked again he bet the minimum and when I raised, he folded. Perhaps I could have made a little more on this hand by just smooth calling again. I cant imagine he put me on AA here which makes me think he probably had a small A so when I reraised he figured me for a 10.
I also pushed all in with JJ when the blinds were 500/1000 and I had about 8,000 chips left. Got called by AQ and my jacks actually held up...maybe for the first time ever? This was the hand that really propelled me into the money as I now had chips to make some moves with and accumulate more chips.
All in all a good time and a memorable few days in AC.
One other hand from Tuesday....
There was one other hand from Tuesday night which was of interest but I haven't posted it as of yet because I couldn't remember the board exactly and I'm still not 100% certain, but here is the way that I think it went......
I've got A, 2, 4, 7 and the flop is 5, 6, 10.... there was the normal $10-$20 pre-flop admission and I really like my cards. And 5, 6, almost anything is very good for my hand. There's a $75 bet and 2 or 3 callers including Bill T. The turn is a King and another bet of about $125 and Bill T pushes all-in for $380. I don't like putting all my chips in on a draw, but if the right card hits, I could get 100% of the pot and practically any low card and I'll get half the pot. And the pot odds seemed to add-up as well.... But as is the case or at least it has been for the past couple of weeks, J-Rod throws another King and Bill ends up scooping with Quad Kings.... Nice!
I've got A, 2, 4, 7 and the flop is 5, 6, 10.... there was the normal $10-$20 pre-flop admission and I really like my cards. And 5, 6, almost anything is very good for my hand. There's a $75 bet and 2 or 3 callers including Bill T. The turn is a King and another bet of about $125 and Bill T pushes all-in for $380. I don't like putting all my chips in on a draw, but if the right card hits, I could get 100% of the pot and practically any low card and I'll get half the pot. And the pot odds seemed to add-up as well.... But as is the case or at least it has been for the past couple of weeks, J-Rod throws another King and Bill ends up scooping with Quad Kings.... Nice!
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Monster Hands Flopped!
Another night with the Juice when I flop several MONSTER hands and either don't win anything or don't win much.... A couple that come to mind.....
Omaha 8 - in my hand, A, J, 10, 9 and the flop K, Q, 10! Jimmy is to my right and he leads out with a bet of $50 into a $100ish pot. I call and John M calls and Frank calls. The turn is a brick and I figure that this is enough.... Frank bets $75 and I raise to $225 and John M calls and Frank calls (which put him all-in) and Jimmy pushes all-in for another $50 or so. I push all-in, John M calls. The river is a Queen.... John M and I both have the nut straight. Jimmy pushed all in with top set, Kings and Frank was all-in with top two pair, K, Q. So Jimmy scoops a very nice pot with Kings full of Queens. Frank is trying to make something of his Queens full of Kings and John and I are trying to figure out what the hell happened to our flopped nut hand.... LOL.
The next big hand for me actually came against John.... the only thing that I didn't like about it was that I was in early position. I've got A, A, 3, 4 and the flop was A, 2, 5! Not bad at all.... this is a crazy table and perhaps checking this hand here from early position would have been a better play, but I just made a baby bet of about $20 just to start building the pot and hoping that someone gets a little excited about their possibilities..... at any rate, John calls and there are a couple of other callers, but no real action. The turn puts two cards to the spade flush on the board and I make a bet of $75 and John M calls and everyone else folds. The river puts the flush on the board and I just check knowing that John has hit his flush and my monster has turned into a miserable chopped pot.
That was pretty much the night for me as it has been for the past couple of weeks..... my draws don't get there and when they do, I don't get paid. Others are going all-in with nothing but draws against very strong hands at the time and hitting their draws. Not a good combination for winning poker......
Oh well.... back to the felt!
Omaha 8 - in my hand, A, J, 10, 9 and the flop K, Q, 10! Jimmy is to my right and he leads out with a bet of $50 into a $100ish pot. I call and John M calls and Frank calls. The turn is a brick and I figure that this is enough.... Frank bets $75 and I raise to $225 and John M calls and Frank calls (which put him all-in) and Jimmy pushes all-in for another $50 or so. I push all-in, John M calls. The river is a Queen.... John M and I both have the nut straight. Jimmy pushed all in with top set, Kings and Frank was all-in with top two pair, K, Q. So Jimmy scoops a very nice pot with Kings full of Queens. Frank is trying to make something of his Queens full of Kings and John and I are trying to figure out what the hell happened to our flopped nut hand.... LOL.
The next big hand for me actually came against John.... the only thing that I didn't like about it was that I was in early position. I've got A, A, 3, 4 and the flop was A, 2, 5! Not bad at all.... this is a crazy table and perhaps checking this hand here from early position would have been a better play, but I just made a baby bet of about $20 just to start building the pot and hoping that someone gets a little excited about their possibilities..... at any rate, John calls and there are a couple of other callers, but no real action. The turn puts two cards to the spade flush on the board and I make a bet of $75 and John M calls and everyone else folds. The river puts the flush on the board and I just check knowing that John has hit his flush and my monster has turned into a miserable chopped pot.
That was pretty much the night for me as it has been for the past couple of weeks..... my draws don't get there and when they do, I don't get paid. Others are going all-in with nothing but draws against very strong hands at the time and hitting their draws. Not a good combination for winning poker......
Oh well.... back to the felt!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Monday, March 05, 2007
The Week That Was
Well, it was another good week overall. Tuesday at Dave’s was all about the outdraws. Eli seemed to be my nemesis, hitting several river cards in Omaha to take large pots away from me. I had the nut straight or flush on the turn each time and got all the chips in, and he kept boating up his two-pair! I did hit a sweet little monkey-card on the river for quads against Charles (which he blogged already). At least I ended up winning money, but it obviously wasn’t the night that could have been. Omaha is a funny game (funny strange, not funny ha-ha)…
Thursday at Dave’s was an interesting night. We played short-handed (6-7) most of the night, and I found it to be quiet and relaxing - kind of a nice break from the usual craziness of a full table over there. Of course, Dave was still there, so it was far from boring! I had most of my hands hold up, and cashed out for a nice four-figure sum.
Friday $2/5 Omaha at PKR was a nice night indeed. We had two full tables most of the night, and the game didn’t break until about 5:30am. Two hands stick out. In the first, I’m dealt A-A-K-J, with one suited ace. I’m big blind, UTG makes a min-raise, and pretty much everyone calls. Though I almost never raise pre-flop in Omaha, I will sometimes re-raise if I have a great hand and think I can either take the pot down right, or isolate one or two players. I go ahead and raise the pot ($90 or so).
Often in a case like this, the rest of the table will follow the action of the next player to act. Since Tom (a fairly tight player) is to my left, I figure there’s a good chance of him folding, therefore making it easier for everyone else to fold. I think he does fold, but Frank calls, and then someone (though I forget who) re-raises all-in for not a lot more. The action moves to Eli, a true action junkie who will not fold any hand when the pot is big. Sure enough, he calls, and the action is back to me. Though I obviously have the best hand now, I already have more action than I want. Though I’m the big stack at the table, Frank has a pretty big stack of his own. He has $90 or so invested already, but I’m hoping an all-in raise can get him to lay down his hand. I push in, but he calls, Eli calls, and all of us are all-in pre-flop.
Bring on the pain...
The flop is flat-out magic for me; A-Q-10 rainbow! I flop the nut straight, and have a set of aces as backup! Now I just need some runner-runner crap not to happen. Well, we’ve all seen this movie before. A 9c comes on the turn, putting two clubs out there, and something like the 6c comes on the river. I quickly glance at the other hands, and see no clubs – until I get to Frank’s hand, where I see two of the little bastards (3-5, I think) peeking up at me. I can’t be sure, but I’d swear they were smirking. At any rate, Frank scoops a monster pot. Note that if I just call the pre-flop re-raise and move in on the flop, Frank folds and I win the entire pot. C’est la vie…
The next hand was not near as dramatic, but at least it was a hand I won! I’m in late position with A-2-8-9. There was a $10 straddle, and we have eight players see the flop. The flop comes 5-6-7 rainbow. Woo hoo, double-nuts! I think it was Matt M who leads out with a pot-sized bet, and there are three callers before it gets to me. There’s $400 sitting out there, and I haven’t even acted yet! What a decision – slow-play or not? I’d just about give my left nut to know what the turn card is going to be. If I knew a brick like a face card is coming, I’d just call of course. The action has been relatively fast and loose though, and there’s no reason to believe a raise won’t get a couple callers. Besides, it doesn’t take much imagination to envision a runner-runner scenario where I don’t even get part of the pot!
After thinking for a moment, I decide that I want action, but only if they pay for it. I raise another $270, a bit more than half the pot. Action is to Matt, who clearly agonizes for a while before folding. As mentioned in the hand above, the action of the rest of the table is greatly influenced by the first person to act after the raiser. After Matt folds, it gets a little easier for the next player to fold, and so forth. Everyone ends up folding, and I scoop a nice little pot. Could I have scooped a truly monster pot if I had played it differently? Absolutely. Could I have lost a good portion of my stack (like in the hand above)? Absolutely. Though there’s always that feeling of “what could have been,” scooping a pot is never bad.
I had several other nice hands throughout the night, but none I would consider “blogworthy.” I was able to cash out for well over $4K, easing the pain (but only slightly!) of Frank’s outdraw. Am I a greedy bastard? Yes… Yes I am.
The Saturday Hold ‘em tournament at PKR was relatively uneventful. To be honest, Hold ‘em bores me to tears these days. After playing mostly Omaha on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, playing Hold ‘em (especially in a tournament) is like watching flies fuck. Playing good Hold ‘em means folding a very large percentage of your hands, especially at these goofy 11-handed tables we play at during (and for a while after) the rebuy period. If you somehow catch cards, tiptoe through the minefield of suckouts and get lucky enough to win, you might go home with a profit of $800 or so (assuming the top two or three don’t chop). That’s tough to get excited about when there are many pots larger than that in the Omaha cash games. Still, I usually play Saturdays in a feeble attempt to keep my Hold ‘em game from getting too stale, plus it’s an interesting bunch of guys.
I didn’t catch many hands, though I did get lucky early on when I got most of my chips in on the turn with top two-pair (K-10) against Crab’s set of sevens, only to catch a king on the river. Yep, that’s PKR for you. Anywhere else I’m a big dog – there I’m about a 2:1 favorite on the turn! At any rate, I was one of the short stacks pretty much all day, but somehow nursed it along until we got down to three players (with Joe-Bob and Carl). I had around $45K in chips at that point, and each of them probably had close to twice that. Carl was getting tired and wanted to go, and proposed an equal three-way chop. Since it was for Carl, JB agreed. Though I don’t mind playing it out, I’m happy with a chop in that situation, given that I’m the short stack. We each ended up with something like $560, and called it a night. Now let’s see what this week brings!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Thursday at Dave’s was an interesting night. We played short-handed (6-7) most of the night, and I found it to be quiet and relaxing - kind of a nice break from the usual craziness of a full table over there. Of course, Dave was still there, so it was far from boring! I had most of my hands hold up, and cashed out for a nice four-figure sum.
Friday $2/5 Omaha at PKR was a nice night indeed. We had two full tables most of the night, and the game didn’t break until about 5:30am. Two hands stick out. In the first, I’m dealt A-A-K-J, with one suited ace. I’m big blind, UTG makes a min-raise, and pretty much everyone calls. Though I almost never raise pre-flop in Omaha, I will sometimes re-raise if I have a great hand and think I can either take the pot down right, or isolate one or two players. I go ahead and raise the pot ($90 or so).
Often in a case like this, the rest of the table will follow the action of the next player to act. Since Tom (a fairly tight player) is to my left, I figure there’s a good chance of him folding, therefore making it easier for everyone else to fold. I think he does fold, but Frank calls, and then someone (though I forget who) re-raises all-in for not a lot more. The action moves to Eli, a true action junkie who will not fold any hand when the pot is big. Sure enough, he calls, and the action is back to me. Though I obviously have the best hand now, I already have more action than I want. Though I’m the big stack at the table, Frank has a pretty big stack of his own. He has $90 or so invested already, but I’m hoping an all-in raise can get him to lay down his hand. I push in, but he calls, Eli calls, and all of us are all-in pre-flop.
Bring on the pain...
The flop is flat-out magic for me; A-Q-10 rainbow! I flop the nut straight, and have a set of aces as backup! Now I just need some runner-runner crap not to happen. Well, we’ve all seen this movie before. A 9c comes on the turn, putting two clubs out there, and something like the 6c comes on the river. I quickly glance at the other hands, and see no clubs – until I get to Frank’s hand, where I see two of the little bastards (3-5, I think) peeking up at me. I can’t be sure, but I’d swear they were smirking. At any rate, Frank scoops a monster pot. Note that if I just call the pre-flop re-raise and move in on the flop, Frank folds and I win the entire pot. C’est la vie…
The next hand was not near as dramatic, but at least it was a hand I won! I’m in late position with A-2-8-9. There was a $10 straddle, and we have eight players see the flop. The flop comes 5-6-7 rainbow. Woo hoo, double-nuts! I think it was Matt M who leads out with a pot-sized bet, and there are three callers before it gets to me. There’s $400 sitting out there, and I haven’t even acted yet! What a decision – slow-play or not? I’d just about give my left nut to know what the turn card is going to be. If I knew a brick like a face card is coming, I’d just call of course. The action has been relatively fast and loose though, and there’s no reason to believe a raise won’t get a couple callers. Besides, it doesn’t take much imagination to envision a runner-runner scenario where I don’t even get part of the pot!
After thinking for a moment, I decide that I want action, but only if they pay for it. I raise another $270, a bit more than half the pot. Action is to Matt, who clearly agonizes for a while before folding. As mentioned in the hand above, the action of the rest of the table is greatly influenced by the first person to act after the raiser. After Matt folds, it gets a little easier for the next player to fold, and so forth. Everyone ends up folding, and I scoop a nice little pot. Could I have scooped a truly monster pot if I had played it differently? Absolutely. Could I have lost a good portion of my stack (like in the hand above)? Absolutely. Though there’s always that feeling of “what could have been,” scooping a pot is never bad.
I had several other nice hands throughout the night, but none I would consider “blogworthy.” I was able to cash out for well over $4K, easing the pain (but only slightly!) of Frank’s outdraw. Am I a greedy bastard? Yes… Yes I am.
The Saturday Hold ‘em tournament at PKR was relatively uneventful. To be honest, Hold ‘em bores me to tears these days. After playing mostly Omaha on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, playing Hold ‘em (especially in a tournament) is like watching flies fuck. Playing good Hold ‘em means folding a very large percentage of your hands, especially at these goofy 11-handed tables we play at during (and for a while after) the rebuy period. If you somehow catch cards, tiptoe through the minefield of suckouts and get lucky enough to win, you might go home with a profit of $800 or so (assuming the top two or three don’t chop). That’s tough to get excited about when there are many pots larger than that in the Omaha cash games. Still, I usually play Saturdays in a feeble attempt to keep my Hold ‘em game from getting too stale, plus it’s an interesting bunch of guys.
I didn’t catch many hands, though I did get lucky early on when I got most of my chips in on the turn with top two-pair (K-10) against Crab’s set of sevens, only to catch a king on the river. Yep, that’s PKR for you. Anywhere else I’m a big dog – there I’m about a 2:1 favorite on the turn! At any rate, I was one of the short stacks pretty much all day, but somehow nursed it along until we got down to three players (with Joe-Bob and Carl). I had around $45K in chips at that point, and each of them probably had close to twice that. Carl was getting tired and wanted to go, and proposed an equal three-way chop. Since it was for Carl, JB agreed. Though I don’t mind playing it out, I’m happy with a chop in that situation, given that I’m the short stack. We each ended up with something like $560, and called it a night. Now let’s see what this week brings!
See ya at the tables…
Rick
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Saturday, March 03, 2007
PKR Friday Omaha PL
What a night! Over and over.... 2nd nut, 3rd nut, draws not getting there and pushes not holding up. There was an excellent crowd there.... 2 full tables till very late!
In one of the most amazing stretches, we're playing O8 six handed and I'm the big blind with J, J, 2, 3. The flop is J, 10, 10.... I'm out of position but I want to make some money on this hand so I just check. Rick checks and Tom bets the pot, $30. I think for a moment and decide against pushing hoping that Rick will call and wanting to give someone a chance to catch something.... I should have known better. I just call and Rick calls. I can't remember the exact sequence, but the cards were 9x (which I believe was the turn) and Ax. The turn checks completely around and I lead out with a $125 bet on the river. Rick re-pops it and against anyone else I probably re-pop, but I just call and he turns over AA and scoops the pot.....
The next hand happens just a few minutes later when I awake to A, A, 2, 3 with one suit. I raise the big blind to $20 and everyone calls. The flop is something like 2x, 6x, Jx and the small blind checks to me and I bet $100ish. The turn is the 8x and putting two clubs on the board for the small blind who bets the pot and I re-pot. Everyone folds to the small blind who calls and turns over the nut low (me 2) and he has an 8 and the club flush draw. He immediately says that he has the nut low with the flush draw.... and in my standard mode of operation last night... fully expect his flush to get there and for me to get quartered say..... "good luck with that"..... and amazing as it may seem..... no flush hits and quarter him with my nut low and pocket aces. I'm sure if it was Rick, it would have hit the flush. LOL.
At any rate, it was a pretty painful night for me..... but fun! We actually played most of the night and Joe and Mike D showed up around 4:00AM with bags of McDonald's food.... which was awesome! Thanks again guys!
I know... I can't believe I'm about to say it.... Back to the felt!
In one of the most amazing stretches, we're playing O8 six handed and I'm the big blind with J, J, 2, 3. The flop is J, 10, 10.... I'm out of position but I want to make some money on this hand so I just check. Rick checks and Tom bets the pot, $30. I think for a moment and decide against pushing hoping that Rick will call and wanting to give someone a chance to catch something.... I should have known better. I just call and Rick calls. I can't remember the exact sequence, but the cards were 9x (which I believe was the turn) and Ax. The turn checks completely around and I lead out with a $125 bet on the river. Rick re-pops it and against anyone else I probably re-pop, but I just call and he turns over AA and scoops the pot.....
The next hand happens just a few minutes later when I awake to A, A, 2, 3 with one suit. I raise the big blind to $20 and everyone calls. The flop is something like 2x, 6x, Jx and the small blind checks to me and I bet $100ish. The turn is the 8x and putting two clubs on the board for the small blind who bets the pot and I re-pot. Everyone folds to the small blind who calls and turns over the nut low (me 2) and he has an 8 and the club flush draw. He immediately says that he has the nut low with the flush draw.... and in my standard mode of operation last night... fully expect his flush to get there and for me to get quartered say..... "good luck with that"..... and amazing as it may seem..... no flush hits and quarter him with my nut low and pocket aces. I'm sure if it was Rick, it would have hit the flush. LOL.
At any rate, it was a pretty painful night for me..... but fun! We actually played most of the night and Joe and Mike D showed up around 4:00AM with bags of McDonald's food.... which was awesome! Thanks again guys!
I know... I can't believe I'm about to say it.... Back to the felt!
Friday, March 02, 2007
Big Hands this Week!
I have experienced some MONSTER hands this week. A few made money, and some lost...
Probably the hand of the week was against Rick in O8, its been a few days since this one hit so I'll do my best to remember it, but basically there was a low flop that produced a wheel opportunity on the flop. I had A, A, 3, 6 and the flop was something like A, 3, 5... Rick led out with a bet and there were several callers and I called. The turn, to be honest, I don't remember but it seems as if it was a high card which brought in a flush possibility. The river was my Waterloo.... the board paired 5s and I got very excited. The way Rick was betting I figured that he had a wheel or at least the 2nd nut low. So when he bet $100 and I believe that Bill T called, I raised to $300. After a few moments of deliberation, Rick went all-in and just at that moment, I pretty much knew. I couldn't be 100% certain because he could have been pushing with the wheel. I believe that I had him covered by only a $100 or so and I said as I called, "boy, I hope you don't have the cooler, but if you do, you're getting paid." Everyone else folded and here I sit with no low and the 2nd nut hand, Aces full of fives. Rick said, "I got it." And proceeded to turn over the pocket 5s with no low or not much of one either, which really had no bearing on the hand since I didn't have one either. Quad fives... get the monkey! His betting pattern had me convinced that he had a really good low if not the wheel and it never even crossed my mind that he was betting a set, but he played it perfectly and I just couldn't lay down the big full house.
The other hands were last night short-handed with Rick, the Juice, Dean and John S..... one very nice hand against John where I bet a decent low with the nut flush draw on the turn and it hit on the river giving me the nut flush and the 3rd nut low. There was probably $250 in the pot and John bet when the flush hit assuming that I had no flush and probably some sort of set, two pair, and maybe even some kind of straight draw. He led out with $125 and I pushed all-in for another $215 and he called and I scooped it.
In another nice hand, I had 9, 9, A, 2, and the flop was 3, 5, 9.... Sweet! The Juice led out with a $100 bet into about a $150 pot. I called and Rick called. The turn was one of the prettiest things that I've ever seen (playing cards of course)..... the case 9. Juice led out with about $150 and I pushed all-in for another $55 or so.... In retrospect, I should have just smooth called. My re-raise, even as small as it was, tipped to Rick to the strength of my hand and he folded a decent low draw and the nut flush draw. Juice called and the river was a meaningless Ks. I scooped.
Last night was short-handed, but it was a fun group! We got to see slow-roll after slow-roll as Dean carried out several perfectly played slow-rolls..... The Juice did get him back once when they both had sets, Dean had Jacks and the Juice had fives..... but the river gave the Juice a baby 5-high heart flush.... Dean showed his Jacks and the Juice said, "crap! I've got a set of fives, and then after a moment or two, showed the baby flush which let him scoop the pot..... Nice!
Well, all-in-all, a great week and I'll get back to the felt even if it is nasty......
Probably the hand of the week was against Rick in O8, its been a few days since this one hit so I'll do my best to remember it, but basically there was a low flop that produced a wheel opportunity on the flop. I had A, A, 3, 6 and the flop was something like A, 3, 5... Rick led out with a bet and there were several callers and I called. The turn, to be honest, I don't remember but it seems as if it was a high card which brought in a flush possibility. The river was my Waterloo.... the board paired 5s and I got very excited. The way Rick was betting I figured that he had a wheel or at least the 2nd nut low. So when he bet $100 and I believe that Bill T called, I raised to $300. After a few moments of deliberation, Rick went all-in and just at that moment, I pretty much knew. I couldn't be 100% certain because he could have been pushing with the wheel. I believe that I had him covered by only a $100 or so and I said as I called, "boy, I hope you don't have the cooler, but if you do, you're getting paid." Everyone else folded and here I sit with no low and the 2nd nut hand, Aces full of fives. Rick said, "I got it." And proceeded to turn over the pocket 5s with no low or not much of one either, which really had no bearing on the hand since I didn't have one either. Quad fives... get the monkey! His betting pattern had me convinced that he had a really good low if not the wheel and it never even crossed my mind that he was betting a set, but he played it perfectly and I just couldn't lay down the big full house.
The other hands were last night short-handed with Rick, the Juice, Dean and John S..... one very nice hand against John where I bet a decent low with the nut flush draw on the turn and it hit on the river giving me the nut flush and the 3rd nut low. There was probably $250 in the pot and John bet when the flush hit assuming that I had no flush and probably some sort of set, two pair, and maybe even some kind of straight draw. He led out with $125 and I pushed all-in for another $215 and he called and I scooped it.
In another nice hand, I had 9, 9, A, 2, and the flop was 3, 5, 9.... Sweet! The Juice led out with a $100 bet into about a $150 pot. I called and Rick called. The turn was one of the prettiest things that I've ever seen (playing cards of course)..... the case 9. Juice led out with about $150 and I pushed all-in for another $55 or so.... In retrospect, I should have just smooth called. My re-raise, even as small as it was, tipped to Rick to the strength of my hand and he folded a decent low draw and the nut flush draw. Juice called and the river was a meaningless Ks. I scooped.
Last night was short-handed, but it was a fun group! We got to see slow-roll after slow-roll as Dean carried out several perfectly played slow-rolls..... The Juice did get him back once when they both had sets, Dean had Jacks and the Juice had fives..... but the river gave the Juice a baby 5-high heart flush.... Dean showed his Jacks and the Juice said, "crap! I've got a set of fives, and then after a moment or two, showed the baby flush which let him scoop the pot..... Nice!
Well, all-in-all, a great week and I'll get back to the felt even if it is nasty......
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Home Poker Games Would Be Legal under S.C. Proposal
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Home Poker Games Would Be Legal Under S.C. Proposal
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Seventy-nine-year-old Amelia "Midge" Cheseborough thought it was a joke when police raided a home poker game, seized her $20 in chips and handcuffed her.
It wasn't. A 200-year-old law in South Carolina bans any game with cards or dice. So state Rep. Wallace Scarborough introduced a measure last month that would make playing poker legal as long as the house does not take a cut.
Arrests involving poker games in South Carolina are infrequent, but when the Charleston lawmaker heard about the poker raid on the radio, he thought it was ridiculous and decided to introduce the proposal.
"This would allow a friendly game of cards," said Scarborough, who has played in a charity poker tournament in Charleston.
A House Judiciary Committee sent the proposal back to subcommittee without debate.
Last April, police raided a poker game in Mount Pleasant that was advertised on a Web site. Authorities handed out citations and seized nearly $6,000 in cash.
Cheseborough said she lost her chips and $85 from her purse when police charged into the home. At first she thought it was a joke.
"Then we realized it was real when we saw guns and masked faces," the Charleston resident said. She thinks the officer felt guilty because the handcuffs were loose, and she said she could slip out if she wanted.
Cheseborough was initially among 18 people who asked for a jury trial to challenge the state's law. But last month, she decided to plead guilty and ended up paying $50 in court fees.
Fourteen of the 22 arrested at the raid are headed to trial, according to town officials.
Michael Bolcerek, president of the California-based Poker Players Alliance, said laws governing poker vary widely, even among municipalities. His groups supports any proposal updating antiquated gambling laws, he said.
"We're very excited this is happening," he said. "It's about time there was sanity in legislation addressing people playing at home enjoying a nice game of poker."
Cheseborough applauds the new legislation and admits she's played poker since her arrest.
"It's about time because everybody's doing it anyway," she said. "It's a nice pastime. Nobody's hurting anyone."
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Home Poker Games Would Be Legal Under S.C. Proposal
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Seventy-nine-year-old Amelia "Midge" Cheseborough thought it was a joke when police raided a home poker game, seized her $20 in chips and handcuffed her.
It wasn't. A 200-year-old law in South Carolina bans any game with cards or dice. So state Rep. Wallace Scarborough introduced a measure last month that would make playing poker legal as long as the house does not take a cut.
Arrests involving poker games in South Carolina are infrequent, but when the Charleston lawmaker heard about the poker raid on the radio, he thought it was ridiculous and decided to introduce the proposal.
"This would allow a friendly game of cards," said Scarborough, who has played in a charity poker tournament in Charleston.
A House Judiciary Committee sent the proposal back to subcommittee without debate.
Last April, police raided a poker game in Mount Pleasant that was advertised on a Web site. Authorities handed out citations and seized nearly $6,000 in cash.
Cheseborough said she lost her chips and $85 from her purse when police charged into the home. At first she thought it was a joke.
"Then we realized it was real when we saw guns and masked faces," the Charleston resident said. She thinks the officer felt guilty because the handcuffs were loose, and she said she could slip out if she wanted.
Cheseborough was initially among 18 people who asked for a jury trial to challenge the state's law. But last month, she decided to plead guilty and ended up paying $50 in court fees.
Fourteen of the 22 arrested at the raid are headed to trial, according to town officials.
Michael Bolcerek, president of the California-based Poker Players Alliance, said laws governing poker vary widely, even among municipalities. His groups supports any proposal updating antiquated gambling laws, he said.
"We're very excited this is happening," he said. "It's about time there was sanity in legislation addressing people playing at home enjoying a nice game of poker."
Cheseborough applauds the new legislation and admits she's played poker since her arrest.
"It's about time because everybody's doing it anyway," she said. "It's a nice pastime. Nobody's hurting anyone."
Copied from the Triangle Poker Journal
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
