My 10 Golden Rules of Poker

For those of you that may be new to the game of Poker, I have made up ten thoroughly comprehensive commandments to follow at your local game. Following these rules will ensure you a tidy profit and hours of fun!

1 - Never Fold Aces. Ever.
No one can possibly make a pair higher than yours, so you have no reason to fold! That jackass raising you on the JhTh9h board is putting you exactly on what you have, two black aces, and that bastard is going to try to bluff you out of the pot you rightly claimed with your under-the-gun limp! Nothing says strength like the UTG limp with aces, and there's no way you're beat here! ALL IN! This rule leads us into number two!

2- Never fold Kings. Ever.
6-way flop with a board of A 6 2? Three's a 0% chance anyone has an ace. Call any and all bets down and pump your fist after the showdown. Remember, poker players are deceitful, so if they is an ace on the board, they're just trying to trick you into making you fold! Shovel it baby! Rules one and two are sort of a corollary to rule number three...

3- Never fold top pair, top kicker.
Of course you're going to play any ace for any amount pre-flop, and when you dominate the flop 9 5 5 with A9, there is no sense in folding. That butt-pirate in sunglasses who made it $50 pre-flop is just continuation betting. Like the song says, you gotta know when to Hold'em, and know when to Hold'em longer!

4- Pot odds ALWAYS favor your flush draw.
You could read Theorm of Poker for this, but I'll spell it out here...never fold your flush draw. There's $8 in the pot, you flop a beautiful 7-high flush draw on a 988 board. One of them jackass players from Duke open pushes all in for 3,200, and accidentally flips over his measly pocket pair of 9's. He has three nines and is going to pay you off when you hit! Do the Math! 3200/8 = 97.4% chance of completing your flush. Ship it!

5- Drink copious amounts of alcohol while playing.
Tom Cruise will suddenly appear and tell you everyone's hole cards. After 10 shots of tequila, L. Ron Hubbard's spirit will enter the dealer and give you pocket aces every time so you NEVER have to fold!

6- Supplement your bankroll by mortgaging your house.
In this time of economic strength and the housing market at an all-time high, take out some equity in your home to play poker. Bring 20k to your friendly 1-2 game and never fold. The odds will crush your opponents and you'll walk away $400 richer! Nothing says Economic Stimulus like non-taxable income!

7- Educate your fellow players.
Someone call you down with middle pair and cost you a big pot when you were trying to represent the nuts?!? Let them know! Because you have special Tom Cruise powers, they should never have the audacity to think you're bluffing! You have a wide variety of words to chose from. Try Donkey, Nit, Idiot, lactating hermaphroditic hamster, and smelly yellow discharge from a polar bears butt! It's your responsibility to make this world a better poker playing place.

8- Whenever you lose, it's a bad beat
And whenever you win against that other nit's AA, it's "poker justice". After all, no player can expect to beat you with any sensible consistency. Hit your gutshot on the river? Stand up, pump your first, and ask him IF IT HURT!!!!

9- Each runner runner draw is +20% to your chances of winning.
If you think you completely missed the flop, look again! That lone spade on the board is your ticket to a monster! Call any and all bets with any 3 to a flush or three to a strait!

and finally....

10- Start your own game!
Bring all the donkeys to your house, and make money the easy way, RAK(P)E them! Everyone knows the acceptable limit to a house rake is 40% of each pot with more than one player involved. For advanced tactics, develop your card mechanic skills and deliver cooler after cooler! A few hours of hearty fun and all your friends will go home laughing and broke while you work towards paying off all those court costs!


Hope this helps everyone play better poker!

The Original Poker Movie

BBV TPJ Style

For most of you I would assume that you have no idea what BBV is but then again maybe most of you do. For those who don't. BBV stands for Brag, Beat Variance. If you ever go to 2+2 Forums, you'll see a BBV section which is full of graphs about guys bragging about how much money they've made each month, bad beats, posted hands and some hilarious stories. For the real action, mostly not poker related, BBV4Life is great. Pics and topics of just about anything you could think of. So let's bring it to the blog one time.


Brag: Starting to turn a very nice profit with Razz now that I switched over to Stars and left FullTilt

Beat: Need to find new employment quick. Going on commission for sales when residential market is starting to tighten up, er.. tank for more expensive products like the one I sale for new construction (one of the most energy efficient, safest, most durable products on the construction market today...precast concrete wall panels, the right choice for your next home!). foreseeable financial stability, -EV.....HUGE -EV!!!

Variance: There still is a chance I can hit the lottery....or someone reading this has a position open. Any position.

----------------

Razz- from the start of this year, I have been really focusing on Razz at FullTilt b/c I really thought I had the advantage. It was only break even poker at the 2/4 HU tables and I hated the full ring games there. The only way I put in over 2k hands at .25/.50 was sitting and then leaving after more then three players sat down. Another issue with FT is the antes. The rake pisses me off also but now that I have a rakeback, its not as bad but it stil sucks. Think about it, if you play FT where the antes are nearly twice, and some cases are, as much as PS, then you're behind even if you win the same amount on both sites. $0.25 doesn't seem like much but when you play so many hands and hour/day/month/year....your profit is cut and I've finally have realized its not about how many pots you can win each session but how much you can win in each pot! Maybe I should post that quote from Mike Caro. So then I decided to go back to PokerStars where the fish are plenty and try my best to stay away from Triple Draw (which I haven't been doing a very good job of mind you....I love that game so much). Since playing on PS, I've taken my tiny deposit of $25 and rolled up to close to $400 and just two days. Why not more you ask... triple draw is the devil's game and a each time I built up some scratch I would venture over there a few times loosing 7 pots, count it, SEVEN pots with either 765 vs 764 or 86 vs 85. So sick. A few buyins of $25 here, $50 there, it adds up quick to deplete a small bankroll. Overall my stats are horrible but that's b/c of FT. PS is running pretty decent so far. See:

I was sick when I had to end my 2/4 game during lunch today and I was another +$100 for the 3/6 game until I took a brutal beat when we were capping it just about every street and when I had a made 6543A on 5th street and he bricked 5th & 6th only to cut me with a 64 on 7th. I didn't tilt which was a show of just how much I'm growing here lately as a player. The action was incredible but that's how it goes. Its a start in the right direction and once I'm able to put in another 1k hands tonight, I hope to be running steady at 4-5BB/100 building a very nice roll quickly and by the weekend should be a regular at the 2/4 & 3/6 tables. I would be there now but I can't stand playing one or two tables and I have to play six in order for me to stay focused and zoned into everything that is going on and so far I'm getting some very solid results for doing so. My goal is to play smart and I would really like to have my 5k in hands before the weekend but that means I can't play or deal at the local games. As for FT, I'm done for now until the FTOPS starts up in February and the Razz event on Feb 14th. Shows you how much FT thinks of Razz, they put it on Valentine's Day. Then again, first place pays out at least $35k so its worth a try. Now if I can only find a stable job.... Feel free to email me with any opportunities or if you would like to know more about the exciting future of precast concrete and how we can save you money and time or your new home....

EuropeanPokerTour - Poker with an accent.....

Cary O8 Pot Limit

It was the first time in a couple of weeks that I have played in Cary and it was a juicy night.... All the usual suspects plus a couple of new guys "to me" anyways.... Daniel, who I gathered plays mostly online and Theron (sp.?) who came in late and I only played a few hands with before I cashed out... There was one monster pot, the biggest pot of the night before I left anyways. And it was sort of interesting in that I was in late position with Ad, 2c, 4d, 6c when I believe two guys managed to get all of their chips in pre-flop (I think it was Super Playa and Chad). They only had about $100-$150 so from late position with a stack of chips in front of me it was a pretty easy call. The flop missed me completely, but by the time it got to me Big Dave was all in and now it's just another $165 to see the turn. The flop was Kh, Jd, 5s. I know it's runner/runner, but (as Rick pointed out earlier in the evening), I did have a flush draw on the flop. So I call and the turn is a low diamond. Now I've got all kinds of outs.... I think it was the 4d. There is a bet from someone (it was all kind of running together at this point) of about $150 and I can't wait to get my chips in the pot. This pot is up around $2800 or so and there's like 4 people already all in. It checks to me and I over bet hoping that someone will think that I missed and am trying to steal it.... no such luck. Everyone folds. Still, a very nice pot. If I had it to do over again... I probably would have bet about $500 or so to see if someone else had anything. Oh well... next time... which is tonight by the way.....

poker with the juice....

Let the suck outs begin!

Top 8 Poker Etiquette Rules.....LOL...yea right

Top 8 Poker Etiquette Rules from about.com with my 2 cents worth

1. Don’t Play Out of Turn

While you may be so excited about how good your hand is you can hardly wait to raise the pot, you have to wait until it's your turn to do so. Same goes for folding hands you can't wait to get away from. If you jump the gun, it gives other players information they shouldn't have before they make their own decision and can confuse the action.

As we always say "Order is just a suggestion"

2. Don't Talk About Your Cards While the Hand is Still Going On

Once you've folded, it's tempting to chat about what would have happened if you had stayed in, but if anyone who's still in the hand hears, it'll give them information that they might use to their advantage. For instance, if you had a 7-2 as your pocket cards in Hold'em and the flop comes 7-7-2, if you blurt out that you would have had a full house, everyone will know that it's unlikely that any player still in the hand has the full house, making it hard to bluff and represent that hand.

If you can't talk about your hand, what else is there to lie about? Or am I really lieing? Hmmmm. Btw, I think the writer could have come up with a much better example b/c if the flop does come 772 and you say you have a full house, who's going to believe you, it's the perfect hand to tell the truth about and get paid off on.

3. Don't Show Your Cards (Until the Showdown)

When you fold, make sure you don't flash or flip over your cards as you toss them into the muck. Again, if players know what you fold, it'll give them information that may change how the rest of the hand plays out. Unless you are all-in and heads up, there is no reason to show or expose your cards until the showdown.

Are you kidding me? I agree with the first part, but I'm showing cards every chance I get to confuse people in a hand. There IS a reason to show your cards.

4. Don't Splash the Pot.

There are two bad betting habits that you see a lot in the movies which are no-nos in real life. The first is when a player tosses his bet in a big mess in the center of the pot. That's called Splashing the Pot, and it makes it hard to tell how much you've bet. A better way is just to stack your chips neatly in front of you to bet.

In my club and I will splash the pot whenever the f^

5. Don't Make String Bets

The second bad habit from movies is the string bet, which is when a player goes "I'll call your 500.... and raise another 1000!" You have to declare whether you're simply calling or raising right away -- once you say "call," that's all you can do. If you're going to raise, say raise and the amount right away. This is especially important in casinos.

Why is this such a hard concept to understand? We have one guy is horrible about this but he's so bad that we've gotten used to it, and allow it most of the time b/c he a gimme to loose a few hundred each time he plays. Of course, this is also the same guy who brings the game to a halt since we have to wait 2 minutes ever hand for him to look at his cards....so frustrating.

6. Don't Be Rude or Mean

Even if you're having a bad losing streak, it doesn't give you the right to curse other players or be rude to the dealer. It will win you neither pots nor friends.

Sorry, I was on the floor laughing at this one for the past 5 minutes before I could type. Umm, yea, not being rude.... that'll be the day. LMAO-It will win you neither pots nor friends- classic

7. If You Show One, Show All

If you win a hand before the showdown but want to show your cards anyway, you can't just show them to the one player to your left or right, you have to turn them up for the whole table to see. After all, why should only the lucky players next to you get to know what you were holding?

This "rule" is blown so out of proportion. You can and should be able to just show certain people out the table 1 or both cards dependent upon the situation especially to the player that you just beat out of money. On top of that, its a cash game so you can pretty much do just about anything you want anyways. Just b/c they see it done a certain way on TV in a tournament they assume that it must be done that way at home. Getting off my soapbox now.

8. Do Pay Attention

If you're in a hand, don't make everyone remind you that it's your turn -- keep up with the action so the game keeps moving. Talking on cell phones is a bad idea.

LMAO...keeping the game moving. We have 2 human stop signs at some of the games. When the action stops it's on JJ or Coach....every time.

High Stakes Poker

Friday PLO8 in Cary

JC, who apparently has not yet mastered the intracacies of the computer keyboard, has asked me to pass on the following info: The Friday game will start at 7:00pm from this point on. Please (that's me talking, you know JC would never say please...) be there as close to 7:00pm as possible. See ya there...

Quagmire - Let's Get It On

High Stakes Poker - Get the Monkey!

Educational Programming......

Bad All in + Bad Call = Monster Pot

I would take about me but I really don't feel like admitting I made an $600 mistake by laying down the nut straight on the turn in NLO8 Sunday b/c there were 3 all ins before me and I thought at best I would only quarter. Well, let's review that hand anyway now that I have it on my mind. We're playing 5 handed NLO8 and this hand comes up. I'm on the button with the but straight of 6 high, the board I was something like 2h3s9c6s. UTG goes all in and both players behind him call with one folding. So I have the nut straight on the turn but the way I figure it was that Dusty had the A4 and flush draw for the low, JJ had a bad low w/ 2 pair maybe and Frank has the straight w/ possible flush cards and a redraw to a higher straight. I think for a second and lay it down thinking that I'm really not a favorite in that spot and would effectively be loosing money by going all in and possibly loosing everything if the flush hits. I'm still not sure about that play. Its so easy to sit back and say I should have called b/c a blank came on the river and I actually would have scooped a very healthy pot that would quadrupled me up (damn pots odds probably required me to call and if I had my balls with me and not here at the house I would have made that call). But I didn't b/c I forgot that sometimes I over analyze a hand and the situation and make -EV laydowns where I have great equity in the pot. But realize that a locks player made a beg bet in first position, a wild man made the call, and a very solid player also insta-called...what was I to think? If $500 was in the pot and I have $140 to call which gives me 3.5:1 for the call and if I'm at convinced that I'm at best getting quartered in that spot I'm putting $140 to win $20 but if a flush comes I loose all of my stack. I'm a puss.. I know. But that's not the hand I really wanted to talk about. This is....

The two biggest stacks at the table are NB and Coach who both have in excess of $500 when this hand comes up. Again we're playing NLO8 and the board is 5xQxTxTx. Now that I think about it, they both have well over $500 when on the turn which meant that they started off with more preflop. Anyway, Coach which is the tightest and most boring, and whiniest player in NC pushed all in on the turn. NB, who is a true gambler, insta-calls KNOWING he's beat and only had 1 out. Now what puzzles me is why would Coach ever push all in when he has the pocket Qs giving him Q's full and the only hand that would, normally, ever call is quads? I mean WTF? Either value bet to entice a reraise or check it to let the other player catch up. It was by far the worst play of the day....except for the fact that he was called! NB had to know that Coach had him crushed. Before they even turn the cards up, everyone at the table said that Coach had Qs full. WE all knew it, even NB knew it but he "had" to call since he had QT giving him T's full. Now I know what some of you good players are thinking. Coach knows NB well enough that he knew that if he pushed the NB would call. BS. Coach played that hand like an idiot and was lucky enough that NB had a full house and was willing to make a horrible call knowing he was beat but NB has never, nor will never make a hard laydown in his life. He would have laid down every other hand possible but Coach could have showed him his cards and NB still would have called out of principle. I'd be bragging about how great I am to make such a tough lay down. Anyway, so I'm dealing and by this time I'm pretty much fed up with Coach's whining and complaining and locked down style and I give him the KOD (kiss of death) for Omaha. I say "Well Coach, there's only one card that can beat you so nice hand." And I burn and turn up the card and just stare at it because it was that only card that would have ever give NB the win. The case 10 giving NB a $1200 pot and gave the rest of the table an empty seat b/c coach was gone before we all were done laughing. I'll be honest though, I didn't feel bad for Coach for a split second. Now I like him as a person but I have really grown to hate playing with him. All he did all day long was complain about how long everyone was taking only to take f'ing 30 seconds to fold each hand but the 5 he plays all day long. And then he sits there and runs his mouth complaining and never shuts up about how much he has lost even though he's always up the vast majority of the time b/c he never plays a hand. When he wins he gives a speech, when he loses he gives a speech, when he folds he gives a speech. Of course now we're going to hear for the next three months about how he lost $1200 yesterday even though he only bought in for $200!

High Stakes Poker Season 4 - Duck Butter Raise!

Family Guy Funny Moments Part 1

Stewie Griffin Meets Wall Street

It's time for you to blog....

I know its not a huge number but right now we're averaging between 100-175 fresh new hits to the blog site per day and for some peculiar reason, we're getting the same group of guys willing to step up and tell us about their donkey plays and their great ones of course. Well, I'm hoping that some of you will take this invitation to belly-up and share your poker hands and stories with the group!

Come on... it won't hurt long!

Movie Review....3:10 to Yuma

This is actually poker related, well not really but I'll explain that in a minute, but first....this was an awesome movie. Last night at the game, which I talk about tomorrow, we starting talking about movies out right now and this one came up so while at Target tonight I went ahead and bought it. I love Tombstone and this movie ranks right up there with greatest "westerns" ever. Not nearly as quotable as Tombstone but has far more action in it and very intense drama. Yuma is now the second greatest "western" movie, behind only to Tombstone. Go out and watch it, you'll love it! Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are great and the gun fight seen at the end is incredible.

Now for the poker related item (not really but hey, why not ad this bit of trivia in the write up)...... you're going to see an attractive blond in the movie that we've all seen before. Some of you die hards my get it right of the bat, others will have to think about it even though she really hasn't changed much in 9 yrs. What other great movie was she in? Rounders. Yep, that's Jo (Mike's girlfriend for those of you who don't watch the movie weekly like myself) Imo she looks better now at 35 then she did then.

Isn't this write up better then me whining about me going broke to a donk catching a straight on the turn after I flop a set of As on the flop last night?

Fellow PPA Member, join our 2008 PPA State Director Program

Dear Fellow PPA Member,
Happy New Year! Please read this important email. Poker needs you!

2008 will be a critical year for poker. The success and momentum we built together in 2007 must continue into a more vocal and mobilized grassroots efforts this year. We cannot move forward without broad support and active involvement from our members. With that in mind, I am pleased to extend to you an invitation to become a State Director for the Poker Players Alliance.

I can tell you from my own political experience that there is no more important mission for the PPA than to have a strong, vocal and coordinated grassroots effort. With 2008 being a major election year, it is even more pressing that the PPA become a player in the key battleground states and districts.

We are taking steps to empower our State Directors. Currently we have state directors in 30 states, but this important component of our organization will not be complete until every state in the Union is fully represented. State Directors are volunteer positions. You will not be compensated monetarily for your work; however, neither will you be expected to incur any expenses of your own. We are expanding the program so that there are multiple representatives from each state. And then, with guidance and support from the PPA, State Directors will engage in activities at the local and national level that are aimed at building the organization while promoting and defending the great game of poker.

These activities will include:

**Training from grassroots professionals who will teach you grassroots tactics and share ideas
Active recruitment of new PPA members
**Direct communications with the thousands of PPA members in your state
**Organizing local events/poker tournaments to promote the PPA and/or raise monies for charity
**Participation in local political events and arranging meetings between poker players and elected officials
**Engaging in PPA national initiatives such as our planned voter registration campaign

PPA State Directors will also receive access to special events planned for the 2008 World Series of Poker and in Washington D.C. You will also be given recognition on the PPA Web site and in leading poker publications. State Directors will be the frontline in the fight for poker. Your fellow poker players will know you are a leader in the fight to protect the great game.

If you are interested in becoming more actively involved in the PPA, please apply today to be a State Director by filling out this simple online application (https://ppa-application.dabbledb.com/page/ppa-application/TBGQnKiq). Current PPA State Directors needn’t apply again. The submission period ends on Monday, January 28th. The PPA will review all applications and selections will be made in early February.

Again, a strong a viable State Directors program will be a major thrust of the PPA’s efforts in 2008. I hope you will consider applying for these important positions.

Proud to Play Poker,

Alfonse D'Amato,

ChairmanPoker Players Alliance

Double Nuts!

Nope, its not some gay porn buffet item.... although the Juice would like to think so. It is the sweetest proclamation possible from anyone who likes to play the high/low split games. It is a proclamation I've had the pleasure of announcing for my own hands only a few rare times although I'd seen tricky-ricky get it several times a night. Elli wrote the book on it! And although I haven't seen him in some time, Elvie seemed to get the double nuts quite often.

However I've been the very thankful recipient of the double nuts about 5 times over the past week to 10 days. Now that I've tried it, I think I'll get it more often.... so look out boys, there's a new sheriff in town. And his name is Reggie Hammond. Sorry... got hung up in the movie.

Let the suck outs begin!

Atlantic City Outlook for 2008

Atlantic City's facelift to begin in 2008
By Mel Evans, AP

Part of the way Atlantic City is dealing with the revenue downturn is by adding hotel rooms. Three new casino hotel towers will open this year, adding more than 2,500 rooms to a city where it can be difficult to book a room at a casino hotel on a weekend.

ATLANTIC CITY (AP) - In the facelift that will gradually transform the way Atlantic City looks, 2008 promises to be the year the surgery begins.

The new year will see three new hotel towers open, the Tropicana Casino and Resort will get a new owner, work will pick up on a new $2 billion casino, details on yet another new casino will be unveiled, and gambling halls may finally start to recover from the beating that out-of-state slots parlors put on them last year.

It's an era of change in Atlantic City, as it struggles to reinvent itself as a hipper, national destination resort, and to fight off competition from New York and Pennsylvania slots parlors.
"My only fear is that with all that happens in '08, there's not a lull in '09 and 10," said Kim Townsend, CEO of Pinnacle Atlantic City, which will build a new $1.5 billion to $2 billion casino on the site of the former Sands Casino Hotel, which it imploded last October.

"The momentum of this type of progress is important to changing Atlantic City into a full-fledged destination," she added.

Figures to be released Thursday will formalize what everyone here knew since about last March: that 2007 was a year best forgotten in terms of casino revenue. It will go down as the first in the 30-year history of casino gambling here that revenues did not increase from the previous year.

That's due largely to out-of-state slots parlors cutting into the most profitable part of casinos' revenue base, and stealing customers who for decades have belonged exclusively to Atlantic City. A partial smoking ban that restricts patrons from lighting up 75% of the casino floor didn't help, either.

Many observers expect the overall decline in revenue to be in the range of 4% to 5% for the year.

Part of the way Atlantic City is dealing with the revenue downturn is by adding hotel rooms. Three new casino hotel towers will open this year, adding more than 2,500 rooms to a city where it can be difficult to book a room at a casino hotel on a weekend.

The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa will open its Water Club tower with 800 rooms and a host of amenities; Harrah's is opening a second tower with 941 rooms, and the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort is adding nearly 800 more in its second tower.

Construction work will pick up this year on the $2 billion ocean-themed Revel casino at the end of the Boardwalk next to the Showboat. And by spring, Pinnacle Entertainment will reveal details about its Atlantic City casino.

The new casinos, and expansions of old ones, encourages Joe Corbo, president of the Casino Association of New Jersey.

"This is establishing a favorable cycle in which success begets additional investment and further success," he said. "This is reminiscent of the incredible winning streak that Las Vegas has enjoyed for the last generation."

The Tropicana will soon have a new owner. The state Casino Control Commission stripped its previous owners, Columbia Sussex Corp. of their license last month, ruling that they did not have the ability to run the type of first-class facility required by New Jersey law. More than 900 job cuts led to embarrassing revelations about cleanliness and service levels at the casino, which includes the state's largest hotel at 2,129 rooms.

A state-appointed conservator is fielding offers from more than a half-dozen potential buyers, and a sale could be made within a few weeks.

What else might happen in Atlantic City this year?

There has long been talk of yet another new casino project on land next to the Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort, but no plans have been unveiled. And the city and state are studying the possibility of allowing casino development at Bader Field, nearly 150 acres of undeveloped land that used to be an airport.

Benyamine vs Negreanu .....when a bluff goes bad

Poker After Dark - Betting with nothing....

Whoever heard of such a thing?

HIGH STAKES POKER - Esfandiari

Poker After Dark

Whoever heard of confrontation at a poker table? Hmmmm.....

Suggestions to speed up the game....

I know that practically every game.... yep, every game has that player that seems to take way too much times on practically every card, every bet, every call, every action.... unfortunately for me.... we've got about 3 in our game. I won't name names but you know who you are..... I realize that there is some value in taking time to make certain that you are making the right play. Oh, if I could only slow down some times. I know that in some instances I make the play way too fast. I guess the Juice is right... I am an action junkie. And slow is not good for someone who really wants action! It seems that every time I try to make suggestions at the game, it ticks someone off at the table so I thought that I might do it here so that you can read them without the pressure of everyone at the table waiting for you to act..... LOL.

At any rate, here are a few ideas that might speed up the game just a little and it would give you plenty of time to consider your action in those circumstances where it is justified. Well, here you go....

1) Don't wait until its your turn to look at your cards. I know that the poker pros say wait, but they haven't been in our game. Go ahead, take a peek. No one else is paying any attention to you. They're dealing with their own crappy cards.

2) When you do look at them, go ahead and look.... don't peek one card at a time, Dean.... oops... I shouldn't have said that.... LOL.

3) If you are going to bet $70 into a $50 pot, at least have given the idea that someone is going to raise your bet $250ish some thought, Bill.... oops... I shouldn't have said that.... LOL.

4) When you are definitely calling the $300 bet and you plan on counting out the 60 $5 chips to make the call around and over your stacks of $25 and $100 chips at least announce that you're calling so that the action can move around the table while you stack up the 60 $5 chips, Elli.... damn it, I shouldn't have said that.... LOL.

5) Whatever you do, don't distract Bill.... he is very focused, but its just not on whatever it will take to speed up the game.

6) And then you've got the story-teller.... always sharing some war-story about the good 'ol days when we all thought that something we said or did was actually somehow important. I like to hear them too, but just don't let them slow up the game, Juice.... crap... did it again.

These are just a few suggestions that I put together pretty quickly. I know that you have some other ideas and I would really encourage you to share them with the group either by commenting on this particular blog entry or by creating your own. I look forward with great anticipation to your next move, hopefully it'll be pretty quick.

So, let the suck outs begin!

Where did the weekend go?

Well, I've heard of "all-nighters" before, but this was pretty unbelievable.... First of all, I went down to the Omaha 8 Pot Limit to donk off my usual amount and played till about 3 in the morning on Friday night.... got into bed around 5am or so and got up at 8:30am... about 2-3 hours sleep. Nice! Have a normal Saturday and then show up at the Juice's game around 7pm Saturday night to play Omaha 8 No Limit.... the absolute craziest action game that I've ever been a part of in my life! There have been 2 times out of the last 5 games that on the very first hand with $500 buy-ins in front of each player... practically every one at the game is all-in pre-flop! So there you go.... need I say anymore?

Well, this was not an unusual start.... the Juice busted out the other four players at the table TWICE each in the first half hour. One of the bust-outs happened in one hand for practically everyone there! The Juice really likes it when he (he gets just as excited about it when someone else does it too) takes every one's chips at the table in one hand and everybody else has to re-buy.... he just loves it! This night was going to be special.... I could tell!

So somewhere around 4 or so the Juice has to leave for some family holiday crap and the entire table does NOT want to quit... so after much tongue-lashing (which I think he thoroughly enjoyed) he agreed to let me deal and let the game carry on.... so on we played.... and played.... and played.... we dropped the first guy around 4pm on Sunday! The game finally broke up around 7pm Sunday evening.... I know you've got stories of longer games, but this one was my record.... only one other time came close for me. Rick and I continued playing at Corey's house one night from a 9pm start, the rest left somewhere around 5am and we wrapped up with a horrible boat against boat hand in heads up hold'em at 4pm the next day! We're junkies! What can I say....

So I get a call from the Juice this afternoon telling me that not only can I not play poker, but I can't count either... the bags short. So we're getting together today to figure exactly where the "missing" dollars are.... I didn't tell him yet that our last hand of the night... we took half the rake and played one hand of O8 Showdown....

We didn't really, but we did talk about it.... so till next time ---- let the suck outs begin!

Omaha Explained

What you do is get four cards. Doesn't matter much what they are because nobody really looks at them anyway. Next, they put three cards on the board. It doesn't matter what they are because nobody really pays any attention to the flop either. Then one more card for the turn and another one for the river. Same betting scenario as before. Doesn't really matter much what they are, except, for a few of the players that may have "cheated" and looked at their hole cards. These players may now fold if they have absolutely no outs. (Mostly bad sports.) Now, at the showdown, everybody turns over their cards and helps the dealer figure out who has the best hand. You MUST play two cards out of your hand so this usually takes a while and the winning hand is usually found out after a little bit of searching by all of the players and a partially confused dealer. The dealer now pushes the pot to the wrong player and everybody yells at him and he smiles glibly and says, "Oh yeah, sorry" and then sends it in the right direction. Then, after all of that excitement dies down, everybody lets out a collective sigh of relief and gets ready to wind up and do it all over again. Fun game.

Boat vs Boat

"Juicy" Diaries (and the Difference Between Men & Women...)

Jamie's Diary:

Tonight I thought Dave was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a bar to have a drink. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset at the fact that I was a little bit late, but he made no comment. Conversation wasn't flowing so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed but he kept quiet and absent. I asked him what was wrong; he said nothing. I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said it had nothing to do with me and not to worry. On the way home I told Dave that I loved him, he simply smiled and kept driving. I can't explain his behavior. I don't know why he didn't say "I love you too." When we got home I felt as if I had lost him, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there and watched TV. He seemed distant and absent. Finally, I decided to go to bed. About 10 minutes later Dave came to bed, and to my surprise he responded to my caress and we made love, but I still felt that he was distracted and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep - I cried. I don't know what to do. I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster!

Dave's Diary:

I lost $4,200 playing poker today, but at least I got laid.

HIGH STAKES POKER -Double Straddle- Elezra vs. Farha

HIGH STAKES POKER - What is an Action Player?

Like I needed to check this out to know.... LOL. I see them every week!

The Juice Re-Incarnate!

HIGH STAKES POKER Daniel Negreanu

All In!!

That phrase was said at least once every 3 hands. That is no, and I mean no exaggeration. I witness the sickest NL game in history last night/ this morning and there are far too many hands to go through. I played great. I mean I was so focused, patient and on my game like never before....but I still got busted. The game was the loosest that it has ever been with some massive stacks for a 1/2 game. I mean massive. The average pot was $400-$600 and the smallest pot for the entire 9 hours I was there was $80 with about 5th or 6th pot was at least a thousand dollars...for a freaking 1/2 game! The sharks come from all over to play just because of one player, HG. I think he just read Super System where Brunson talks about putting pressure on other players and bullying them around. He took that advice to heart. If he had any pair or any runner runner draw, he went all in. The worst part is that he hit a streak where he won just about everyone on the river. His stack was absolutely massive. If he had a pair verses someone's two pair, either he would pair his hole card or the board would pair giving him a miracle higher two pair. My big hand against him was extremely sick. I had played great. I mean I was at the top of my game. I had worked my way up to $800 over the first couple of hours after buying in for $200 so I was feeling good. The standard raise was up to $20 preflop on every hand for HG and there was a few players in so I was in a good spot to call with 8h 4h. The flop came Jd 4d 4c. Perfect! I led out betting $60 and Frank raised $100 when, like clockwork, HG said ALL IN! He by far had us both covered and I insta-called. Frank thought about it for a little bit which was great since he didn't have Js full so I figured he had the flush draw. Frank finally folds and HG turns of 4s 2d....$20 preflop with 42 offsuite, typical HG style. The turn comes a 9d which gives him a flush draw and what comes on the river..... 7d. How much bad luck can I have? The worst part is that he should no class about winning the pot and just how lucky his was. Losing is one thing but losing to someone who acts like they played the hand great and "deserved" the win is useless to me. They worst part is that he ended up losing it all back and much, much more before we had to cut the game off at 6:30 this morning. I rebought in but with such a small chip stake vs the massive stacks around the table, it was a wasted effort and HG ended up putting the final nail in my night when I hit a Q on the flop for top pair vs his 5 for a bottom pair, I'm all in and he catches a 3 to give him two on the river. Just sickening. Oh well. I wanted to play against him tonight b/c he is so horrible and such a luckbox. I'm just pissed that he donked it off to the two tightest players at the table who do not give any action what so ever unless they have locks on the hand.

I played great, put myself in the right spots where I a huge favorite each time but I just was lucky enough to win. Maybe next week will be better. Next year has great potential and I am really looking forward to wiping the slate clean and starting over.

Hope everyone has a good Christmas!

Getting ready to play again...

I've been reading alot of Mike Caro's articles and books lately and although I think there are far better strategy books out there, his thoughts and ideas about the psychology behind when and why you should be playing has really helped me lately. Right now, I think I have perspective on everything and I really have some lofty goals and guidelines for next year. This year started off horrible, and I mean horrible, but the second half of the year has shown great progress but lackluster results. It's not going to be easy but I have implemented new guidelines to my online and live play such as a set number of hands before moving up, keeping notes, controlling emotions, limited time playing, limiting number of tables online, only playing when focused, reviewing each session to learn from mistakes and find improvement. All of these points are ones that the top players do and why not learn from them. In others words, I'm planning on doing the opposite of what I do right now!

Believe it or not, one of my biggest goals is to take a shot at the Raleigh game I read so much about, although I know that I must really focus improving my NLO8 game b/c you guys will crush me right now b/c it would be scared money playing. But its a reasonable and achievable goal none the less. I can hear you smacking your lips right now saying "Come on up here. It's no big deal. Have a sit next to me. Would you like something to drink?" And then a few hours later, "It was nice meeting you. Sorry about that tough beat your just took. Look forward to seeing you next week though." I can even hear the comments after I've left broke, "Man, that guy sucks! Nice guy but what was he thinking calling down with that trash? I really hope he comes back next week, I sure could use another flat screen TV."

Oh well, it all starts over again tomorrow night. I haven't played at the game in a month now and I'm really looking forward to it. The game is running thin and tight which should be great for me. Guess you'll find out on Friday.....

What will $7 billion by you?

An entire city it appears. This project by MGM is simply amazing.

http://www.citycenter.com/default.aspx

High Stakes Poker Jamie Gold Explains HIS play!

Very nice....

It was the COOLER night for me in Cary....

Well, for the second time in 30 days, I lost a tub of cash with the 2nd nut.... And, a couple of times, slow-played the nuts into better nuts! I guess I'm just not trainable....

The Dangers of Flirting

A couple was invited to a swanky masked, fancy dress Halloween party. The wife got a terrible headache! She told her husband to go to the party alone. He, being a devoted husband, protested, but she argued and said she was going to take some aspirin and go to bed and there was no need for his good time to be spoiled by not going. So he took his costume and away he went. The wife, after sleeping soundly for about an hour, awoke without pain and as it was still early, decided to go to the party.

Since her husband didn't know what her costume was, she thought she would have some fun by watching her husband to see how he acted when she was not with him. So she joined the party and soon spotted her husband in his costume, cavorting around on the dance floor, dancing with every hot woman he could and copping a little feel here and a little kiss there.

His wife went up to him and being a rather seductive babe herself, he left his new partner high and dry and devoted his time to her. She let him go as far as he wished, naturally, since he was her husband. After more drinks he finally whispered a little proposition in her ear and she agreed. So off they went to one of the cars and had passionate intercourse in the backseat. Just before unmasking at midnight, she slipped away and went home, put the costume away, and was sitting up reading when her husband came in.

She asked what kind of time he had.

"Oh, the same old thing. You know I never have a good time when you're not there." Then she asked, "Did you dance much?"

He replied, "I'll tell you, I never even danced once. When I got there, I met Pete, Bill Brown and some other guys, so we went into the spare room and played poker all evening."

"You must have looked really silly wearing that costume playing poker all night!" she said with unashamed sarcasm.

To which the husband replied, "Actually, I gave my costume to your Dad, apparently he had the time of his life!"

Famous Poker Quotes...

"My old pappy always used to say, there is no more deeply satisfying religious experience... than cheatin' on a cheater. "

Mel Gibson as Maverick from the movie Maverick

Vegas Trip!

Vegas during the week in December is about as dead as Vegas can get. Until the fight crowd got in on Thursday, the strip was pretty dead. However that didn't mean there wasn't some interesting pots.

The first night we decided to get pretty hammered at the Flamingo playing 1/2 NL hold'em. I discovered that my playing ability comes in waves as I drink. The first few drinks I'm fine, then as I get my buzz on I play really stupid and bad, then as I'm pretty tanked I actually start to play very, very good. The only hand i actually remember from that session was a $650 dollar pot when I got it all in with the nut flush vs the second nuts and coolered a young man from LA.

Wednesday we were off to the Venetian to play in their 8PM tournament. For a $190 fee (including employee's bonus add-on and $50 instant rebuy) you got T4500, 30 minute levels and the ideal blind progression starting at 25/50. I generally stay away from the low-buy in tournaments in vegas as most of them are crapshoots with no deepstack play whatsoever, but this tournament was very nice! A great table draw and excellent format favoring skill wasn't enough for me to survive much past the first break, however.

My arch nemesis, a local low-level semi-pro named Jake gave me the first of three beats very early on. I had built my chipstack to about T6500 a few minutes into the game when he opened the pot all-in for about 3200 chips. I looked down at TT and make the call. He tables 88 and I'm way ahead, but the flop of 8 7 3 doubles him up and puts me on the short stack.

I steal a few blinds, won a nice pot when I flopped the nut strait and I'm back to about 7000 coming back from the first break. During the break, we walked a few feet over to watch Allen Cunningham defeat David Singer in the Las Vegas Open final table occurring right next to the Poker Room. A few hands after break, Jake once again opens the pot all-in with around 5500 chips and I push instantly with KK. He tables 99 and I'm in position to have a great chip lead over the table with this pot. The flop of QQT and another T on the turn looked to send Jake packing, but a 9 on the river kills me and puts me with right around 2500 chips with the blinds at 200/400/25. Under the gun, I push all in with AQ and Jake is in there once again with 99 and it holds up. I lost three pots the entire tournament to the same guy...what a bummer!

Thursday night came and I sat down at probably the juiciest 1/2 table in the history of 1/2 NL hold'em. A rich maniac from LA was raising every pot to 26 preflop, and the ensuing action put around 5-6k on the table approaching midnight. Mr. LA obviously had a disdain for money but he managed to build a stack of around 1K even though he was stuck a little more than that. I ended up cashing out for 800 feeling like I won the minimum at the table considering how much action was going on. Only two hands come to mind, one I won and one I lost. Early on, I flop full house with 33 on a 3 5 5 8 J board and my all-in on the river was called by a novice with J 3. He insta-called and tabled his cards, counted out his chips and announced that he had 85 dollars more and looked to me expecting me to match his stack and give him the pot. He seemed rather confused when I told him i flopped the full house and he was drawing dead on the turn. He continued to be bewildered when the dealer shipped his chips and the $400 dollar pot my way and I still think he left the table not knowing why he lost.

The second hand was probably the poorest hand I've played in quite a while. The maniac raised it to $26 UTG+1 without looked at his cards (most people didn't notice this fact). A weak/tight player called from middle position and i called with ATo looking to flop an ace and trap him for his stack, knowing the maniac was going to push some chips in the pot regardless of what happened. The flop was wonderful....A J 8. He bets 60, middle position calls and I call. The turn is a Q and he makes it around 140. The middle position player calls and then I chicken out. I was completely convinced that the middle position player was in completely love with his hand and I was 100% sure he had me beat. I end up folding on the turn knowing MP was going all the way. The river is a 2 and the maniac pushes all in, MP instacalls and tables Q7 off for just middle pair and its good! he wins a pot over 800 dollars as the maniac had him covered, but at that point i had the maniac covered so I would have nearly tripled up had I not made a bad read. I was sure MP loved his hand and indeed he did, he knew he was good against the maniac and pretty much ignored my presence in the hand all together. I overestimated how much value he would put on me smooth calling both bets in position, so basically i played the hand like a chump and it cost me over a grand! I get some of my chips back from that guy after the maniac left down nearly 1.5K and cash out for a decent $650 profit on my $200 investment, but what could have been!

Some notes: The Luxor is a new favorite of mine to play, only a 4 dollar drop max on every pot and every hour they give away $150 to the highest hand of the hour. That's a pretty decent +EV boost. The Flamingo has gone to a $5/$1 drop now for a max $6 rake on pots which is pretty ridiculous IMHO for 1/2. It seems to me like the low-limit preferences may be shifting as some poker rooms are making pretty stupid decisions in order to boost revenue. Some new hot places to play with good action, decent comps and low rake are Hooters and Luxor to go with some traditional hot spots like the Venetian ($2+/hour comp makes it one of the highest comps on the strip) and Planet Hollywood. Harrah's properties are starting to fall behind.

See you at the tables!

08 Pot Limit in Cary Tonight!

I'm heading down there now.... chum in the water!

Triangle Poker Journal Site Temporarily Down!

I apologize for the temporary issues and we'll have the site back up and running within the next couple of days.

Bugatti Veyron

World's fastest car and best deal (Volkswagen purportedly doesn't make any profit off of the $1.4 million price tag, the CEO just wanted to prove that it could be done and to advance the technology for the other car brands). To relate it to poker: when one of you win the WSOP next year, here goes something to spend your money on. You could, in theory, make it from Raleigh to Atlantic City in 2 hours!

Drew Carey Video on Poker Raids

Recently, Dallas police staged a paramilitary-style raid on a poker game at a Veterans of Foreign Wars Post. Here's a video from Reason.tv hosted by Drew Carey that looks into the raid and the subsequent closure of the post.

"Poker is about as American as baseball and apple pie," Carey says in the Reason.tv video. "It was born here in America. Mark Twain loved it. He's a great American. Until recently, Supreme Court justices had a monthly game. They're great Americans. You'd think playing poker in a VFW hall would be about as American as anything you could do."

"This story highlights the hypocrisy that surrounds gambling in this country," said Nick Gillespie, editor of Reason.tv. "States will gladly take your hard-earned money if you want to play the government's lottery. But if you sit down with some veterans to play Texas hold 'em you may end up with cops, in full riot gear, busting down your door. No one gets hurt when consenting adults sit down for a game of cards. And there's no reason for the government to get involved."

The busted poker players have a court date on December 5, 2007.

Here’s the video link.

The Biggest Pot in HSP History...oh wait...nevermind...

Running it twice...

This has become under a lot of scrutiny recently over at 2+2 because of HSP and playing some monster pots and the players negotiate deals and run it multiple times. I personally think its foolish.... to not run it twice in coin flip situations and when you're in preflop. I play at a few games around town and it's all dependant upon the feel of the game. At my usual spot its really unheard of because most of those guys have plenty of money and they really don't care. Plus, they can only, and I mean ONLY see the money IF they win but never really consider what if they loose. Then they whine about being a favorite to win but still lose. Last time I checked unless you have the check mark next to your name with 100% at the bottom of the screen, it's never a guarantee. Now at a couple other games I play and deal at, its pretty standard to give the option to run it twice even when you're a huge favorite. Example, last week I was dealing the game and one guy made a move with 83o. Given the situation is was a great play b/c of his stack vs the other player's stack and table image, blah blah blah. However he ran against Ks. 9 out of 10 times that would have been a great play but he got caught. They ended up running it twice b/c that would have been the sickest beat of the night and no need to just let dumbass luck prevail. Scott won both hands so the world is right as we know it. But other then that odd hand, its usually standard with bottom set vs top two pair, flush draw vs pairs/sets/straights and so on.

The biggest advantage of running it twice or even making other deals is that it keeps the game running longer and skill plays more of role during the session rather than dumb luck. Trust me, I'm the unluckiest player out there even thought I put my money in good a lot (not all) of the time. Now some would counter saying that it creates a soft game and its easy for collusion to take place. It might. But guess what, the tougher the game the more collusion takes place and sometimes its not as easy to spot. In a game that more hands are shown up, the easy it is to spot who might be playing soft on one player or so on and who might work together. Take that knowledge to the tough games and you'll notice that they take it easy on each other there and you can have an edge on the table. And its like anything else, if you don't like it, then find somewhere else to play or shut up and deal with it.

Simpsons Mastercard Commercial

High Stakes Poker Season 3 Episode 10

Juicy Nite of Omaha 8

What a night! Big hands, big pots, big mouths, big drama, big arguments and big exits.... well, there you go.... Just another night with the Juice! You see, although the Juice isn't always right... he is always the Juice! And most of us wouldn't have it any other way....

I had a couple of big hands... the biggest one, of course, against the Juice when there was a straddle to $30 with about 5 callers and the Juice... pump, pump, pumps it up to another $100 and gets 3-4 callers. I'm on the button with Ah, As, Kh, 5c..... I know, I should have raised it but I was actually hoping that others would play. The flop was beautiful! Ac, 6h, 9h.... so do you think I liked the flop? I've got top set and nut flush draw! The Juice moves all in for about $2000 or so and everyone folds to me. I can't hardly wait to get my chips in the middle when the Juice says, "Do you want me to show you a set of Aces?" I said "Yep, I can do that... how about the nut flush draw too?" So we turn them over.... I don't remember all of his cards, but he had Ax, 6x, 2x.... and I think the other card was an 8. As the cards were exposed, he was almost drawing dead. Or maybe he was "free-rolling" I can't be sure, but of course Mike the Mechanic throws runner-runner low and he gets half the pot with a live deuce! Nice!

Oh well.... should we talk about the drama? Nope, I'll let them blog the drama!

Let the suck outs begin! See you tonight in Cary!

Reminder: Texas Hold 'Em Charity Event Saturday at Tyler's

The tournament will be held this Saturday, December 1st at Tyler's at American Tobacco Campus We ask that you arrive at Tyler's around 10:30 am.

This should be a great time. First flop scheduled for 10:50am. If you're really good (and lucky), expect to play about 3.5 hours. If you're bad and unlucky, college hoops and football will be on the big screens at noon!

If you have not turned your pledges in, please bring them Saturday. Make checks payable to Triangle Community Foundation.

The Top 10 Fundraisers game will take place once all players eligible for that game are eliminated. Top 10 Fundraisers will be announced after all pledges have been counted.

There are still a few spots open. If you know any other players, please encourage them to register, raise some money for these causes, and come out to play cards!

Thanks again to everyone! I look forward to seeing you Saturday.
Chris Rosati
Red Thermometer
(919) 491-5381
https://webmailcluster.perfora.net/xml/deref?link=http%3A%2F%2Fapp.bronto.com%2Fpublic%2F%3Fq%3Dlink%26fn%3DKey%26id%3Dbbvolyruoaduoxkjsxvbeaaptrfabhh%26link%3Dbgxvblijhtbbygwzskgzbvauepunbob

O8 Cary Friday @ 7

Ye Olde Pot Limit Omaha 8 in Cary this Friday @ 7PM... See you there!

AA vs KK...strange hand

Sick hand from HSP

Weekend Poker

Well it was an eventful weekend of poker for me.... It started Friday evening as I was on my way to play in Cary only to find out on the way that due to the holidays, the game was cancelled. I received a call about 9:30 or so from John M that they were playing O8 Pot Limit and I was invited. So after the Canes comeback on Fox Sports I was off to Cary. If I remember correctly I was all-in 3 times in the first four hands..... It was a fun, but painful night as 4 different times I lost with second nut high and my low didn't earn me any of the pot. There were two particularly painful hands. Once I flopped Kings full of queens only to play it perfectly only to find out that one of my opponents flopped quad queens! Whee! The other big hand was against John M when I turned second nut flush and he turned nut flush ----- how do you say "bye-bye to about $900 in one hand?" But again, it was fun, clean, well-run and a great group of guys....


The good news is that Saturday with the Juice helped me recoup my losses from Friday night. There were a couple of big hands ---- early on against Bill T ---- who is one of the nicest guys you'll meet, but he even whispers loud. I am constantly asking him to use his inside voice! LOL. Well, the hand.... I've got Ad, 2d, 7s, 7s ---- the flop 3x, 4x, 7x (yep, it was what my inner voice was calling for.... the pot was straddled pre-flop and raised pre-flop so when I get smacked in the face with this monster there is about $200 or so in the pot already. I lead out with a bet hoping there are a couple of guys who are playing some kind of low and sure enough I get 3 callers including Bill T.... the turn is a suited 8 so I bet about $200 or so and everyone folds except Bill T. The river was the magic ---- another 4. I immediately push all-in and Bill T calls and I scoop the pot. Sweet!


The other hand was Elli's last hand of the night ----- I've got Ax, 2x, 4x, 6x and the flop comes 6, 6, 4 - Elli leads out with a $90 bet and everyone folds to me so I just call... The turn is an 5 and Elli pushed all-in for about $800 or so. I immediately call and turn over the nut/nut ---- He's got a 6 and higher cards which means he could hit a better boat, but it doesn't and he throws all his chips down to my end of the table....


Oh, one more hand... I've got 3s, 4d, 5d, 6s and the flop was Ad, 2d, and everything else was kind of a blur.... I lead out with a pot sized bet and Rick smooth calls along with a couple others.... The turn "horns blaring" 3d giving me the steel wheel... I lead out with about $125 and everyone folds....


Oh... one more... we just played a hand which had 2 fives on the board. I've got 5x, 5x, 9x, 10x and fold pre-flop to a re-raise. The flop is 5x, 8x, Jx and Rick leads out with about a $100 bet and gets two callers.... the turn, the case 5... Quads! Damn it Jim! And of course, Rick goes all-in on the river with one caller and no low! Fortunately, Michael got to see my cards so that my heartbreak could be verified.... I probably would have folded on the flop with the bottom set to Rick's big raise anyway, but you never know.... I'm normally in the donkey mode! One thing for certain, had I seen the turn I would have scooped a big pot ---- probably about $4K if I was in too.


Oh well.... Let the suck outs begin!

It Must Have Been the Juice!

Well, I was killing time earlier tonight and decided I would see what was happening with ONLINE poker so I logged into PokerStars as I still had a little money left from where SuperPlaya loaded me up a while back. I didn't have much so I searched out a low-blind no limit table of Omaha 8. It was fun for a while, but I soon grew bored with it. As the Juice so eloquently described in his recent blog, how you gonna keep 'em down on the farm after they've seen gay... and I really mean... gay Paris! In no time, I had flopped the nuts and pushed all my chips in the middle only to be called by a player who had two cards to the low when the flop came 7x, 8x, Jx. I had 9d, 10d, Ks, As. The turn was a Queen and the river was a Jack.... I lost to an opponent who flopped top pair and runner-runner boat! Whee!

Let the suck outs begin!

High Stakes Poker

We finally found it!

Something that Bill T can do FAST! L-E-A-V-E when he is up after catching big cards for about 3 hours straight! Yep, ye olde syrup-ie himself, the very guy that it would take an hour and a half to watch 60 minutes.... tore out of there last night like it was on fire! So now we know that he can move fast, we just need to apply that knowledge to the game when it's his turn.

But having said that, he played great last night! He made some lay downs at the right time and utilized the big stack to push others around. It was fun to watch!

Nice going Bill.... oh... CLOCK!

Let the suck outs begin!

Action at the "JUICES"

I have not been to a lot of games in the last year other than Vegas and My Game, but I will tell you like it is! I really can't imagine a "Juicier" game. Let's start will Bill T, he brings a blank check to the game- that's all that needs to be said. Eli, will call anyone, anytime, with any hand, what more could you ask for? Elvie, has had a little break from the game, but when at the table - read- Eli's description and multiply it by five!! Lets Talk about Big Dave for a second, He comes with a positive attitude, buys in for no less than ten times, gets sucked out for all his chips by Charles, who we all know is trying to play like Dean, TIGHT & only plays to make this months mortgage and hooker payments! Then you have Tom, I believe he has lost his mind since he has joined the game! I only say this because he will make the call on Rick, who we all know just bought a medium sized Island off the coast of Mexico with the Tuesday nights winnings! When we mention the player know as "Rick" we must face our darkest fears, a poker player at Juice's game who knows how to actually read his hand & place a bet that didn't come from the book of AssinizationRetardation. This is a book that the above mentioned players live by. We also have the Author of the book playing at the game as well, "The Juice"!!! I have lived by that book in my poker room and I will die by the Almighty words of wisdom that I have engraved in every F'N page, ALL-In!! The other players are deanverytight charlesreallytight chadsupertight ronironmiketysontight! Lets find some more guys like "us"...

The Juice

Saturday Juice & O8 NL

Smallish crowd with the Juice last night/this morning.... Rick, the Juice, Bill T (who says he read last weeks blog and is out for payback), Elli and Dean.

I played fairly tight most of the night and did get Nut/Nut one time.... came close a second time and left up for the night. It seemed to me to be the night that Elli wanted to buy Rick a car. He moved against Rick twice in the first two hours and Rick scooped both pots. And they were nice pots... one was around $1800-$2000 and the other well over $1,000.

The food last night was the best that it has been in a while... the Juice is a helluva cook. We had 2-inch-plus steaks with all sorts of sides! It was excellent!

The big hand for me for the night came against Rick and the Juice.... I had As, 4s, 2c, 6h and after calling a pre-flop straddle. Flopped the nut flush draw and the the nut low.... made the nut low on the turn and made the nut flush on the river.... From early position I had to bet and since the turn was bet by Rick at about $75 or so, I thought that $150 each would be the right bet on the river. Both called, no one raised and I scooped....

Let the suck outs begin!

Triangle Charity Poker Classic December 1st at Tyler's

The tournament will be held Saturday December 1st at Tyler's at American Tobacco Campus (play-in games canceled). We ask that you arrive at Tyler's by 10:30 am.

This should be a great time. College hoops and football will be on the big screens at noon. First flop scheduled for 10:50am.

The Top 10 Fundraisers game will take place once all players eligible for that game are eliminated. As of November 14th, all players who have raised over $175 are in this game. But we have word that several more players will be turning in over $200 in pledges. Top 10 Fundraisers will be announced at the Main Event December 1st..

If you have not turned your pledges in, please bring them to the game on December 1st. Make checks payable to Triangle Community Foundation.

There are still a few spots open for the expanded Main Event. If you know any other players, please encourage them to register, raise some money for these causes, and come out to play cards!

Thanks again to everyone! I look forward to seeing some of you in the Top 10 game, and all of you in the Main Event!

Chris Rosati Red Thermometer(919) 491-5381
www.redthermometer.com

So what's the best game out there?

Hold'em is starting to fade a little and Omaha is making a nice run (both regular omaha and omaha 8 or better) but what about the other great games that are out there. Stud high bores me but stud h/l 8 is a great action game and so many players make some of the absolute worst calls that it is a virtual money pit for good players (hence we i have switched over to this game online and doing great at it over at pokerstars). Then there's 2-7 Triple Draw which I have said many times to me is the best game out there today when you play pot limit. Razz is one of my favorite games head's up but is extremely slow at a full table. Of course you can't forget Badugi or Magoogan(sp) as most people I play with refer to it as where unsuited A234 is the nuts.

There are some great games out there but its becoming hard to find good games with people that want to play them. I think that as more people get tired of Hold'em and get busted at playing Omaha they will switch back to some of the traditional poker games and dealer's choice will become popular again soon. I guess it all goes in cycles and now that ESPN showed the HORSE championship last this year, that will peak some interest of more players wanting to return to the basics. We'll just have to wait and see. But for now, let's just keep playing never fold'em hold'em!

Tuesday Juice...

Well, it certainly didn't start off like the previous week with the Juice when in the very first hand there were 5 of us all-in pre-flop! Nice.... that will be hard to beat!

There were a couple of very nice hands for me. One of them, definitely the first time anything like this ever happened. We're playing $5/10/$15/$20 All-IN Omaha 8 No Limit... ok, not every time, but definitely once in a while.... it's $5/$10 O8 No Limit. I've got Qx, Qx, 10x. 10x. The flop.... 10x, 7x, 2x. I bet $85 at about a $120 pot. The Juice calls and so does Rick and Elli. The turn.... Qx! Wow! Nice! I flopped top set and turned top set! How often does that happen. I get so excited I push all-in and everyone folds. The river would have just forced a chopped pot between me and Rick. He always gives me crap about chasing crappy low draws and he laid down an un-counterfeit-able low draw.... thank you sir... it did not go un-noticed nor un-appreciated!

The other big hand came against Bill T and Big Dave... I've got the As, 2s, Jc, Jd. The flop is Jh, 10d, 6s. They check to me and I bet $50 into about a $50 pot (I know, I know, the Juice was away from the table... smallish pot). There are several callers including Bill T and Big Dave. The turn is the Kh. I bet $65 and Bill T raises it to $100 (I know, I know, you can't raise it to $100... you've got to make it $130, but it is his first night out in weeks!) He corrects the raise and Big Dave and I both call.... The river is a magical Qc... turning my top set from the flop into the nut straight. I push all-in and after approximately an hour or so, for some reason I think that Bill T has folded. He mumbles something about being ahead and I turn over my set of Jacks stating that I was ahead the entire time. He thinks that all I have is a set, corrects me, that he hasn't folded and calls my all-in bet with his 9x, Qx straight. I've got him covered with about $1600 in front of me. He only has about $1400 and I scoop all his chips from the side pot and Big Dave and I chop the main pot! Sweet! He will probably never truly recover.... LOL.

Let the suck outs begin!

Important Update for Triangle Charity Poker Classic

ALL PLAYERS NOW HAVE A SEAT AT THE MAIN EVENT! We are simply going to expand the December 1st tournament to include more players. So ALL PLAYERS (including Durham) now have a seat on December 1st!

Bad news - We are doing this because we are short on players for the Raleigh locations. Less players means less money for the charities, so....

WE ARE EXTENDING THE REGISTRATION AND FUNDRAISING PERIOD! All pledges must be received by November 21st.

Good news! The pledges that have come in so far have been GREAT! Remember that the Top 10 Fundraisers will be playing in a game prior to the larger tournament on December 1st.

There are still a few spots open for the expanded Main Event. If you know any other players, please encourage them to register, raise some money for these causes, and come out to play cards!

Thanks again to everyone! I look forward to seeing some of you in the Top 10 game, and all of you in the Main Event!

Poker with John & Big Dave

Well, I finally made the journey to Apex to play $2/$5 No Limit with John and Big Dave tonight. Finding it was no problem and once I arrived I found it to be just as I expected.... great environment and well run. Big Dave was dealing and the only problem that I had was every time he would give me a pair, he would either give someone else a bigger pair -or- let them flop a set. Nice! I am certain that that is something he picked up over at the Juice's. I wasn't able to play late as the family was coming back into town from a hockey trip for the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes playing a small tournament in Atlanta. I've got to go and pick them up in a matter of minutes.

There were only two hands of interest... once when I had an big pair and the board flopped a straight possibility. Akash called a pre-flop raise and then bet $150 at the river into about a $70 pot when there was a straight on the board. He turned over his bluff as he was playing the board too. The other hand was against a guy that bet into an 7x, 8s, Js. I would have probably just smooth called with my 9d, 10d hoping to get other callers, but the people between me and the better folded and the people behind me mucked out of turn so there was really no reason to risk a flush draw getting there. I re-raised his $20 bet an additional $60. He said that he was showing me respect and turned over his top pair and a straight draw. I wanted to be kind as well so I showed him that I had flopped the nut straight. Big Dave, I guess, trying to humor him ran the cards out and he would have made a flush on the river with the four spades on the board and the one in his hand.

So, again... nice place, good guys, good food, a fair rake so I'll definitely be back!

Let the suck outs begin!

Killing Sends Tremors Through City's Illegal Poker Scene

Copied from www.nytimes.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/nyregion/11poker.html

Killing Sends Tremors Through City’s Illegal Poker Scene
by Thomas J. Lueck

For years, they have operated in the shadows of Manhattan. With names like Straddle, the Fairview, Playstation and the New York Players Club, they are remarkably well organized, but nonetheless illegal: poker clubs that attract thousands of players at all hours of the day and night.

The players run the gamut, from cabdrivers to retired accountants, with a remarkably large contingent of young, well-paid professionals — people who consider themselves law-abiding citizens and play only for the love of the calculated bluff or the well-played wager.
Their numbers have grown swiftly as poker has vaulted into the spotlight of American pop culture. Texas Hold ’Em tournaments compete for prime-time TV viewers, and the image of the dimly lighted, vaguely sinister poker game has claimed a favored spot in movies. (In a current thriller, “Michael Clayton,” George Clooney first appears on the screen as an emotionally taut player in a back-room poker club in Chinatown.)

In reality, Manhattan’s players are part of a secretive network of “members,” who can join games only after being vouched for by others. Once they are in, they make their way to small, unremarkable office buildings, passing security guards hired solely to protect the club, and enter a clean, well-lighted world of civilized, even businesslike gamesmanship, according to several players who were interviewed. Most agreed to speak only if their names were not disclosed because they did not want to attract the attention of the police.

“I have never seen anything like a criminal element,” said one, a 29-year-old producer for one of Manhattan’s best known broadcasting companies who has been a regular in the poker clubs for five years. “It more closely resembles a retirement home bridge party.”

But that was hardly the atmosphere at 11 p.m. on Nov. 2, when armed robbers in masks forced their way into a crowded club called the City Limit that had been operating for less than two weeks in a seventh-floor office, above a gym, a graphics business and a real estate office, in an unadorned building at 28th Street and Fifth Avenue. One player, Frank DeSena, a former math professor from New Jersey who was a familiar and well-liked presence on the poker club scene, was killed by an intruder’s shotgun.

There have been no arrests in the case, and the police have declined to confirm published reports that the robbers pointed a gun at the head of a security guard to gain entry, and accidentally fired the shot that killed Mr. DeSena.

The killing led to an obvious conclusion — that armed criminals knew the location of at least one supposedly secret club — and sent tremors through the closed circle of Manhattan players and club operators.

“A week ago, there were two or three rooms operating in Manhattan, but now there are zero,” said Steven McLoughlin, a poker aficionado who moderates a poker discussion at twoplustwo.com and closely follows the Manhattan club scene. “You don’t know what can happen.”

A former employee of Playstation, which was one of the largest of the Manhattan clubs until it was closed in a police raid in 2005, said the killing of Mr. DeSena was “the kind of thing we always feared the most. People are really shaken, and this may make them think differently” about going to the clubs.

Nevertheless, it has attracted broad interest in a semisecret world that seems filled with contrasts: responsible adults slipping into clandestine locations like spies in the night, poker stakes of hundreds or thousands of dollars routinely won and lost in an atmosphere of warm conviviality, over pizza, and even milk and cookies, according to the players.

Of course, the profile offered by those who were interviewed in recent days may not fit all underground poker games in the city. High-stakes games in which some players cannot afford to lose, and could be threatened with physical violence if they do not make good on their losses, have historically been part of the gambling underworld and are unlikely to have faded completely from the scene. But the players interviewed said that the Manhattan clubs they frequented for years adhered to an almost universal set of rules: no liquor or drugs are allowed, no bets are accepted on credit, and no one is allowed to play without passing muster among fellow players and being granted membership, sometimes with a fee.

“There are regulars who probably spend too much time in these places, and that is sad to see,” said the broadcast producer. In his five years of experience, he said, there were about five clubs operating in Manhattan at any given time, and he had played at a total of 10, in commercial buildings on the Upper West Side, Midtown, Chelsea, the Flatiron District, the East Village and the West Village.

“But the overwhelming majority are not compulsive gamblers,” he said. “They do this as a way of blowing off steam, and that is healthier than sitting in front of the TV.”

Under state law, the operators and employees of the clubs can be arrested, but not the players. The law makes it illegal to “advance or profit from illegal gambling,” even if the operators do not take a cut of the winnings. They can be guilty simply by providing rented space as a poker club.

Police crackdowns have been periodic in New York City and across the region. On Wednesday night, officers shut down poker parlors in seven towns in Suffolk County, and seized more than $10,000 in cash.

On May 27, 2005, police officers in Manhattan shut down two clubs: Playstation, at 4-6 West 14th Street, and the New York Players Club, at 200 West 72nd Street. Each of the clubs had more than 100 players in attendance when the police arrived, and 39 employees, including dealers, waiters and security guards, were arrested.

But the police acknowledged at the time that they found no weapons, alcohol or drugs in the two clubs. At the New York Players Club, customers were offered valet parking. At Playstation, club waiters were serving Oreo and Chips Ahoy! cookies. The police said both clubs were incorporated businesses that followed fire codes.

The former employee of Playstation had worked at the club for three years, was covered by employee health insurance, paid taxes and was entitled to unemployment compensation after the club closed.

The people interviewed for this article would not say who sponsors and operates the Manhattan clubs, but insisted that there was no hint of involvement by organized crime. They said operators tended to be devoted poker players themselves, who rented office space and opened their clubs largely out of a love of the game and their friendships with other players.

In most cases, players said, they pay the operators based on the time they spend at a table. Few, if any, of the operators claim a portion of the poker winnings. “You sit at the table and every half-hour, or maybe every hour, a bell goes off meaning that everybody has to pay their rent,” said the producer. A typical charge, he said, was $8 an hour.

Despite the enthusiasm of players and their vigorous defense of the clubs, they said it remained to be seen how much of a chill would result from the recent killing. They said the sense of outrage among many players was heightened because Mr. DeSena, 55, was a popular player on the poker circuit.

“Frank was a poster child for the type of person they try to attract,” Mr. McLoughlin said. “He was a sweetheart of a man who always wanted to say hello to everybody, always wanted to shake everybody’s hand.”

“He was a skilled player, and when he lost a hand, he would simply smile,” Mr. McLoughlin said.

The former employee of Playstation said the episode seemed certain to keep players away for some time to come: “Maybe two years from now people will forget about it and come back. But I’m not a gambler myself, and who knows, maybe they’ll be back sooner than that.”


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/11/nyregion/11poker.html
Copied from www.nytimes.com/