I transferred some money over to Greene this past weekend, only 20 bucks but he's been whining forever about wanting to play online and I kept telling him that he really doesn't b/c its much harder to win at the small stakes since there are some really great players there that don't have a bankroll or like me have no bankroll management skills what-so-ever and the suckouts are just as commonplace as him lighting up a cigarette at his game on Friday nights. So I'm sitting at Panera today trying to do some work and eat and play some online during a late lunch when my phone rings.
Greene: "I need you to transfer me some more money!
Me: "WTF?"
Greene; "I'm broke"
Me: "WTF?"
Greene; "It's harder then what I thought it would be"
Me: "LOL"
Greene; "Just transfer me some more money and I'll pay you back Friday"
Me: "ROFLMAO"
Oh well, let's see how long this transfer last...
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Learn the Poker Rules - www.pokerlistings.com
Learn the Poker Rules
When you’ve found the perfect poker chips and poker table tops for your home game, you should focus on the rules for different poker games. Everything will go smoother if you know what to do in tricky situations.
It’s easiest to use the official poker rules, but you can also make a few changes that will suit your game.
When you’ve found the perfect poker chips and poker table tops for your home game, you should focus on the rules for different poker games. Everything will go smoother if you know what to do in tricky situations.
It’s easiest to use the official poker rules, but you can also make a few changes that will suit your game.
From Shinola to Shite
It was one of those nights last night at O8 No Limit where the Juice was betting all the come and they were all getting there.... He was so proud of himself too. He was quite cute.
Dean-o has been on a quite a roll lately too.... it certainly seems like most of his draws were getting there.
I had two big draw hands on the night, one got there, one didn't. The first one was against SuperPlaya and Tom. I flopped top set when the board came Kx, 9x, 6x. I put a bet out of about $65 or so and Shirkie, Tom and a couple other called. The turn brought in a second diamond and another low card. I figured it was time to run out the low draws so I bet $150 on the turn and SuperPlaya moved all-in for another $75 or so. Everyone folded to Tom and he smooth called so I pushed all-in and Tom called. SuperPlaya was posturing trying to get Tom to fold stating that he and I would make a deal if everyone folded. Somehow I just didn't feel like making a deal. I guess sometimes I can be hard-headed and then those other times, I'm sleeping. At any rate, with Tom in the hand, there was no chance of a deal. The river paired the board with another 9 and I scooped my biggest pot of the night. Close to $2K. I think it was actually $2400 before the rake... LOL.
The next monster hand that I flopped I was holding Ah, 2h, 2s, 4s when the flop came 4d, 7h, 8h. What a monster! Nut low and the nut flush re-draw. Rick checked and I bet about $100 or so into the $300ish pre-flop pot. Ron and Rick smooth called. I believe the turn was a harmless paint card and I bet another $150. Ron pushed all-in for another $100 or so and Rick and I both called. The river was a 3x and Rick quartered me and Ron with the second nut straight... Nice! I think that I was quartered about 6 times last night. How I managed to leave UP for the night, I have no idea.... oh yeah, Kings full of nines.... I remember!
Let the suck outs begin!
Dean-o has been on a quite a roll lately too.... it certainly seems like most of his draws were getting there.
I had two big draw hands on the night, one got there, one didn't. The first one was against SuperPlaya and Tom. I flopped top set when the board came Kx, 9x, 6x. I put a bet out of about $65 or so and Shirkie, Tom and a couple other called. The turn brought in a second diamond and another low card. I figured it was time to run out the low draws so I bet $150 on the turn and SuperPlaya moved all-in for another $75 or so. Everyone folded to Tom and he smooth called so I pushed all-in and Tom called. SuperPlaya was posturing trying to get Tom to fold stating that he and I would make a deal if everyone folded. Somehow I just didn't feel like making a deal. I guess sometimes I can be hard-headed and then those other times, I'm sleeping. At any rate, with Tom in the hand, there was no chance of a deal. The river paired the board with another 9 and I scooped my biggest pot of the night. Close to $2K. I think it was actually $2400 before the rake... LOL.
The next monster hand that I flopped I was holding Ah, 2h, 2s, 4s when the flop came 4d, 7h, 8h. What a monster! Nut low and the nut flush re-draw. Rick checked and I bet about $100 or so into the $300ish pre-flop pot. Ron and Rick smooth called. I believe the turn was a harmless paint card and I bet another $150. Ron pushed all-in for another $100 or so and Rick and I both called. The river was a 3x and Rick quartered me and Ron with the second nut straight... Nice! I think that I was quartered about 6 times last night. How I managed to leave UP for the night, I have no idea.... oh yeah, Kings full of nines.... I remember!
Let the suck outs begin!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Q of hearts...again? nh
It was nice to be playing live again last night. I swore off this game until the first of the year but I have been hearing about how sick the action has been and decided to come out of retirement. I finished even for the night which after being down to $12 was a great comeback. I went all in with 22 and won a three way pot and then a few hands later all in with AK and grinded my way back up to $240. Not bad since I was never really up any during the entire night. I made some great bluffs but was called down with some very...very weak hands. It would be different if they were making great calls but most of it was just people not wanting to fold weak hands. After the first few failed bluffs, I just went to playing locks against the donks and would get paid off everytime. The only problem was that I kept getting sucked out on the river soooo many times. But hey, I finished about even it and it was good to get out of the house.
Now about the Q of hearts. She was everywhere by the end of the night. I mean, that tramp was getting used more to screw everyone at the table than one of those Bunny Ranch girls on tv last night... The biggest hands of the night was when the board showed KhJhTsAhTh and Wildman had As full only to get crushed by Coach's straight flush. Then about an hour later, Coach has the Qh again to make quads on the river vs Billy's Q's full of A's. Talk about being on the right side of dumbluck. In both hands the river gave Coach the nuts and luckily for him, the other players had really solid hands that bet into him.
Hopefully I put together a nice session tonight at the Friday Night Luckbox & Suckout game where guys play the worst poker of anywhere in NC....I love it!!!!
Sidenote: We played NL HE the entire night which was fine but if the dealer is going to beg for tips then he should be dealing more than 10 hands an hour!!!!! The TVs are there for the players who are giving you waaaaaaaayyyyyy too much money in the first place b/c you're friends. Guess that's what I get sitting at the JV table and not the Varsity table where the game runs alot smoother.
Now about the Q of hearts. She was everywhere by the end of the night. I mean, that tramp was getting used more to screw everyone at the table than one of those Bunny Ranch girls on tv last night... The biggest hands of the night was when the board showed KhJhTsAhTh and Wildman had As full only to get crushed by Coach's straight flush. Then about an hour later, Coach has the Qh again to make quads on the river vs Billy's Q's full of A's. Talk about being on the right side of dumbluck. In both hands the river gave Coach the nuts and luckily for him, the other players had really solid hands that bet into him.
Hopefully I put together a nice session tonight at the Friday Night Luckbox & Suckout game where guys play the worst poker of anywhere in NC....I love it!!!!
Sidenote: We played NL HE the entire night which was fine but if the dealer is going to beg for tips then he should be dealing more than 10 hands an hour!!!!! The TVs are there for the players who are giving you waaaaaaaayyyyyy too much money in the first place b/c you're friends. Guess that's what I get sitting at the JV table and not the Varsity table where the game runs alot smoother.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Triangle Charity Poker Classic Reminder
For those of you who have registered, thank you again for registering to play and for supporting these charities:
John Avery Boys & Girls Club
Durham Animal Protection Society
Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center
Komen for the Cure - NC Triangle
The Triangle Community Foundation's Community Grantmaking Program
Remember that the Top 10 Fundraisers are invited to the Main Event and will be invited to play in a pre-Main Event game the week of November 26th. The winner of that game will present their charity with a check for an estimated $1000.
We are still looking for players, so please spread the word: http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=link&fn=Key&id=braluejbsxdaqyjjdkqjoppucyddbpp&link=bsfpijidhaxrxvbutbmpirlbguxgbfk. Play-in events begin November 9th. Thanks again!
Charles E. Richards
Triangle Poker Journal
PO Box 31102
Raleigh, NC 27622
(919) 796-5082
John Avery Boys & Girls Club
Durham Animal Protection Society
Duke Children's Hospital & Health Center
Komen for the Cure - NC Triangle
The Triangle Community Foundation's Community Grantmaking Program
Remember that the Top 10 Fundraisers are invited to the Main Event and will be invited to play in a pre-Main Event game the week of November 26th. The winner of that game will present their charity with a check for an estimated $1000.
We are still looking for players, so please spread the word: http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=link&fn=Key&id=braluejbsxdaqyjjdkqjoppucyddbpp&link=bsfpijidhaxrxvbutbmpirlbguxgbfk. Play-in events begin November 9th. Thanks again!
Charles E. Richards
Triangle Poker Journal
PO Box 31102
Raleigh, NC 27622
(919) 796-5082
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Gambling Bills Before Congress
Three Internet gambling bills, pending in House committees, propose:
•The Skill Game Protection Act (H.R. 2610), sponsored by Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.), would distinguish "games where success is predominantly determined by the skill of the players involved" — including poker, backgammon, bridge, chess and mahjong — from games of chance. Games of skill would not violate federal restrictions against "bets or wagers" online. The bill also would prohibit anyone under the age of 18 from playing any games for money online.
•The Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007 (H.R. 2046), proposed by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), would allow federal licensed online companies to accept wagers. The bill also would prohibit Internet gambling on professional sports.
•The Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act of 2007 (H.R. 2607), proposed by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to regulate Internet gambling.
http://thomas.loc.gov/
•The Skill Game Protection Act (H.R. 2610), sponsored by Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.), would distinguish "games where success is predominantly determined by the skill of the players involved" — including poker, backgammon, bridge, chess and mahjong — from games of chance. Games of skill would not violate federal restrictions against "bets or wagers" online. The bill also would prohibit anyone under the age of 18 from playing any games for money online.
•The Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007 (H.R. 2046), proposed by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), would allow federal licensed online companies to accept wagers. The bill also would prohibit Internet gambling on professional sports.
•The Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act of 2007 (H.R. 2607), proposed by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to regulate Internet gambling.
http://thomas.loc.gov/
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Saturday Juice & O8 NL
There were only a couple of outstanding hands for me last night.... other than the one that Rick quartered me in. The P"rick"....
The first came a couple of hours in. I had been trying to play premium hands and just wasn't catching any cards at all so when I find As, 2s, 5h, 6h on "my" straddle, I gently raise the $30 re-straddle by Elli another $50 or so. I guess the poker gods felt they owed me on because after getting 4-5 callers, the flop was rainbow 2x, 3x, 4x. Ye Olde Double-Nuts! Since I was UTG I decided to see if anyone else caught anything and check the first round and everyone checks. The turn is a harmless Queen so I decided to bump her up a little and bet $100 and Tom and one other person calls. The river is ANOTHER Queen and I push all-in and Tom calls. Tom flopped the wheel as well and I quartered him.
The next one came really late against the Juice. He makes it $60 to go on the flop and I've got Ah, 2s, Kh, 5h. I had many similar hands like this all night and almost never caught any kind of flop. At any rate, the flop is a similar one from last week.... 7h, 7x, 7x and it checks all the way around. The turn is the 6h and I bet a little and Dave pushes all in for about $2,000 or so and I immediately call. I just couldn't put him on any hand that scared me.... the river was a brick and I scooped the pot with nut-no-pair, AK. Sweet!
I lost a little but it was fun anyway. Unless of course, you ignore the complete lack of it!
Let the suck outs begin!
The first came a couple of hours in. I had been trying to play premium hands and just wasn't catching any cards at all so when I find As, 2s, 5h, 6h on "my" straddle, I gently raise the $30 re-straddle by Elli another $50 or so. I guess the poker gods felt they owed me on because after getting 4-5 callers, the flop was rainbow 2x, 3x, 4x. Ye Olde Double-Nuts! Since I was UTG I decided to see if anyone else caught anything and check the first round and everyone checks. The turn is a harmless Queen so I decided to bump her up a little and bet $100 and Tom and one other person calls. The river is ANOTHER Queen and I push all-in and Tom calls. Tom flopped the wheel as well and I quartered him.
The next one came really late against the Juice. He makes it $60 to go on the flop and I've got Ah, 2s, Kh, 5h. I had many similar hands like this all night and almost never caught any kind of flop. At any rate, the flop is a similar one from last week.... 7h, 7x, 7x and it checks all the way around. The turn is the 6h and I bet a little and Dave pushes all in for about $2,000 or so and I immediately call. I just couldn't put him on any hand that scared me.... the river was a brick and I scooped the pot with nut-no-pair, AK. Sweet!
I lost a little but it was fun anyway. Unless of course, you ignore the complete lack of it!
Let the suck outs begin!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
West Virginia Starts Live Poker Today!
Two Rooms Bring 57 Tables to State
By the end of the day, two poker rooms will have opened up in West Virginia, and the rooms were approved by the residents in the counties where the casinos resides.
Mountaineer Racetrack in Chester opens its 37-table River Poker Room at 4 p.m. ET today, and Wheeling Island opened its 20-table room this morning. Both rooms will be open 24 hours a day and will spread games found in most casinos: Limit games starts as low as $2-$4, and no-limit starts as low as $1-$2 with $50 minimum buy-ins ($200 max).
The rooms will also run daily tournaments, but the schedules have not been finalized yet.
The poker rooms are the first stage in expanding the gaming at the tracks, where, for years, only wagering on the dogs or the ponies and playing slot machines was offered. Soon, the casinos will be getting blackjack, roulette, and craps, as well.
Voters in the two counties where the casinos are located voted to approve the gaming expansion this summer. Voters in Jefferson County voted to not allow table gaming at the Charles Town casino in southern West Virginia.
By the end of the day, two poker rooms will have opened up in West Virginia, and the rooms were approved by the residents in the counties where the casinos resides.
Mountaineer Racetrack in Chester opens its 37-table River Poker Room at 4 p.m. ET today, and Wheeling Island opened its 20-table room this morning. Both rooms will be open 24 hours a day and will spread games found in most casinos: Limit games starts as low as $2-$4, and no-limit starts as low as $1-$2 with $50 minimum buy-ins ($200 max).
The rooms will also run daily tournaments, but the schedules have not been finalized yet.
The poker rooms are the first stage in expanding the gaming at the tracks, where, for years, only wagering on the dogs or the ponies and playing slot machines was offered. Soon, the casinos will be getting blackjack, roulette, and craps, as well.
Voters in the two counties where the casinos are located voted to approve the gaming expansion this summer. Voters in Jefferson County voted to not allow table gaming at the Charles Town casino in southern West Virginia.
IRS Announces Poker Withholding Plans
IRS Announces Poker Withholding Plans
by George Smart
Casinos and other sponsors of poker tournaments next year will be required to report most winnings and winners to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, the agency announced Friday.
The new requirement, which goes into effect March 4, 2008, was contained in guidance released Sept. 4 by the Treasury Department and the IRS.
The guidance is designed to clear up confusion about the tax reporting rules that apply to poker tournaments. In recent years, some casinos and players have been confused over whether poker tournament sponsors who hold the money for participants in a poker tournament are required to report the winnings to the IRS and withhold tax on the winnings.
For tournaments completed during 2007 and before March 4, 2008, casinos and other sponsors of poker tournaments will not be required to report the winnings to the IRS or withhold tax on the winnings. But beginning March 4, 2008, the IRS will require all tournament sponsors to report tournament winnings of more than $5,000, usually on an IRS Form W-2G.
Tournament sponsors who comply with this reporting requirement will not need to withhold federal income tax at the end of a tournament. If any tournament sponsor does not report the tournament winnings, the IRS will enforce the reporting requirement and also require the sponsor to pay any tax that should have been withheld from the winner. The withholding amount is normally 25 percent of any amounts that should have been reported.
So that tournament sponsors can comply with this requirement, tournament winners must provide their taxpayer identification number, usually a social security number, to the tournament sponsor.
If a winner fails to provide this identification number, the tournament sponsor must withhold federal income tax at the rate of 28 percent.
All winners, by law, must report all their winnings on their federal income tax returns. This rule applies regardless of the amount and regardless of whether the winner receives a Form W-2G or any other reporting form.
by George Smart
Casinos and other sponsors of poker tournaments next year will be required to report most winnings and winners to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, the agency announced Friday.
The new requirement, which goes into effect March 4, 2008, was contained in guidance released Sept. 4 by the Treasury Department and the IRS.
The guidance is designed to clear up confusion about the tax reporting rules that apply to poker tournaments. In recent years, some casinos and players have been confused over whether poker tournament sponsors who hold the money for participants in a poker tournament are required to report the winnings to the IRS and withhold tax on the winnings.
For tournaments completed during 2007 and before March 4, 2008, casinos and other sponsors of poker tournaments will not be required to report the winnings to the IRS or withhold tax on the winnings. But beginning March 4, 2008, the IRS will require all tournament sponsors to report tournament winnings of more than $5,000, usually on an IRS Form W-2G.
Tournament sponsors who comply with this reporting requirement will not need to withhold federal income tax at the end of a tournament. If any tournament sponsor does not report the tournament winnings, the IRS will enforce the reporting requirement and also require the sponsor to pay any tax that should have been withheld from the winner. The withholding amount is normally 25 percent of any amounts that should have been reported.
So that tournament sponsors can comply with this requirement, tournament winners must provide their taxpayer identification number, usually a social security number, to the tournament sponsor.
If a winner fails to provide this identification number, the tournament sponsor must withhold federal income tax at the rate of 28 percent.
All winners, by law, must report all their winnings on their federal income tax returns. This rule applies regardless of the amount and regardless of whether the winner receives a Form W-2G or any other reporting form.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Online poker cheating blamed on employee
AbsolutePoker.com says ‘geek’ hacked system to prove it could be done
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21381022/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21381022/
Vanity Plates
I hadn't really noticed before, but I find it interesting that almost everyone in our poker group has vanity plates. I guess your plate says a lot about you, both at and away from the table. Here are a few of ours...
Legality of Poker Tournaments to be Tested in Pennsylvania
Legality of Poker Tournaments to Be Tested in Pennsylvania
by George Smart
Is poker a game of skill or a game of chance? That question is about to be played out in the courts of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. This unlikely location could set a precedent due to the actions of a local attorney who claims that poker is a game of skill, and therefore not considered gambling under the State Constitution. The preliminary punches in this battle have landed, and so far it seems to be an evenly matched debate.
The saga began earlier in the year with the arrest of Larry Burns, a local attorney from Westmoreland County. The reason for the arrest, which included simultaneous raids on Burns' home and a local poker game, was because Burns was organizing a number of poker tournaments for profit.
The allegations have never been disputed. In fact, Burns openly admits to organizing the events, which he maintains are perfectly legal under the Pennsylvania State Constitution. Burns' defense is simple - the law does not define poker as a game of chance, and therefore it is not gambling. Organizing a tournament centered around a game of skill, even if done for profit, is perfectly legal in Pennsylvania.
While the Burns case is not yet "officially" under way, the opening debates have now began, with both sides scoring some important victories for their case. Although both sides score victories in the preliminary rulings by Richard McCormick, Jr., many argue that the 63-year-old Burns came out ahead of the prosecution in this early round.
The major victory for the prosecution, headed up by District Attorney John Peck, came in the form of the courts holding more than $11,000 in cash that was seized at the poker game, along with tournament records and other documents. Burns had petitioned the court to have these items returned, but for the time being they will remain in the evidence locker.
by George Smart
Is poker a game of skill or a game of chance? That question is about to be played out in the courts of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. This unlikely location could set a precedent due to the actions of a local attorney who claims that poker is a game of skill, and therefore not considered gambling under the State Constitution. The preliminary punches in this battle have landed, and so far it seems to be an evenly matched debate.
The saga began earlier in the year with the arrest of Larry Burns, a local attorney from Westmoreland County. The reason for the arrest, which included simultaneous raids on Burns' home and a local poker game, was because Burns was organizing a number of poker tournaments for profit.
The allegations have never been disputed. In fact, Burns openly admits to organizing the events, which he maintains are perfectly legal under the Pennsylvania State Constitution. Burns' defense is simple - the law does not define poker as a game of chance, and therefore it is not gambling. Organizing a tournament centered around a game of skill, even if done for profit, is perfectly legal in Pennsylvania.
While the Burns case is not yet "officially" under way, the opening debates have now began, with both sides scoring some important victories for their case. Although both sides score victories in the preliminary rulings by Richard McCormick, Jr., many argue that the 63-year-old Burns came out ahead of the prosecution in this early round.
The major victory for the prosecution, headed up by District Attorney John Peck, came in the form of the courts holding more than $11,000 in cash that was seized at the poker game, along with tournament records and other documents. Burns had petitioned the court to have these items returned, but for the time being they will remain in the evidence locker.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
'Nuff Said
Britney has nothing on Charles!
Spears Charged with Brit and Run
Posted Sep 21st 2007 11:59PM by TMZ StaffFiled under: Celebrity Justice, Britney Spears
Britney Spears has been charged with one count of hit and run causing property damage and one count of driving without a valid California license. Both charges are misdemeanors, each carrying a maximum of 6 months in jail...
Tuesday Juice.....
It was a bizarre night with the Juice Tuesday night, partially because for about the first hour or two, there wasn't any Juice. Yep, the group started arriving around 8pm or so. We started playing around 8:30 and it was probably after 10pm before the Juice came down stairs. And even with Elli there, it was a quiet crowd and NO action. The biggest hand that happened before the Juice came downstairs was me doubling up Rick. The flop was Qx, Jx, 6(I think) and it checks to me. I've got pocket Jacks and make about a $60 bet and Rick raises it to $125. Well he only has about $200 more so I just put him all in and he turns over pocket Queens and rivers the case Queen for quads..... nice!
A couple of big hands later, I'm the big blind and it's late enough that the action is starting to get a little out of control. The Juice straddled the $5/$10 blinds to $30 and Elli straddled it to $60. I believe that Rick called, Chad called and I pushed all in for about $400 or so. Not that I thought that it was great, but I thought that it was probably good against Dave and maybe Elli.... my hand was a paltry Jc, Jd, 9s, 8s. Dave called and Elli called. The flop was 7d, 7h, 7s giving me a boat... sevens full of Jacks. A couple of the guys had told me they laid down a Jack or two so that meant the boat that I had probably wouldn't improve. It turned out it was way good and both Elli and the Juice began calling for low cards. The turn was a 6s and the river was the 10s giving the me the 10-high straight flush and no low got there..... scooper!
About 20 minutes later, after Dave had out-played me in a hand, I believe that we were in about the same sequence and I peer down to find A, A, 5, 6 double-suited. I smooth call and the Juice pumps it up to about $100 more and Elli called, Rick called and I believe that Chad called too. When it gets to me, I like my hand, but I only want to play it against 1 or 2 players, not Pharaoh's army. So now the pot has about $500-$600 in it so I push all in for about $1100 more. The Juice immediately folds... p#$%y. Elli struggles with it but makes the call and so does Rick. The flop was Q, 8, 8 and Elli pushed all in for about $3000 more. Rick made a crying fold thinking that Elli had a hand. It turns out that all Elli had was A, Q and no eight. Rick was pissed. And poor p#$&%y Dave.... he would have flopped Queens full! LOL. LMAO. Had Rick stayed in he would have made broadway and scooped the pot, but thanks to Elli's quick thinking (thank you very much), my two pair, Aces up, scooped one of the largest pots of the nights, about $3700 or so.
I stayed a little while longer, but I do have a day job, so I checked out with a tidy profit and left a table full of whiners behind. Especially the Juice!
Let the suck outs begin!
A couple of big hands later, I'm the big blind and it's late enough that the action is starting to get a little out of control. The Juice straddled the $5/$10 blinds to $30 and Elli straddled it to $60. I believe that Rick called, Chad called and I pushed all in for about $400 or so. Not that I thought that it was great, but I thought that it was probably good against Dave and maybe Elli.... my hand was a paltry Jc, Jd, 9s, 8s. Dave called and Elli called. The flop was 7d, 7h, 7s giving me a boat... sevens full of Jacks. A couple of the guys had told me they laid down a Jack or two so that meant the boat that I had probably wouldn't improve. It turned out it was way good and both Elli and the Juice began calling for low cards. The turn was a 6s and the river was the 10s giving the me the 10-high straight flush and no low got there..... scooper!
About 20 minutes later, after Dave had out-played me in a hand, I believe that we were in about the same sequence and I peer down to find A, A, 5, 6 double-suited. I smooth call and the Juice pumps it up to about $100 more and Elli called, Rick called and I believe that Chad called too. When it gets to me, I like my hand, but I only want to play it against 1 or 2 players, not Pharaoh's army. So now the pot has about $500-$600 in it so I push all in for about $1100 more. The Juice immediately folds... p#$%y. Elli struggles with it but makes the call and so does Rick. The flop was Q, 8, 8 and Elli pushed all in for about $3000 more. Rick made a crying fold thinking that Elli had a hand. It turns out that all Elli had was A, Q and no eight. Rick was pissed. And poor p#$&%y Dave.... he would have flopped Queens full! LOL. LMAO. Had Rick stayed in he would have made broadway and scooped the pot, but thanks to Elli's quick thinking (thank you very much), my two pair, Aces up, scooped one of the largest pots of the nights, about $3700 or so.
I stayed a little while longer, but I do have a day job, so I checked out with a tidy profit and left a table full of whiners behind. Especially the Juice!
Let the suck outs begin!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Man Killed During Poker Game in Florida
Copied from WFTVMan Killed During Poker Game in Florida
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- New Smyrna Beach police are desperately trying to find two masked men responsible for a fatal home invasion at a house known for gambling. Police said 62-year-old David Michael Turner was killed overnight when two masked men stormed into the house on Mill Run Drive and demanded money during a poker game.
Investigators are still trying to figure out if the man killed inside the home was targeted or if it was random. He doesn't live there; he's from Port Orange.
Some in this neighborhood don't think it was random. They say everyone knows the homeowner hosts card games several nights a week and the players bring a lot of cash.
Residents in a New Smyrna Beach neighborhood woke up Tuesday morning concerned about what happened inside a home in the 500-block of Mill Run Drive.
"This is a quiet neighborhood. Nothing ever happens around here. Just a tragedy," said neighbor John Kates.
Police said, around 9:30 Monday night, about eight people were playing poker at the home when two masked men stormed in and demanded their money. An argument started and the suspects fired several shots. One of them hit 62-year-old Dennis Michael Turner, who drove over from Port Orange to play poker.
Some in this neighborhood don't think it was random. They say everyone knows the homeowner hosts card games several nights a week and the players bring a lot of cash.
Residents in a New Smyrna Beach neighborhood woke up Tuesday morning concerned about what happened inside a home in the 500-block of Mill Run Drive.
"This is a quiet neighborhood. Nothing ever happens around here. Just a tragedy," said neighbor John Kates.
Police said, around 9:30 Monday night, about eight people were playing poker at the home when two masked men stormed in and demanded their money. An argument started and the suspects fired several shots. One of them hit 62-year-old Dennis Michael Turner, who drove over from Port Orange to play poker.
Investigators don't know if the masked men were after Turner or the homeowner.
"I knew something was going to happen over there eventually," an unidentified neighbor said.
Neighbors said the homeowner is a frequent gambler and card player. He even has cards painted on his driveway. Neighbors said he normally had people over throughout the week for games and a few months ago he told them someone broke in and got away with a lot of money and valuables.
"They got him for $30,000, some guns and gold he had in the house, but he wasn't home at the time," Kates said.
Investigators said it's possible the homeowner could face charges, depending on how high the stakes were during Monday night's poker game.
"In Florida, you can have penny ante game up to $10 per hand and it's perfectly legal, so we're not sure how much they were gambling dollar-wise, but we're looking into that also," said Sgt. Michael Brouillette, New Smyrna Beach Police.
While investigators are looking into the gambling, they said their top priority is tracking down the two masked men.
"I knew something was going to happen over there eventually," an unidentified neighbor said.
Neighbors said the homeowner is a frequent gambler and card player. He even has cards painted on his driveway. Neighbors said he normally had people over throughout the week for games and a few months ago he told them someone broke in and got away with a lot of money and valuables.
"They got him for $30,000, some guns and gold he had in the house, but he wasn't home at the time," Kates said.
Investigators said it's possible the homeowner could face charges, depending on how high the stakes were during Monday night's poker game.
"In Florida, you can have penny ante game up to $10 per hand and it's perfectly legal, so we're not sure how much they were gambling dollar-wise, but we're looking into that also," said Sgt. Michael Brouillette, New Smyrna Beach Police.
While investigators are looking into the gambling, they said their top priority is tracking down the two masked men.
Copied from WFTV
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Friday's Pot Limit Omaha
Here is an important note for those of you who frequent the Friday night Pot Limit Omaha game. The official start time is 7PM and we'll be there and ready for a full table at 7PM as usual. Due to some schedule changes we need to have at least 6-7 players there by 8PM to order food etc. If we don't have enough players by 8pm they will close for the night and will try again the following week. Thanks and we appreciate all of you that enjoy playing with us.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Monday, October 15, 2007
The Week That Was...
Nothing much on TV tonight, so I decided to do a little long-overdue blogging. A few interesting hands from the past week:
Last Tuesday with The Juice, $5/10 NL Omaha 8. I look down to find Ah-As-2h-4c in the big blind. Dave is in straddle position on my immediate left, and makes he usual $25 straddle. Most of the table calls, and I decide to just call, hoping he’ll raise (which he’ll do more often than not on his straddle). Dave doesn’t disappoint - he raises to $160, and it folds to Eli who makes the call.
(Note to Dave: If you made it down this far - you can stop reading now, since I know you have the attention span of a flea on crack. I don’t want you to get a headache, since there will be several big words and no pictures.)
Now Dave, Eli and myself all have big stacks, and there’s almost $500 out there right now. I decide I’m not going to make a small raise here, I’m either going to take the pot right here or make Dave or Eli commit a large portion of their stack if they want to see a flop. They’re both action junkies, so I’m pretty sure Ill be getting a call from at least one of them. I re-raise to $1,000, Dave sits up in his seat as he immediately announces his call, then Eli announces he’s all in for close to $3K! I call, Dave calls, and we turn up our cards.
Dave has some sort of low suited combination, but Eli has nothing, something like Q-9-9-3. Of course, a 9 comes on the flop, allowing him to win half the pot with the high hand, and the low gets there allowing me to win the other half. Could have been a monster win, but of course, I could have also won nothing. You pays your money and you takes your chances. In the end, Eli and I ended up splitting Dave’s $2K or so, so how can you complain about that…?
Friday in Cary, $2/5 PLO8. I was on both ends of several interesting hands, but I’ll just blog two. I was sandwiched between Big Dave and Matt M most of the night, and both of them were pretty much snakebit all night. Both of them seemed to suffer from cold decks or suckouts every couple hands. I have A-4-8-8 in late position, we have the usual pre-flop straddle, and the flop comes K-Q-8. It checks past Big Dave to me, and I bet the pot. It folds back to Big Dave, who goes all-in for not too much (maybe $150?) more. I figure I’m beat of course, but it’s just not much more to call, plus I can hit running cards for a low or flush. I call, and he turns over Q-Q. His inevitable pain comes in the form of the case 8 on the turn. Having played this game before, I fully expected the case Q to pop up on the river, but no such luck for Dave.
Not two or three hands later I look down to find 2-2-4-7 with two clubs. Same situation with the straddle and table full of callers, and the flop comes Q-J-2 with two clubs. Again it checks to me, again I pot it, and again it folds back to Dave who goes all-in. Sheesh! Since Dave normally only buys in for a couple hundred at a time, it’s almost impossible for him to bet someone out of the pot (at least until he builds a stack). Again I assume I’m beat, but it’s not much more to call. I do, and he turns over J-J. This time his pain comes in the form of a club on the turn. My flush holds up, and he’s left to mumble to himself the rest of the night.
Saturday night with The Juice, and it’s the last hand of a moderately wild night. It took me two rebuys to get going, but I eventually built my stack up to a respectable size. Eli is on my right, and has really been getting squirrelly the past hour. I’ve been patiently waiting to trap him for all his chips, but the timing of the hands just never came together. I have Ad-Qc-10d-8c, and after the usual straddle, we see a flop of Jd-4d-4c. Eli leads out with a $65 bet. I call, and everyone else folds. He’s been hyper-aggressive lately, and I’m not yet convinced he has a 4. If he doesn’t, I’ve got plenty of outs. The turn brings a 9s, and he makes a bet of (I think) $200. Though I can’t exactly say why, I’m about 75% convinced he doesn’t have a 4, and now the straight draw gives me even more outs if he just has Jacks-up, so again I make the call.
The river brings the Qh, giving me the second-nut straight. Now Eli comes out with a $600 bet – wow! Against many other players, I’d be leaning towards laying it down. Here though, I was almost 100% convinced my hand is good, and was actually considering raising. That thought passed after a few moments, as there weren’t but one or two hands he could have that were worse than mine, but that he could call a raise with (even Eli). I make the call, and he asks if I hit my straight. I say yep, and turn over my hand. He turns over his to show Jacks-up, and says he didn’t figure me for a 4 either, but had already decided to pay me off if a straight card came. Sweet - I need more opponents like him!
Of course, that hand was just payback (with interest though!) from earlier, when my Aces full of Kings ran into his Royal Flush!! I paid off a $300 river bet, though I think I lost about the least amount I could have on that hand. The flop came As-Kc-10c, he checked to me and I made a small bet, which he called. The Ac came on the turn, and his eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning. He checked to me again, and I checked behind, telling him “Your straight flush is good.” He didn’t say anything, but the expression on his face all but confirmed my suspicions. I wish I could say I was a good enough player to not pay him off on the river, but who am I kidding. Realistically - if a guy’s got a Royal Flush against my Aces full of Kings, he’s going to get paid. At least I was smart enough not to raise him. Of course, I couldn’t resist twisting the dagger just a bit as I pushed the chips his way, telling him I would’ve paid off a $500 bet! I love this game… :-)
See ya at the tables,
Rick
Last Tuesday with The Juice, $5/10 NL Omaha 8. I look down to find Ah-As-2h-4c in the big blind. Dave is in straddle position on my immediate left, and makes he usual $25 straddle. Most of the table calls, and I decide to just call, hoping he’ll raise (which he’ll do more often than not on his straddle). Dave doesn’t disappoint - he raises to $160, and it folds to Eli who makes the call.
(Note to Dave: If you made it down this far - you can stop reading now, since I know you have the attention span of a flea on crack. I don’t want you to get a headache, since there will be several big words and no pictures.)
Now Dave, Eli and myself all have big stacks, and there’s almost $500 out there right now. I decide I’m not going to make a small raise here, I’m either going to take the pot right here or make Dave or Eli commit a large portion of their stack if they want to see a flop. They’re both action junkies, so I’m pretty sure Ill be getting a call from at least one of them. I re-raise to $1,000, Dave sits up in his seat as he immediately announces his call, then Eli announces he’s all in for close to $3K! I call, Dave calls, and we turn up our cards.
Dave has some sort of low suited combination, but Eli has nothing, something like Q-9-9-3. Of course, a 9 comes on the flop, allowing him to win half the pot with the high hand, and the low gets there allowing me to win the other half. Could have been a monster win, but of course, I could have also won nothing. You pays your money and you takes your chances. In the end, Eli and I ended up splitting Dave’s $2K or so, so how can you complain about that…?
Friday in Cary, $2/5 PLO8. I was on both ends of several interesting hands, but I’ll just blog two. I was sandwiched between Big Dave and Matt M most of the night, and both of them were pretty much snakebit all night. Both of them seemed to suffer from cold decks or suckouts every couple hands. I have A-4-8-8 in late position, we have the usual pre-flop straddle, and the flop comes K-Q-8. It checks past Big Dave to me, and I bet the pot. It folds back to Big Dave, who goes all-in for not too much (maybe $150?) more. I figure I’m beat of course, but it’s just not much more to call, plus I can hit running cards for a low or flush. I call, and he turns over Q-Q. His inevitable pain comes in the form of the case 8 on the turn. Having played this game before, I fully expected the case Q to pop up on the river, but no such luck for Dave.
Not two or three hands later I look down to find 2-2-4-7 with two clubs. Same situation with the straddle and table full of callers, and the flop comes Q-J-2 with two clubs. Again it checks to me, again I pot it, and again it folds back to Dave who goes all-in. Sheesh! Since Dave normally only buys in for a couple hundred at a time, it’s almost impossible for him to bet someone out of the pot (at least until he builds a stack). Again I assume I’m beat, but it’s not much more to call. I do, and he turns over J-J. This time his pain comes in the form of a club on the turn. My flush holds up, and he’s left to mumble to himself the rest of the night.
Saturday night with The Juice, and it’s the last hand of a moderately wild night. It took me two rebuys to get going, but I eventually built my stack up to a respectable size. Eli is on my right, and has really been getting squirrelly the past hour. I’ve been patiently waiting to trap him for all his chips, but the timing of the hands just never came together. I have Ad-Qc-10d-8c, and after the usual straddle, we see a flop of Jd-4d-4c. Eli leads out with a $65 bet. I call, and everyone else folds. He’s been hyper-aggressive lately, and I’m not yet convinced he has a 4. If he doesn’t, I’ve got plenty of outs. The turn brings a 9s, and he makes a bet of (I think) $200. Though I can’t exactly say why, I’m about 75% convinced he doesn’t have a 4, and now the straight draw gives me even more outs if he just has Jacks-up, so again I make the call.
The river brings the Qh, giving me the second-nut straight. Now Eli comes out with a $600 bet – wow! Against many other players, I’d be leaning towards laying it down. Here though, I was almost 100% convinced my hand is good, and was actually considering raising. That thought passed after a few moments, as there weren’t but one or two hands he could have that were worse than mine, but that he could call a raise with (even Eli). I make the call, and he asks if I hit my straight. I say yep, and turn over my hand. He turns over his to show Jacks-up, and says he didn’t figure me for a 4 either, but had already decided to pay me off if a straight card came. Sweet - I need more opponents like him!
Of course, that hand was just payback (with interest though!) from earlier, when my Aces full of Kings ran into his Royal Flush!! I paid off a $300 river bet, though I think I lost about the least amount I could have on that hand. The flop came As-Kc-10c, he checked to me and I made a small bet, which he called. The Ac came on the turn, and his eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning. He checked to me again, and I checked behind, telling him “Your straight flush is good.” He didn’t say anything, but the expression on his face all but confirmed my suspicions. I wish I could say I was a good enough player to not pay him off on the river, but who am I kidding. Realistically - if a guy’s got a Royal Flush against my Aces full of Kings, he’s going to get paid. At least I was smart enough not to raise him. Of course, I couldn’t resist twisting the dagger just a bit as I pushed the chips his way, telling him I would’ve paid off a $500 bet! I love this game… :-)
See ya at the tables,
Rick
Poker Booming in N.H.
Information from: Concord Monitor, http://www.cmonitor.com
October 14, 2007
SALEM, N.H. --While lawmakers in Concord debate legalizing gambling, a night at Salem's Rockingham Park shows poker is already alive and openly thriving in New Hampshire.
On a busy night at the race track, players crowd the poker room, wagering thousands on Texas Hold 'Em and other games. It's legal because the games are hosted by charities that have been licensed to hold them as fundraisers. Charities say poker tournaments are good fundraising tools, but gaming operators' share of the profits are prompting some critics to question whether "charity gaming" really is what's happening.
In New Hampshire, about 300 groups are licensed by the Pari-Mutuel Commission to host poker games at 16 approved venues. By law, after players take home their winnings, charities are entitled to at least 35 percent of the profits. That means private game operators -- the companies that provide dealers and run the games -- reap the largest share.
Rep. Michael Marsh, D-Greenland, who is on a legislative panel studying the possibility of legalizing gambling, believes charitable gaming has grown from small-scale poker nights that mixed fundraising with socializing into events where the focus is on the games, not the charities.
"This has nothing to do with that. It's all about gambling," he said.
It's hard to put a dollar figure on New Hampshire's charitable gaming industry, though it's largely agreed that the figure is growing.
From 1996 to 2006, when the attorney general's office oversaw charitable gaming, nonprofits made about $3 million from the games, said Audrey Blodgett, a paralegal in the attorney general's charitable trust division. She said charitable fundraising through Texas Hold 'Em tournaments began to surge in 2001 or 2002, when tournaments began airing on television.
Last year the Pari-Mutuel Commission took over regulating charitable gaming, a move designed to increase state oversight of the burgeoning industry. Commission director Paul Kelley estimates the annual handle -- the amount that players pay to play -- at $50 million. Most of that money goes back to players as prize money. At Rockingham Park, for example, that figure is anywhere from 75 percent to 90 percent. Using Kelley's estimate and the minimum 35 percent payout required by law, that puts the amount earned by charities in the past year at about $4 million.
Lynne Snierson, the spokeswoman for Rockingham Park, said charities have been known to make $10,000 in one night through the games. Since the track began hosting poker 13 months ago the games have raised $1 million for about 30 charity groups, and there is a waiting list of 30 more groups vying to host poker at the track, she said.
"It's an enormous help to us," said Richard O'Shaughnessy, executive director of Greater Salem Caregivers, which provides transportation to the elderly and individuals with disabilities. His group hosts 10 poker nights a year at Rockingham Park. "This has helped us build up a good solid foundation as far as our finances are concerned," he said.
It's also a big help to the businesses that facilitate the games.
Venues like Rockingham Park earn rental and concession fees.
Salem-based Granite State Poker, a gaming operator, has seen business grow dramatically. Granite State Poker's payroll has grown to include more than 150 dealers as it runs games for non-profits six nights of the week at the track, said Carl Cincotti, a company employee. Gaming operators pay $500 a year for a state license.
This kind of growth prompted lawmakers last year to mandate that a minimum percentage of profits make it into the hands of hosting charities.
"What was driving the legislation was that some charities were holding these evenings and getting nothing, and the operators were getting everything," said Rep. Neal Kurk, R-Weare.
But Kurk's concern over gambling goes deeper -- to what he sees as a conflict with core New Hampshire values.
"I'm caught in the same bind most of us are," Kurk said. "On the one hand, yes, gambling is something that some people enjoy doing; it's a good source of revenue for charities." But the gaming "goes against the cultural grain in New Hampshire," he said. "It's something in our ethos that says you should work for your money and it shouldn't come as a result from betting."
While scratch tickets, bingo games, dogs and horse racing have long been fixtures in the state, the Legislature has drawn the line at slot machines and games of chance that don't benefit charities.
Lawmakers on both sides of the gambling debate say expanding betting would bring big changes to the state.
While charity poker games don't generate tax dollars for the state, advocates for slot machines at Rockingham Park say those would raise millions for the state.
Marsh said he would like charities to earn more cash by increasing the required payout from 35 percent to 51 percent. A tax on the games is another option, he said.
"In my view, most of the money should go to the charities. It's supposed to be for charities, not for operators," Marsh said.
Information from: Concord Monitor, http://www.cmonitor.com
October 14, 2007
SALEM, N.H. --While lawmakers in Concord debate legalizing gambling, a night at Salem's Rockingham Park shows poker is already alive and openly thriving in New Hampshire.
On a busy night at the race track, players crowd the poker room, wagering thousands on Texas Hold 'Em and other games. It's legal because the games are hosted by charities that have been licensed to hold them as fundraisers. Charities say poker tournaments are good fundraising tools, but gaming operators' share of the profits are prompting some critics to question whether "charity gaming" really is what's happening.
In New Hampshire, about 300 groups are licensed by the Pari-Mutuel Commission to host poker games at 16 approved venues. By law, after players take home their winnings, charities are entitled to at least 35 percent of the profits. That means private game operators -- the companies that provide dealers and run the games -- reap the largest share.
Rep. Michael Marsh, D-Greenland, who is on a legislative panel studying the possibility of legalizing gambling, believes charitable gaming has grown from small-scale poker nights that mixed fundraising with socializing into events where the focus is on the games, not the charities.
"This has nothing to do with that. It's all about gambling," he said.
It's hard to put a dollar figure on New Hampshire's charitable gaming industry, though it's largely agreed that the figure is growing.
From 1996 to 2006, when the attorney general's office oversaw charitable gaming, nonprofits made about $3 million from the games, said Audrey Blodgett, a paralegal in the attorney general's charitable trust division. She said charitable fundraising through Texas Hold 'Em tournaments began to surge in 2001 or 2002, when tournaments began airing on television.
Last year the Pari-Mutuel Commission took over regulating charitable gaming, a move designed to increase state oversight of the burgeoning industry. Commission director Paul Kelley estimates the annual handle -- the amount that players pay to play -- at $50 million. Most of that money goes back to players as prize money. At Rockingham Park, for example, that figure is anywhere from 75 percent to 90 percent. Using Kelley's estimate and the minimum 35 percent payout required by law, that puts the amount earned by charities in the past year at about $4 million.
Lynne Snierson, the spokeswoman for Rockingham Park, said charities have been known to make $10,000 in one night through the games. Since the track began hosting poker 13 months ago the games have raised $1 million for about 30 charity groups, and there is a waiting list of 30 more groups vying to host poker at the track, she said.
"It's an enormous help to us," said Richard O'Shaughnessy, executive director of Greater Salem Caregivers, which provides transportation to the elderly and individuals with disabilities. His group hosts 10 poker nights a year at Rockingham Park. "This has helped us build up a good solid foundation as far as our finances are concerned," he said.
It's also a big help to the businesses that facilitate the games.
Venues like Rockingham Park earn rental and concession fees.
Salem-based Granite State Poker, a gaming operator, has seen business grow dramatically. Granite State Poker's payroll has grown to include more than 150 dealers as it runs games for non-profits six nights of the week at the track, said Carl Cincotti, a company employee. Gaming operators pay $500 a year for a state license.
This kind of growth prompted lawmakers last year to mandate that a minimum percentage of profits make it into the hands of hosting charities.
"What was driving the legislation was that some charities were holding these evenings and getting nothing, and the operators were getting everything," said Rep. Neal Kurk, R-Weare.
But Kurk's concern over gambling goes deeper -- to what he sees as a conflict with core New Hampshire values.
"I'm caught in the same bind most of us are," Kurk said. "On the one hand, yes, gambling is something that some people enjoy doing; it's a good source of revenue for charities." But the gaming "goes against the cultural grain in New Hampshire," he said. "It's something in our ethos that says you should work for your money and it shouldn't come as a result from betting."
While scratch tickets, bingo games, dogs and horse racing have long been fixtures in the state, the Legislature has drawn the line at slot machines and games of chance that don't benefit charities.
Lawmakers on both sides of the gambling debate say expanding betting would bring big changes to the state.
While charity poker games don't generate tax dollars for the state, advocates for slot machines at Rockingham Park say those would raise millions for the state.
Marsh said he would like charities to earn more cash by increasing the required payout from 35 percent to 51 percent. A tax on the games is another option, he said.
"In my view, most of the money should go to the charities. It's supposed to be for charities, not for operators," Marsh said.
Information from: Concord Monitor, http://www.cmonitor.com
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Winter Cleaning....
For those of you who are blogging.... I went through today and moved all of the "DRAFT" entries (posts which were begun, but never actually POSTED to the blog) to the end of this calendar year so that you can finish them easily if you choose to do so.
I appreciate the fact that you guys are blogging and I only did this in an effort to be helpful.
Thanks again for your continued visits and blogs and I look forward to you being part of the future growth of the Triangle Poker Journal and the TPJ Blog!
I appreciate the fact that you guys are blogging and I only did this in an effort to be helpful.
Thanks again for your continued visits and blogs and I look forward to you being part of the future growth of the Triangle Poker Journal and the TPJ Blog!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Double-Nuts!
No, this is not some weird medical condition found only in the backwoods of West Virginia. It is a dream hand found in Omaha Hi-Lo where you, you lucky devil, have managed to put together the BEST possible high hand -AND- the BEST possible low hand. Voila! Double-Nuts!
It is one of those hands that is guaranteed to suck all the air out of your opponents lungs and leave him muttering indiscernible syllables and often followed by vomiting and urinating on oneself. Yes sir.... there's nothing quite like it!
Especially when you can deliver those words to someone like.... the Juice, for instance.... or Elli. Unlike tricky-ricky, it is very unusual for me to catch this rare beast. This past Tuesday night.... twice! Once against the always aggressive Elli and the hand went some like this:
I peer down at JJA2.... I typically find myself muttering to myself something like "Jack, 3, 4.... Jack, 3, 4" and of course the flop usually brings 996 or something close... Not tonight!
The flop: J, J, 7 - since I'm in early position, I want to let someone catch up and maybe even succeed in getting all of our chippies in for a mass quartering, I just check, hoping that someone else will bet. No such luck! No one bets. The turn brings a 6 and two to the flush so I bet out a little hoping that someone is chasing the straight, the flush or the low. Not much, just $60 and only Elli calls. The river brings in the low with a 4 and puts a flush on the board. I bet $150 and Elli just smooth calls.... and I turn over the quad Jacks and the nut low. He made a straight on the river and all he could say for about 15 minutes was "wow!" I agree... Wow!
The second hand came against Bart, a new comer to the Juice's game. He has been catching pocket aces all night and raising with them pre-flop. This strategy may work in some games, but it'll only work here if what you are seeking is callers. He is on the button and raises it another $50 and everyone at the table calls and although the Juice was in Vegas, he texted to Mikey that he called too. I've got one of my favorite little sneaky hands... Ac, 3s, 5c, 7s. The flop was the 2s, 3c, 4s. Nice.... so I just check "knowing" that the Bart-miester would be coming forth with a follow-up bet and sure enough... he bets $100. Dean had just received some kiddy-porn on his phone so he folded right away, grabbed some baby lotion and some paper towels and headed off to the little boys room, I decided to narrow the field a little and raised another $150. Everyone folded to Bart and he calls. The turn was a beautiful 6d so I pushed an amount that would put Bart all-in into the middle, about $250 more and he almost beat me into the middle with the chips. The river was a meaningless Jack and made the "double-nuts." My low was 2,3,4 from the board and the A, 5 from my hand. My high was the 3,4,6 from the board and the 5, 7 from my hand! Whee! Double-nuts!
If it ever does become a medical condition.... sign me up!
Let the suck outs begin!
It is one of those hands that is guaranteed to suck all the air out of your opponents lungs and leave him muttering indiscernible syllables and often followed by vomiting and urinating on oneself. Yes sir.... there's nothing quite like it!
Especially when you can deliver those words to someone like.... the Juice, for instance.... or Elli. Unlike tricky-ricky, it is very unusual for me to catch this rare beast. This past Tuesday night.... twice! Once against the always aggressive Elli and the hand went some like this:
I peer down at JJA2.... I typically find myself muttering to myself something like "Jack, 3, 4.... Jack, 3, 4" and of course the flop usually brings 996 or something close... Not tonight!
The flop: J, J, 7 - since I'm in early position, I want to let someone catch up and maybe even succeed in getting all of our chippies in for a mass quartering, I just check, hoping that someone else will bet. No such luck! No one bets. The turn brings a 6 and two to the flush so I bet out a little hoping that someone is chasing the straight, the flush or the low. Not much, just $60 and only Elli calls. The river brings in the low with a 4 and puts a flush on the board. I bet $150 and Elli just smooth calls.... and I turn over the quad Jacks and the nut low. He made a straight on the river and all he could say for about 15 minutes was "wow!" I agree... Wow!
The second hand came against Bart, a new comer to the Juice's game. He has been catching pocket aces all night and raising with them pre-flop. This strategy may work in some games, but it'll only work here if what you are seeking is callers. He is on the button and raises it another $50 and everyone at the table calls and although the Juice was in Vegas, he texted to Mikey that he called too. I've got one of my favorite little sneaky hands... Ac, 3s, 5c, 7s. The flop was the 2s, 3c, 4s. Nice.... so I just check "knowing" that the Bart-miester would be coming forth with a follow-up bet and sure enough... he bets $100. Dean had just received some kiddy-porn on his phone so he folded right away, grabbed some baby lotion and some paper towels and headed off to the little boys room, I decided to narrow the field a little and raised another $150. Everyone folded to Bart and he calls. The turn was a beautiful 6d so I pushed an amount that would put Bart all-in into the middle, about $250 more and he almost beat me into the middle with the chips. The river was a meaningless Jack and made the "double-nuts." My low was 2,3,4 from the board and the A, 5 from my hand. My high was the 3,4,6 from the board and the 5, 7 from my hand! Whee! Double-nuts!
If it ever does become a medical condition.... sign me up!
Let the suck outs begin!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
My Vegas Trip....
The first couple of days of my trip to Vegas this past week were entwined with some business meetings as the primary reason for the trip was an award trip from the company for which I work. And, as it goes, it was fantastic to say the least. I arrived Sunday around 3:30 or so and had no corporate planned activities for until 9:00AM the next morning so it was off to the room to get unpacked, a quick shower and then down to the casino at Mandalay Bay.
There I met some interesting people to say the least but the casino staff were very helpful and I soon found my way into a $2/$5 No Limit Hold'em game which was the highest $$ cash game they had going. By far, the most popular game was the $1/$2 No Limit. I stayed there till around midnight and then made my way back to the room to get some rest before the next day's planned activities. There were a few distractions between the casino and the room.... I won't tell you exactly what I won at the table that night, but it was enough to cover a wash, wax and lube job according one of the young ladies marketing her skills that night. Sweet!
After the morning meeting, we piled into rental cars and it was off to Lake Mead for an afternoon of tubing, skiing and jet skiing. Jet skiing was definitely my favorite. It was extremely windy! They had actually cancelled all the activities earlier in the day due to the wind, but decided to let us go out since it was calming down a little. A very little! I have been on the ocean when it wasn't as choppy as it was there.
Later that evening, we had dinner at the The Foundation Room, a private club inside Mandalay Bay. It seems the owner of our company has a membership and frequents the club when he is in Vegas. He has seen many celebs there for dinner. Unfortunately for us, none this night though. Afterwards, on Monday nights only, they open it up to the general public for the bar scene. It was fun but I soon my way back down to the casino to see if there was any action.
Tuesday afternoon we had scheduled Dune Buggy Adventures in the desert and it was fun too, but I don't think I've felt that dirty since I listened to Dave talk about his childhood.
We had dinner Tuesday night at Trattoria del Lupo, Wolfgang Puck restaurant, he wasn't there, but it was excellent! We took the tram to a couple of other casinos but it didn't last long and soon I was back at Mandalay Bay at the poker table.....
All in all.... a grand time was had by all!
Part II is coming.....
There I met some interesting people to say the least but the casino staff were very helpful and I soon found my way into a $2/$5 No Limit Hold'em game which was the highest $$ cash game they had going. By far, the most popular game was the $1/$2 No Limit. I stayed there till around midnight and then made my way back to the room to get some rest before the next day's planned activities. There were a few distractions between the casino and the room.... I won't tell you exactly what I won at the table that night, but it was enough to cover a wash, wax and lube job according one of the young ladies marketing her skills that night. Sweet!
After the morning meeting, we piled into rental cars and it was off to Lake Mead for an afternoon of tubing, skiing and jet skiing. Jet skiing was definitely my favorite. It was extremely windy! They had actually cancelled all the activities earlier in the day due to the wind, but decided to let us go out since it was calming down a little. A very little! I have been on the ocean when it wasn't as choppy as it was there.
Later that evening, we had dinner at the The Foundation Room, a private club inside Mandalay Bay. It seems the owner of our company has a membership and frequents the club when he is in Vegas. He has seen many celebs there for dinner. Unfortunately for us, none this night though. Afterwards, on Monday nights only, they open it up to the general public for the bar scene. It was fun but I soon my way back down to the casino to see if there was any action.
Tuesday afternoon we had scheduled Dune Buggy Adventures in the desert and it was fun too, but I don't think I've felt that dirty since I listened to Dave talk about his childhood.
We had dinner Tuesday night at Trattoria del Lupo, Wolfgang Puck restaurant, he wasn't there, but it was excellent! We took the tram to a couple of other casinos but it didn't last long and soon I was back at Mandalay Bay at the poker table.....
All in all.... a grand time was had by all!
Part II is coming.....
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Who is the Best Poker Player in the Triangle?
The Triangle Poker Journal is sponsoring The Triangle Charity Poker Classic - a chance for you to test your skills in a large tournament
and raise money for some great Triangle charities.
Go to http://www.trianglepoker.org/ and register
Pick the charity you will be playing for
Raise $50 (or more)
Pick your play-in location
Play-in tournaments will be at:
Babineau's - Cary
Carolina Ale House - Cary
Carolina Ale House - Durham
Upper Deck Sports Pub - Cary
40 players will qualify from these tournaments and join the top 10 fundraisers at The Main Event.
Space is limited, so register at http://www.trianglepoker.org/ right now. Then tell your friends!
Presented by: Triangle Poker Journal and Red Thermometer Fundraising & Communications
The Triangle Poker Journal is sponsoring The Triangle Charity Poker Classic - a chance for you to test your skills in a large tournament
and raise money for some great Triangle charities.
Go to http://www.trianglepoker.org/ and register
Pick the charity you will be playing for
Raise $50 (or more)
Pick your play-in location
Play-in tournaments will be at:
Babineau's - Cary
Carolina Ale House - Cary
Carolina Ale House - Durham
Upper Deck Sports Pub - Cary
40 players will qualify from these tournaments and join the top 10 fundraisers at The Main Event.
Space is limited, so register at http://www.trianglepoker.org/ right now. Then tell your friends!
Presented by: Triangle Poker Journal and Red Thermometer Fundraising & Communications
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
39th Annual WSOP Dates Announced
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. announced today that the 39th annual World Series of Poker(R) Presented by Milwaukee's Best Light will be staged at the Rio(TM) All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas from May 30 through July 17, 2008.
"The team is still hard at work on the schedule of events for next year, but we've received so many requests for the dates that we decided to announce them now," said Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP Commissioner.
"We'll actually open the WSOP tournament room the week of May 26th for two special events," said Geno Iafrate, vice president and assistant general manager of the Rio. "This 'soft opening' will give players a chance to register early and avoid the lines we had last year during opening weekend -- our busiest time."
More WSOP information is available at http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/.
The WSOP brand is owned by Harrah's License Company, LLC an affiliate of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment through its operating subsidiaries. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, nearly 70 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now owns or manages casinos on four continents. The company's properties operate primarily under the Harrah's(R), Caesars(R) and Horseshoe(R) brand names; Harrah's also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos. Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.
More information about Harrah's is available at http://www.harrahs.com
"The team is still hard at work on the schedule of events for next year, but we've received so many requests for the dates that we decided to announce them now," said Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP Commissioner.
"We'll actually open the WSOP tournament room the week of May 26th for two special events," said Geno Iafrate, vice president and assistant general manager of the Rio. "This 'soft opening' will give players a chance to register early and avoid the lines we had last year during opening weekend -- our busiest time."
More WSOP information is available at http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/.
The WSOP brand is owned by Harrah's License Company, LLC an affiliate of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., the world's largest provider of branded casino entertainment through its operating subsidiaries. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, nearly 70 years ago, Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now owns or manages casinos on four continents. The company's properties operate primarily under the Harrah's(R), Caesars(R) and Horseshoe(R) brand names; Harrah's also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos. Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.
More information about Harrah's is available at http://www.harrahs.com
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Apparently... the Lord loves a drunk!
Apparently… the Lord loves a drunk!
In one of my playing sessions at the Rio, I landed on a very interesting table, full of action and no end to the chatter. I met a young man from Vermont named Paul. Paul has apparently only played online poker and had no idea how to handle poker chips. Compound that with the fact that he was so drunk that he could hardly see straight. I actually caught him closing one eye to focus on the flop… LOL. Well, Paul from Vermont was having a rough evening. At the $2/$5 No Limit Hold’em table he had re-bought $300 - $400 4 times that I witnessed. And had somehow managed to maintain consciousness (questionable) and was getting pretty low on his last re-buy when he made a play at the pot with a busted flush draw, was called, showed his bluff and re-bought. About 10 minutes later, through the slurred speech, bobbing head, glassy eyes and inability to do anything with the chips, he made another move by betting about $200 at a $175 pot on the river with absolutely nothing…. His opponent folded and Paul from Vermont turned over his J8 to a scary board. And it was on like donkey-kong.
About 10 minutes later, he gets hooked up with an oriental gentleman from LV, we’ll call him Gene from LV, in a hand that was just crazy. There’s a pre-flop Mississippi straddle (yep, I did it)… when it gets back to Paul from Vermont he raises the bet to $50 and Gene from LV is the only caller.
The flop was a spicy:
Gene leads out with a $50 bet and Paul from Vermont raises it to $200. Gene from LV begins counting out and stacking his chips to the side and he was up to about $600-$700 when he was able to make out through the slurred speech of our friend, Paul from Vermont…. “go ahead and raise, I’m all in anyway!” and Paul from Vermont makes a forward motion with his poker chips and actually knocked over the $100 or $200 stacks which he had managed to stack up. Well, Gene from LV goes berserk! He prodded the dealer with “that’s binding!” over and over and the dealer actually agreed but called the floor manager over since there was so much money involved. He explained to the floor manager perfectly how the hand had progressed and the floor manager ruled that 1) since it was heads up; 2) he verbally announced “all in”; 3) he physically touched his chips with a forward motion; that it was binding and all of Paul from Vermont’s $2500 or so was now in the pot. By the way, Paul from Vermont is saying the entire time that it was not a problem and he was fine with it but that Gene from LV was not going to like what he saw if he called. So after much deliberation which I’ve only seen paralleled… hmmm… everytime it’s Bill’s turn, he finally.
Bill's hand:
Paul from Vermont's hand:
Absolutely the worst case scenario for Gene from LV as if he hits his Ace, Paul from Vermont makes a straight. So with only 3 outs they quickly turn over the turn and the river and Gene from LV never improved and Paul from Vermont won another monster pot. As interesting as that is, it was more interesting watching Paul from Vermont for the next 45 minutes, basically not even play his cards as he was trying to stack the chips. He had nearly $3500 or so, primarily in $5 chips with some $1 chips too try to organize them. He had the entire corner covered in chips! The players to his right and left would try to help him, but everytime he would get one or two stacks of 20 stacked up, as he was trying to make another stack he would knock them down. It was unbelievable. Over and over again. Finally, the dealer through much table prodding called the floor manager over and insisted that we color up Paul from Vermont’s stack. He stayed about 30-40 minutes and gave back some, but cashed out with a tidy profit for the night.
I will be blogging some more of the fun from my trip as my battery gets re-charged, but it was an excellent week of poker in Vegas for me.
Let the suck outs begin!
In one of my playing sessions at the Rio, I landed on a very interesting table, full of action and no end to the chatter. I met a young man from Vermont named Paul. Paul has apparently only played online poker and had no idea how to handle poker chips. Compound that with the fact that he was so drunk that he could hardly see straight. I actually caught him closing one eye to focus on the flop… LOL. Well, Paul from Vermont was having a rough evening. At the $2/$5 No Limit Hold’em table he had re-bought $300 - $400 4 times that I witnessed. And had somehow managed to maintain consciousness (questionable) and was getting pretty low on his last re-buy when he made a play at the pot with a busted flush draw, was called, showed his bluff and re-bought. About 10 minutes later, through the slurred speech, bobbing head, glassy eyes and inability to do anything with the chips, he made another move by betting about $200 at a $175 pot on the river with absolutely nothing…. His opponent folded and Paul from Vermont turned over his J8 to a scary board. And it was on like donkey-kong.
About 10 minutes later, he gets hooked up with an oriental gentleman from LV, we’ll call him Gene from LV, in a hand that was just crazy. There’s a pre-flop Mississippi straddle (yep, I did it)… when it gets back to Paul from Vermont he raises the bet to $50 and Gene from LV is the only caller.
The flop was a spicy:
Gene leads out with a $50 bet and Paul from Vermont raises it to $200. Gene from LV begins counting out and stacking his chips to the side and he was up to about $600-$700 when he was able to make out through the slurred speech of our friend, Paul from Vermont…. “go ahead and raise, I’m all in anyway!” and Paul from Vermont makes a forward motion with his poker chips and actually knocked over the $100 or $200 stacks which he had managed to stack up. Well, Gene from LV goes berserk! He prodded the dealer with “that’s binding!” over and over and the dealer actually agreed but called the floor manager over since there was so much money involved. He explained to the floor manager perfectly how the hand had progressed and the floor manager ruled that 1) since it was heads up; 2) he verbally announced “all in”; 3) he physically touched his chips with a forward motion; that it was binding and all of Paul from Vermont’s $2500 or so was now in the pot. By the way, Paul from Vermont is saying the entire time that it was not a problem and he was fine with it but that Gene from LV was not going to like what he saw if he called. So after much deliberation which I’ve only seen paralleled… hmmm… everytime it’s Bill’s turn, he finally.
Bill's hand:
Paul from Vermont's hand:
Absolutely the worst case scenario for Gene from LV as if he hits his Ace, Paul from Vermont makes a straight. So with only 3 outs they quickly turn over the turn and the river and Gene from LV never improved and Paul from Vermont won another monster pot. As interesting as that is, it was more interesting watching Paul from Vermont for the next 45 minutes, basically not even play his cards as he was trying to stack the chips. He had nearly $3500 or so, primarily in $5 chips with some $1 chips too try to organize them. He had the entire corner covered in chips! The players to his right and left would try to help him, but everytime he would get one or two stacks of 20 stacked up, as he was trying to make another stack he would knock them down. It was unbelievable. Over and over again. Finally, the dealer through much table prodding called the floor manager over and insisted that we color up Paul from Vermont’s stack. He stayed about 30-40 minutes and gave back some, but cashed out with a tidy profit for the night.
I will be blogging some more of the fun from my trip as my battery gets re-charged, but it was an excellent week of poker in Vegas for me.
Let the suck outs begin!
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Houston Poker Raid Gets 15 arrests; More Raids Planned
Houston Poker Raid Gets 15 arrests; More Raids Planned
Slideshow: http://www.khou.com/perl/common/slideshow/sspop.pl?recid=5732&nextimage=0
Video: http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1227708234
Those arrested were people who police said were dealers in the poker room.
HPD's Vice Division was so concerned about being able to get inside what they said was an illegal poker room, SWAT was called in to make sure the raid went off without a hitch.
This wasn’t an easy place to get into. The door was secured with locks and you had to have a special card to get in.
And a security company had been hired to watch the place from the outside.
Police tell us this was a place to play high dollar poker. Texas Hold 'Em poker to be exact.
A legal game if your playing at home among buddies and where the “house” isn’t taking a “rake” or a cut of the proceeds.
But if you're playing at a casino type establishment, where the house gets a cut of the money, well that's illegal gambling here in Texas.
Police arrested 15 people at the scene and the district attorney’s office charged them with engaging in organized crime. All of them were allegedly worked as dealers or game runners in the poker room.
Unlike the employees, the players were not taken into custody and many left quickly.
All of them were carrying subpoenas to appear before a Harris County grand jury.
HPD's vice division told 11 News it's undercover officers had been investigating the game room for more than a month.
They took us inside and showed us all the poker tables, cards and, of course, the money.
The place was set up like something you would see in Las Vegas.
After processing the scene, SWAT pulled out and so did the vice detectives.
But one of the last things they mentioned to 11 News was expect them to turn up somewhere else soon.
It’s unclear how many such poker rooms are operating in the Houston area, but investigators say “a lot.”
Slideshow: http://www.khou.com/perl/common/slideshow/sspop.pl?recid=5732&nextimage=0
Video: http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1227708234
Those arrested were people who police said were dealers in the poker room.
HPD's Vice Division was so concerned about being able to get inside what they said was an illegal poker room, SWAT was called in to make sure the raid went off without a hitch.
This wasn’t an easy place to get into. The door was secured with locks and you had to have a special card to get in.
And a security company had been hired to watch the place from the outside.
Police tell us this was a place to play high dollar poker. Texas Hold 'Em poker to be exact.
A legal game if your playing at home among buddies and where the “house” isn’t taking a “rake” or a cut of the proceeds.
But if you're playing at a casino type establishment, where the house gets a cut of the money, well that's illegal gambling here in Texas.
Police arrested 15 people at the scene and the district attorney’s office charged them with engaging in organized crime. All of them were allegedly worked as dealers or game runners in the poker room.
Unlike the employees, the players were not taken into custody and many left quickly.
All of them were carrying subpoenas to appear before a Harris County grand jury.
HPD's vice division told 11 News it's undercover officers had been investigating the game room for more than a month.
They took us inside and showed us all the poker tables, cards and, of course, the money.
The place was set up like something you would see in Las Vegas.
After processing the scene, SWAT pulled out and so did the vice detectives.
But one of the last things they mentioned to 11 News was expect them to turn up somewhere else soon.
It’s unclear how many such poker rooms are operating in the Houston area, but investigators say “a lot.”
Friday, October 05, 2007
Poker Tourneys Can be a Real Gamble
Copied from EARTHtimes.org
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/115634.html
RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 28
Poker tournaments organizers are gambling they won't be forced to fold in North Carolina, banking on poker's popularity trumping the state's gaming laws.
Recently, two Texas Hold 'Em tourneys in the Raleigh area had opposite results, even though both violated North Carolina's gambling laws, the News & Observer in Raleigh reported. One folded early when officers stormed the building and arrested participants; the other went to the final round.
"You have got to be so careful," said Dean Ogan of Rocky Top Hospitalities, who told the newspaper his company checks with the state's Alcohol Law Enforcement agency before sponsoring a tournament. "There are so many laws and stipulations."
According to North Carolina law, people operating a game of chance or who bets on a game of chance involving cash, property or anything of value is guilty of a misdemeanor, no matter the reason.
One county attorney told the News & Observer he uses "common sense" when deciding whether to prosecute games of chance, and considers whether the tourney is a charitable fundraiser or simply to fill seats in a restaurant or bar.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/115634.html
Copied from EARTHtimes.org
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/115634.html
RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 28
Poker tournaments organizers are gambling they won't be forced to fold in North Carolina, banking on poker's popularity trumping the state's gaming laws.
Recently, two Texas Hold 'Em tourneys in the Raleigh area had opposite results, even though both violated North Carolina's gambling laws, the News & Observer in Raleigh reported. One folded early when officers stormed the building and arrested participants; the other went to the final round.
"You have got to be so careful," said Dean Ogan of Rocky Top Hospitalities, who told the newspaper his company checks with the state's Alcohol Law Enforcement agency before sponsoring a tournament. "There are so many laws and stipulations."
According to North Carolina law, people operating a game of chance or who bets on a game of chance involving cash, property or anything of value is guilty of a misdemeanor, no matter the reason.
One county attorney told the News & Observer he uses "common sense" when deciding whether to prosecute games of chance, and considers whether the tourney is a charitable fundraiser or simply to fill seats in a restaurant or bar.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/115634.html
Copied from EARTHtimes.org
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Do I look like that Woman in Total recall??
Last night's activity at the Juice's Game: Full table, heavy action, great food, hot porn, and NO CHARLES! Even though the loss was heavy and hit hard in the pocket book, I still feel like a winner because I don't look like the "Bald Wonder!" That being said: Rick again earned his daily dose of all in pork chop to the Juice! Dean became Charles - he watched his chips like he watches little boys at the playground, strong chip preserve! Eli became Charles and made a mad dash for the door except he forgot to take his chips. Chad loves the cock. Big Dave enjoyed having the big stack all night, gloating like a well feed mule until Rick took away the hay! Superplayer found yet another excuse why he is losing?? All in all, it was a great night at the table not having to See no Charles, Hear no Charles, Speak no Charles!!
The Juice
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