tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-190090812024-03-07T12:45:22.525-06:00Yestbay1's Poker BlogThis blog is where I plan to post my poker entries, about games I have played, my thoughts about strategies and such, other players, and anything else related to my (current) favorite card game.David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-72386131117947938962015-03-09T17:41:00.000-05:002015-03-09T17:41:32.675-05:00Very late 2014 WPBT Winter Classic report, and recent poker playingObviously I forgot to post an update here about my experience at the most recent WPBT Winter Classic, so I will rectify that now. I also played some real live poker recently which I will talk about later in this post.<br />
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My weekend in Vegas back in December was enjoyable, even if my tournament experience was not positive in the results column. It was great fun to see so many of my poker friends again and play a few hands, at the mixed games Friday night as well as at the tourney Saturday. I also had a nice upscale dinner Friday at a restaurant at the Cosmopolitan with hostess <a href="https://twitter.com/PokerVixen" target="_blank">PokerVixen</a> as well as <a href="https://twitter.com/WriterJen" target="_blank">WriterJen</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/AstinTO" target="_blank">Astin</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/Grange95" target="_blank">Grange</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/DrChako2" target="_blank">DrChako2</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/ckbwop" target="_blank">CK BWoP</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/ohcaptain" target="_blank">OhCaptain</a>, and other fine folks. Saturday was tourney day, and I got off to a bad start with several drawing hands that missed their flops. When I finally got a hand to play, AA, my opponent turned a flush and I was unable to lay it down, thus busting much too early. If there was an advantage to being out so soon, it meant I could pay attention to who was busting in what order so I could track the last longer bet that I was managing. <a href="https://twitter.com/ckbwop" target="_blank">CK BWoP</a> was a huge help in watching and noting the finishers. The team of <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLuckbox" target="_blank">CJ Hoyt</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/BradWillis" target="_blank">Brad Willis</a> won the last longer, and CJ won the tournament. I hope we have another Winter Classic in 2015 and that I am able to attend.<br />
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Just this past weekend, I visited a cardroom in Ventura which I heard about a week or two ago from my friend Charlie at <a href="http://www.cruisetrek.com/" target="_blank">Cruise Trek.</a> It's called the <a href="http://www.pcventura.com/" target="_blank">Players Casino</a>, in the middle of car-dealer row just off the 101 freeway. It's a nice enough place, nothing fancy but quite a few poker tables and a few other table games; no slots or other machines. I played in their Saturday AM tournament, with a $50 + $25 buy-in and one $50 add-on available which I took. I spent the first hour of the tournament (three blind levels) treading water, hardly playing any hands. I won several hands shortly after the first break and built my chip stack back up, winning a race along the way and catching KK to double up on one hand. Then I had to get patient again during another card-dead stretch. To make a long story short, I finished fourth for a payout of over $600. My best tournament score ever, I am happy to say. Now I will have some money to play with on my next trip to Las Vegas, which may or may not happen before the next WPBT. Then again, I may have to pay another visit to Players Casino again before too long. If anyone reading this is in or visiting this area, let me know and maybe we can drop in there for a few hands.<br />
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<br />David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-91008823393639600552014-11-25T00:30:00.002-06:002014-11-25T00:31:35.431-06:00WPBT Winter Classic 2014 update, including last longerHere is the latest news: I have volunteered to run the last longer pool for this year's WPBT Winter Classic, which will be held the weekend of December 4 through 7 in Las Vegas as reported in my <a href="http://yestbay1poker.blogspot.com/2014/09/wpbt-winter-classic-2014-and-long.html" target="_blank">last post</a>. If you are interested in entering a team of two players in the last longer bet, leave a comment here or in the thread on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1419684591644139/" target="_blank">Facebook event page</a>.<br />
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Other info about the WPBT weekend, as posted at the event page on Facebook:<br />
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Friday mixed games are confirmed for Planet Hollywood starting at 4pm.</div>
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<a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=592425276&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A1419684591644139%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/lori.miller" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Lori Miller</a> is coordinating a dinner at Comme Ca for Friday night at 8:30pm. Please RSVP on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wpbt72?fref=nf" target="_blank">WPBT group page</a>.</div>
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Saturday Aria tournament is at 11am. $125 no re-entry. 10k starting chips. Aria daily tournament structure.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Don't forget your bounties!</span></div>
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<a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100004639357662&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A1419684591644139%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/michael.mock.75491" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Michael Mock</a> is coordinating a degen triathlon that begins late Saturday night and culminates with a 5k run early Sunday morning. He has started a special event page for this event.</div>
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Sunday football location still TBD.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">See you there!</span></div>
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David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-23243664196936402102014-09-02T00:49:00.001-05:002014-09-02T00:49:08.428-05:00WPBT Winter Classic 2014, and long-overdue updatesA lot has happened since my last post here. The biggest change is that my wife and I have moved from Texas to California. More on that below, but first the news you have been waiting for: the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wpbt72" target="_blank">World Poker Blogger Tour</a> will have another Winter Classic gathering this year in Las Vegas. Organized by CK and PokerVixen, the dates are the weekend of December 5 through 7 with the tournament on December 6. Check in on Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1419684591644139/" target="_blank">here</a> to advise whether you are going and to get updates on details. I plan to be there for the fun times.<br />
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Meanwhile, I'm sure you are wondering, "What has happened in the months since you posted on your poker blog way back in December 2013?" Allow me to fill you in.<br />
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Our move took place in mid-January. We got settled into our new/old home (we lived in this condo before moving to Texas) and have been reacquainting ourselves with the area. As I mentioned in my<a href="http://yestbay1poker.blogspot.com/2013/12/wpbt-2013-winter-classic-non-trip.html" target="_blank"> last post</a>, I had qualified to play in the <a href="http://www.wptapl.com/" target="_blank">World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League</a> National Championship tournament which was held in April at the Tropicana in Las Vegas. I played in Day 1A but didn't make it to the second break. The structure was quite fast, and I didn't get many hands worth playing early on. Eventually I got to fold or shove mode, and ended up in a race of my 66 vs villain's AJ, which did not go my way. I played some cash games at Luxor, where we were staying, and ended up breaking even for the trip. Most of our time there was spent sightseeing, and we rode the new High Roller observation wheel near The Quad. That was great; nice views of the Strip and the surrounding area from the top.<br />
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I didn't play any other poker after that until we went on a cruise of the British Isles in July with <a href="http://www.cruisetrek.com/" target="_blank">Cruise Trek</a>, a group we have sailed with several times before. In the ship's casino, I played a couple of tournaments and some cash games on their electronic poker table. The table had recurring technical problems, so we were lucky that we got to play much at all on the cruise. First, I played a $50 + 10 sit & go which only had four players. I finished second for a payout of $80, plus a seat in a freeroll later in the cruise. The next day, I played $1/$2 cash for about an hour and quit ahead by $30. The freeroll was a couple of days later and featured four passengers who had qualified during the cruise plus four of the ship's officers. I finished second again, with first place going to one of the officers; I won $50 cash for that tourney plus a polo shirt from the casino. Overall, a profitable trip for me.<br />
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I haven't played any more poker since the cruise. I might go up to the <a href="https://www.chumashcasino.com/casino/poker" target="_blank">Chumash Casino</a> near Santa Barbara sometime and try their poker room. I have not yet visited any of the cardrooms in the L.A. area; I'm not sure when I will do that, but I suppose I should try it once. I get the feeling that there aren't as many tourists playing here as there are in the rooms in Las Vegas, so the players are likely to be a lot tougher. If I don't get to the felt any sooner, I will certainly be playing in LV in December over the WPBT weekend.<br />
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Make your plans for the Winter Classic now. See you there!<br />
<br />David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-79578385228713282392013-12-12T13:05:00.001-06:002013-12-12T13:05:59.107-06:00WPBT 2013 Winter Classic Non-Trip Report, and Spring 2014 Las Vegas tripAs many of you know, I never made it to the WPBT Winter Classic last weekend. We had an ice storm here in Dallas / Fort Worth Thursday night, which caused hundreds of flight cancellations out of DFW Airport for Friday, including mine. I was rebooked to fly out Saturday, but that flight got canceled too and American Airlines wanted to rebook me for Sunday. I didn't see much point in that since by the time I got there all the festivities would be just about over. I asked AA to book me for Monday so I could get to L.A., which was my destination after Las Vegas anyway. The Monday flight that they moved me to also got canceled, so I finally told them to cancel the entire trip and refund my fare, which they said they would do. I am really sorry that the weather did not cooperate to allow me to join the WPBT fun. The Facebook and Twitter posts that I read from the participants made it sound like everyone had a great time, and I am happy for them.<br />
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I do have an excuse to go to Las Vegas this Spring. As you may recall from a <a href="http://yestbay1poker.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-surfeit-of-poker-and-speaking-up.html" target="_blank">previous blog post</a>, I qualified for a seat in the <a href="http://www.wptapl.com/" target="_blank">World Poker Tour - Amateur Poker League</a> National Championship Tournament, which will be held at the Tropicana April 28 through 30. I plan to go to that and try my luck. I have to book at least one night at the Trop to enter the tourney, but their rates are much higher than some of the neighboring hotels for that week, so I expect to only stay one night at the Trop and the rest most likely across the street at the Excalibur. While I am in town, I hope to catch up with as many of my LV friends as possible.<br />
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Another item on my to-do list is one last trip up to Winstar Casino in OK before we move to California, to make up for missing out on playing poker last weekend. I will try to remember to post a report after that session.<br />
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I wish all of you an enjoyable season of whatever holidays you choose to celebrate! (Is that politically correct enough?)David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-51782584365669877042013-11-30T13:56:00.000-06:002013-11-30T13:56:15.556-06:00WPBT 2013 Winter ClassicYes, it is that time again. Time for spending too much money, meeting up with friends and loved ones, partying until all hours, and generally making merry. No, I'm not talking about Christmas season; that's just a coincidence. I'm talking about the annual World Poker Blogger Tour gathering in Las Vegas. As in past years, the debauchery occurs over the first weekend of December; specifically, Friday December 6 through Sunday December 8. The WPBT tournament will be held at the <a href="http://www.arialasvegas.com/casino/poker" target="_blank">Aria poker room</a> on Saturday, mixed games will be at <a href="http://www.mgmgrand.com/casino/poker-tables.aspx" target="_blank">MGM Grand</a> on Friday afternoon, and other stuff is being organized by various people. Full details are available at the Facebook event page:<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1408147672739908/">https://www.facebook.com/events/1408147672739908/</a><br />
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I will be there, arriving Friday morning and leaving Monday afternoon, and staying at <a href="http://www.thequadlv.com/" target="_blank">The Quad</a> (formerly known as the Imperial Palace). I will be following the action and posting updates on <a href="https://twitter.com/" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, where my handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/yestbay" target="_blank">@yestbay</a>. I'm looking forward to catching up with lots of friends there and playing some poker.<br />
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I haven't played any real-money poker since my last blog post. I have been playing in the local <a href="http://www.amateurpokerleague.com/" target="_blank">WPT-APL</a> tourneys; last night, I chopped first place with three others for 1/4 of the $100 prize pool. I still have the WPT-APL National Championship tourney in Las Vegas in April on my radar, having qualified for it as mentioned in my<a href="http://yestbay1poker.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-surfeit-of-poker-and-speaking-up.html" target="_blank"> last post</a>.<br />
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In other news, my wife and I will be moving from Texas to the Los Angeles area in January, to be near my wife's ailing dad. This should put me closer to the poker action, but it remains to be seen just how much I will play once I get there.<br />
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See you next weekend in Vegas!David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-91741620808916223462013-07-12T17:31:00.002-05:002013-07-12T17:31:56.186-05:00A Surfeit of Poker, and Speaking UpSince my last blog entry, I have played more real money
poker than in the previous three months, along with the usual free bar league
tournaments. Below is my report on the highlights of the most recent sessions.
I also want to comment on an item of poker etiquette later in this post.<br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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Shortly after my last post, my wife and I went up to
Norman, OK, to visit our son Ben who has been taking a few summer school
courses to complete his bachelor’s degree. While we were there, we made a stop
at the <a href="http://www.riverwind.com/" target="_blank">Riverwind Casino</a>, where I have played a few times before. I offered to
stake Ben to some low-limit Hold ‘Em, so I bought both of us into their $3/$6
Limit game for $100 each. The poker room was having a special promotion that
day, in lieu of their usual Saturday tournament which I had been thinking of
playing. They were having a $200 splash pot once per hour all day long; they
would randomly pull a table number at the top of each hour, and that table
would have $200 added to the next pot. The table where Ben and I were seated
was picked in the second hour of the promotional period. The starting cards I
was dealt for that hand were 4s 5s. Suited connectors: just the kind of hand I
wanted for a pot that a lot of people were likely to be limping into. As
expected, everyone called the big blind. The flop included a 5 and two random
cards higher than that; I think they were all unsuited. I called the first bet,
hoping to catch another 5, a 4, or straight cards. Almost everyone called. The
turn was a blank for me and didn’t look too threatening, as I recall. I might
have had a straight draw but don’t remember now. A couple of people folded, and
no one of those left in the hand got aggressive, so I kept calling due to the
enormous pot odds. The river was another 5, and I thought my trips might have
the hand locked up. I called the last
bet, and it turned out that the case 5 was in another player’s hand. Neither of
our kickers played, so we chopped the pot. I also won a couple of other decent
pots during that session, and walked away with a profit of over twice my
buy-in. (Ben didn’t do as well but didn’t get felted.) I still would have had a
profitable day without the splash pot, but that one certainly helped my
bankroll.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since that trip, I have been up to the <a href="http://winstarworldcasino.com/" target="_blank">Winstar Casino</a>
twice. On July 4, I played $4/$8 Limit HE for about 1.5 hours. The most
memorable thing about that session is that it was among the most card-dead runs
that I have ever had. The only pocket
pair I got the whole time was QQ, and I had to give them back because it was a
misdeal. Near the end of the session, by which time I had played maybe two
hands when I wasn’t in the big blind, I started getting some cards to play, but
I missed the flop every time. I donated the last few chips of my buy-in when my
AT caught an A on the flop and a T on the turn, but someone else caught the
Broadway straight on the turn. Oh well, at least I feel like I made good
decisions, mostly because folding crappy cards is pretty easy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I went back to Winstar yesterday and played $1/$2 NLHE
this time. Another bonus promotion came into play on this trip: they had an “Aces
Cracked” payout where if you play your pocket Aces to showdown and lose, you
get paid $100. This causes a lot of limping with AA instead of playing them
fast. However, you have to be careful that you don’t put too much in the pot to
the point where the $100 bonus doesn’t make up for the pot that you lose. As
the dealer explained to one of the players at my table, in the $1/$2 game you
can usually make a profit when you lose with AA, but in the $2/$5 NL game you
would typically lose money because the pot would be larger than the bonus. This
time around, I got good hands right away and they kept coming. Among those good
hands, I got AA twice. The first time I slow-played them, my opponent had QQ
and I won the pot instead of the bonus. The second time, though, the villain
caught trips and cracked my Aces. The pot wasn’t very big, so the $100 bonus
stacked me up a fair amount. I went up and down the rest of the way, and finished
with a decent profit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What I am happiest about regarding the sessions mentioned
above is not just the profits, when I got them, but that I felt like I was
playing better and making good decisions the majority of the time. Knowing how
to adjust my play based on the conditions of the game, including the bonuses
and how they affected me and my opponents, felt good. I still think that I
could step up my aggression a notch or two and not play as timidly as I
sometimes do. But my reads of other players and general game conditions are
improving, and that should give me the confidence to play a little more boldly
in the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have had some success in the bar league too. I finished
first in a tourney on July 1, which got me a $50 cash prize. I also qualified
for the monthly championship tourney at my local venue, and took first in that
tourney on July 9. No cash prize for that one, but the top four finishers qualify
for the <a href="http://www.wptapl.com/" target="_blank">WPT-APL</a> (World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League) National Championship
tournament which will be held in Las Vegas next April. The field for that
national championship tournament will undoubtedly be big; this year’s
tournament had nearly 700 players show up. But, it’s an excuse to go to Vegas,
and possibly win some prizes, so I expect that I will go if I can.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now for my comment on the poker etiquette matter. It
seems to me that the majority of players, at least that I play with, do not verbally
announce their betting intention before or during their action. They put their
chips out and expect everyone to know what the action means. Naturally, there
are many instances where the action is obvious, especially in limit poker where
the bet size is fixed. You put chips out, and if they are equal to the current
bet amount, then they represent a bet or call. I can understand a player
thinking that it is unnecessary to say something in this situation. But, it
seems to me that there is no reason NOT to say “bet” or “X” [where X is the bet
size] or “call” or “raise” just to confirm that everyone not only sees but hears
what the action is. Verbally announcing your action can also speed up the game
and allow the next player to act while you are putting together the chips for
your bet, since your verbal declaration is binding. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It is in non-fixed bet games like no-limit or pot-limit
that I wish everyone, or at least more players, would state their intentions out
loud. It would avoid mistakes and confusion, and it could speed up play in many
cases. Just placing, or (too often) throwing, chips towards the pot when you
bet, call, or raise forces the other players and the dealer to stop and count
what you put out, which isn’t always easy from the other end of the table, in
poor lighting conditions, etc. Also, if you intend to bet a particular amount
but don’t announce that amount, and accidentally put more than that out for
your bet, then all of those chips you put out become your bet; whereas if you
announced the bet amount, you would get back the extra chips you mistakenly
moved over the line. If the last of your chips are going in, it helps everyone
else if you say “all in” so there is no question about whether some or all of
your stack is in play. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I feel like there are three kinds of players who don’t
announce their action:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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*Those who for some reason are afraid to speak up; <o:p></o:p></div>
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*Those who think that since they aren’t required to
announce their bet, they won’t;<o:p></o:p></div>
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*Those who are deliberately staying quiet to force the
other players, and the dealer, to figure out what they are up to.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The first two types probably just need to be informed or reminded
that stating their action is in the best interest of themselves and of the
game. The third type probably needs a swift kick in the hindquarters, but a
friendly reminder may have to suffice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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[There are, of course, physically challenged players who
may have difficulty making verbal declarations, but I am not concerned about
them. In my limited experience, those players seem to do their best to make
sure their intentions are clear in one manner or another.]<o:p></o:p></div>
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I would like to see more encouragement of verbal
declaration of action in all poker games. The best person to provide such
encouragement is the dealer, but floor persons and even other players can and,
IMO, should do so too. I realize that verbal declaration is not likely to
become a requirement in most poker rooms, but it seems to me that it would be a
ridiculously easy way to reduce confusion and disagreements, and facilitate
play. I try to state my action out loud on every play other than folding,
whether the other players are doing it or not. I will even announce when I have
folded if it looks like the next player to act did not see that I mucked my
cards and is waiting for me. I tend to hope that others will pick up on my
example and maybe even follow it. I’m sure all of us want to improve the poker
playing experience; could anything be easier than just speaking up?<o:p></o:p></div>
David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-12275699921884098752013-06-11T12:51:00.000-05:002013-06-11T12:51:17.709-05:00Poker? Yes, occasionallySince my last post about six months ago, I have, in fact, played some poker. Most of it has been in the free bar leagues, but some has been for real money.<br />
<br />
I have done OK in the bar league, earning a few points here and there, but mainly I play those tournaments for the fun of it and to keep my tourney skills from getting rusty.<br />
<br />
The cash games I have played have been at <a href="http://winstarworldcasino.com/" target="_blank">Winstar Casino</a> in OK. I had two terrible sessions in a row up there in January, losing 1.5 buy-ins in two days playing $1/$2 NLHE. I played too loose and didn't fold at least one hand where I felt like, and should have known, I was way behind. I decided to take a break after that, and didn't play again until April. On that trip I thought I would stick to $4/$8 Limit HE to keep from losing too much at once. I still lost half my buy-in due to cold decks and draws that didn't hit. But, I felt like I was playing reasonably well and making good decisions.<br />
<br />
When my wife said that a friend of hers wanted to take the shuttle bus up to Winstar again last week and invited us to join her, I figured I was ready to take another crack at it. I went for the $1/$2 NLHE game again, and played tighter this time around, only taking shots in position or with a good read on my opponents. I lucked out on one hand, where I flopped two pair and filled up on the turn. The turn card also gave my opponent trips. The chips all got in, and I felted him. <br />
<br />
An earlier hand with the same opponent gave me pause and cost me some money. He raised in late position to $22 (in a $1/$2 game, remember), everyone else folded, and I found QQ in the big blind. I thought about re-raising but decided to just call and see what the flop brought before committing any more chips.<br />
<br />
The flop was 9-8-X rainbow, so I had a big overpair. I bet $30, and he called. Since he didn't seem scared of the flop or my bet, I put him on a big hand such as AA, KK or a set. The turn was another baby card. I checked and he bet something like $50 or $60. Although I suppose he could have had JJ or TT or even AK/AQ, I didn't like the fact that he snap-called my flop bet, so I folded. I imagine that some will say I chickened out, especially by not re-raising preflop. I almost certainly would have re-raised then if the first bet had been in the range of $8 to $10. But my opponent seemed a little too comfortable with his hand for me to chase him down with queens.<br />
<br />
Thanks to the full house hand, and not speculating with marginal hands, I finished with a $90 profit. I am still in the red for 2013, but I feel like I made mostly better decisions this time around than I did at the beginning of the year. I expect that I will be back up at Winstar again soon, trying to play my best game and to continue to improve as well.<br />
<br />
Now that summer has pretty much arrived, I am hoping to hear something before long about the 2013 WPBT Winter Classic. I know that <a href="http://www.thisisnotapril.com/" target="_blank">April</a> is not organizing this year, and that I am not taking that on myself either (since I'm not even sure that I will be able to go). But I hope that someone will pick up the baton and put something together, so that I can participate if everything works out. It will be great to see my fellow bloggers again.<br />
David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-40905129707459635282012-12-10T16:37:00.000-06:002012-12-10T22:06:26.830-06:002012 WPBT Winter Classic Report – Eat, Walk, Play<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Another
WPBT Winter Classic is in the history books, and my wife and I were fortunate
enough to be there. The three activities we engaged in the most on the trip are
in the title of this post, with “Play” perhaps being the least of the three. Below
is my report on this year’s shenanigans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">First,
an observation: hardly anyone who attended this year’s gathering seems to have
an active poker blog any more. So, a lot of the links you see below for named
people will be for their Twitter handles, since that now seems to be the more
common method of communication among this group. Maybe we should start calling
it the WPTT (World Poker Tweeter Tour)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Thursday
Nov. 29<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This
evening was taken up by dinner and the screening of the Star Trek: The Next
Generation Season 2 movie event with our friends Ron and Barb Moore. Ron was
the visual effects supervisor for TNG as well as many other TV shows and films.
We met Ron and Barb on a couple of Cruise Treks and have been friends with them
since. We had a great time catching up with them and watching the TNG episodes
and bonus features at the screening. Side note: Ron has just written a book
about his career in visual effects, titled “Flying Starships”; you can get more
info about it at his <a href="http://www.trekvfx.com/" target="_blank">website</a>.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Friday
Nov. 30<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
big event Friday morning was the hike on Oak Creek Loop trail in Red Rock
Canyon just outside Las Vegas. <a href="https://twitter.com/DanEngland" target="_blank">Dan</a> (aka <a href="http://pokingandpeaking.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">PokerPeaker</a>) suggested it, expecting
two or three people to show interest. 15 of us showed up, and everyone enjoyed
the easy and scenic hike. A group photo by <a href="https://twitter.com/AstinTO" target="_blank">Astin</a> can be found <a href="https://twitter.com/AstinTO/status/274667880203841536/photo/1" target="_blank">here</a>; <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">I took some photos too, which you can see <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40087898@N02/sets/72157632218843212/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Friday
afternoon and evening was mixed games time at the Aria poker room. I played for
a while and finished up a few dollars. These sessions are more about having fun
playing with fellow bloggers, but walking away with a few extra bucks does
sweeten the deal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Saturday
Dec. 1<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Pat
and I started our day with breakfast at the Hash House a Go-Go at The Quad (formerly
Imperial Palace). The “twisted farm food” at the Hash House is excellent and
highly recommended. We then walked through Bellagio to look at their Christmas
decorations on our way to Aria for the WPBT tournament. Bellagio always puts up
a fabulous holiday display in their Conservatory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Things
started out slowly for me in the tourney. I took a few pots to keep my stack
from shrinking too quickly, but didn’t chip up as much as I would have liked. I
made a couple of ill-advised plays that cost me some chips, but managed to stay
in contention through the first two breaks. Near the end of the second break
(or was it the third?), I was talking to Dan, who was seated to my left and had
a very healthy chip stack. I mentioned that my stack was getting short and I
was nearing the danger zone. He said a double-up would put me back into the
thick of things. First hand of the next round, I picked up AQ and went all in. Dan
insta-called with KK. I spiked an Ace on the flop and got that double-up. Those
chips allowed me to steal a few pots to keep pace with the table and eventually
stick around for the final table. I had never gone that deep in previous WPBT
tourneys and was thrilled with making it that far. Plus, my last-longer partner
<a href="http://www.geekandproud.net/" target="_blank">Alan</a> (aka <a href="https://twitter.com/metsfan" target="_blank">metsfan</a>) was still in the game and at my table, so I knew we had a
good shot at winning that prize. My run would not last much longer, though, due
to a cooler hand of KK vs. <a href="http://pokerparadox.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The WookieWay</a>’s AA. He had me covered by about 800
chips, and I was out in 9<sup>th</sup> place out of 58 runners. I didn’t cash,
but I’m very pleased with the deep run. I found out after the tourney ended,
with CJ (aka <a href="https://twitter.com/TheLuckbox" target="_blank">the Luckbox</a>) taking it down, that Alan and I tied with Dan and
<a href="http://craakker.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Michael</a> (aka <a href="https://twitter.com/Grange95" target="_blank">Grange95</a>) for the last longer. My share of the last longer pool
almost covered my buy-in to the tournament, so that worked out quite nicely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">When
I tracked down <a href="https://twitter.com/VinNay" target="_blank">VinNay</a> to get my last longer winnings, I found him at the Monte
Carlo Café with Alan and his fiancée Kat, plus my old pal <a href="http://wilwheaton.net/" target="_blank">Wil Wheaton</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/shanenickerson" target="_blank">Shane Nickerson</a>, <a href="http://www.absinthetics.com/blog/" target="_blank">Ryan</a> (aka <a href="https://twitter.com/absinthetics" target="_blank">absinthetics</a>), <a href="https://twitter.com/Chilly43" target="_blank">Chilly</a> and another gent whose name I failed
to get. They ate their dinner while Pat and I chatted with them, after which
VinNay suggested that we have our own mini slot tournament: each player would choose
a $0.25 machine and deposit $20. At the sound of the virtual bell, the contestants
would play for 5 minutes, and player with the highest remaining total would take
all the winnings of all players for the tournament. I joined in, expecting it
to be a chop of zero money left for all of us. But, several of us hit a few
winners during the 5 minutes, with Vinnie coming out on top. His haul was
something like $180+; not bad for five minutes of slot play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Sunday
Dec. 2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Pat
and I decided to go for the Caesars buffet pass, which gets you into any buffet
at the Caesars properties, as often as you like, in a 24 hour period. Because, you know, we hadn't eaten enough already on the trip. We started
by having brunch at the Flamingo buffet, and then drove away from the Strip
which was being closed for the Rock and Roll Marathon to be run that afternoon
and evening. We visited one of the outlet malls, plus Green Valley Ranch
Casino, and the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and their Cactus Garden which was
fully decorated with holiday lights (photos <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40087898@N02/sets/72157632218961634/" target="_blank">here</a>). The traffic around the Strip was monstrous when we got back, which
complicated matters a bit but didn’t prevent us from getting to the Spice
Market Buffet at Planet Hollywood to use our buffet pass for dinner. Gotta get our money's worth.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Before
I went to bed, I played in the Sunday night $3/$6 mixed game at The Quad (I
still want to call it the IP). They were spreading some really weird games,
only two of which I ended up playing. The first was Stud Eight, but the twist
was that each player got four cards to start, all face down, and then each
player would look at his cards and discard one. Then a designated player would turn up
one card, and the player to the left would turn one up, etc. Play then
continued as in regular Stud 8. I won over $40 in a few minutes playing this
game, getting some good hands that got paid off. I gave it all back in the next
game, though: 3-2-1 Omaha Eight. What the hell is that, you may ask? It starts
like regular Omaha High-Low, but three flops are dealt, plus two turn cards and
one river card. I’m not the best Omaha player but I have a decent idea of how
to play it. This version, though, confused the crap out of me. After I lost my
earlier winnings, I decided it was time to call it a day. I’m sure the regulars
who were in this game wanted me to stick around so they could try to get more
of my chips, but I didn’t feel like giving them that chance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Monday
Dec. 3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We
used our buffet pass to stuff ourselves one last time with breakfast at Harrah’s, then headed for the airport
for the flight to L.A. to visit Pat’s dad. We spent the week with him and came
home Friday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">If
I have any regrets from this trip, the first would be not having spent more
time with some of my blogger friends, and not getting to spend any time with
those who couldn’t be there this year. The second would be not taking more
photos, especially at the tournament or mixed games. But overall I had a great
time and look forward to doing it again next year. Many thanks for <a href="http://www.thisisnotapril.com/" target="_blank">April</a> for
organizing the poker stuff, VinNay for handling the last longer, Dan for
suggesting and leading the hike, and the <a href="https://twitter.com/ARIAPoker" target="_blank">Aria poker</a> room staff for everything
they did to make us WPBT folks feel welcome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Happy
Holidays to all, and see you next time!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-32188160923152487242012-11-14T07:47:00.000-06:002012-11-14T07:47:39.550-06:002012 WPBT Winter Classic, and other updatesYou heard right - it's time for another World Poker Blogger Tour Winter Classic gathering in Las Vegas, the weekend of November 29 through December 3. Check <a href="http://www.thisisnotapril.com/" target="_blank">April's blog</a> for more details, and RSVP if you haven't already at the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/153234711480572/" target="_blank">Facebook event page</a>. It is bound to be a fun time, so don't miss it.<br />
<br />
I will be attending again, and staying at the Imperial Palace. Yes, it's not the classiest property in town, but the location and prices cannot be beat. My wife will be coming with me too, and we plan to do some non-pokery stuff while we are there. One of those things may be a tour of the <a href="http://www.neonmuseum.org/tour-info" target="_blank">Neon Museum</a>, who have recently opened their new visitor's center. If we do that, it will most likely be Saturday morning. We are also going to meet some friends Thursday evening at the Orleans and go to the movie screening promoting the Blu-Ray release of the second season of Star Trek - The Next Generation. Beyond that, some other activities might include a trip out to Red Rock Canyon on Friday morning for an easy hike with some blogger friends, a visit to the Ethel M chocolate factory, hitting one or more of the outlet malls, and who knows what else. Anyone who wants to join us for any of these adventures, let me know.<br />
<br />
In other news, I recently took an early retirement package from my job, and as of October 31 I am officially retired. I have taken advantage of my newfound free time to ride the players' bus up to Winstar Casino one day last week to play some poker. After losing a big chunk of my buy-in early, I came back and finished ahead by about 22 big blinds after roughly three hours of play. I probably could have done even better if I hadn't played as loosely as I did the first half of the session. I plan to go back up there on a semi-regular basis, depending on whatever else is going on.<br />
<br />
I will do my best to post updates here, from the WPBT trip and from my future poker sessions.David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-30140891114277028522012-06-20T17:24:00.000-05:002012-06-20T17:24:17.764-05:00Not dead yet....Six months is a long time to go between posts, I will agree. If only I had six month's worth of intriguing news to report. Still, just to prove that there is life remaining in this blog, I thought I would post an entry.<br />
<br />
Yes, I have played a little poker since December. I've played for a few pennies on line at Bovada, but all I have left on that site is a few pennies, and I haven't logged on there in a while. I have put in a couple of live sessions up in Oklahoma, at the <a href="http://winstarworldcasino.com/" target="_blank">Winstar Casino</a> just over the TX border and the <a href="http://www.riverwind.com/" target="_blank">Riverwind Casino</a> in Norman, and both sessions were profitable. At the Winstar a few weeks ago, I left with about $12 more than I bought in with. This past weekend, my wife and I went up to Norman to visit our son who is at OU for summer classes. I nearly doubled my buy-in there after about a two hour session. Feels good to walk away ahead.<br />
<br />
Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think of these results as signs that I am turning into a "good" player. I think most of my basic instincts are on track, but every time I sit down at the table, I realize how much I *don't* know about how to play poker well. I really need to play more ring games to get more experience under my belt. My profits in these sessions have mostly come from winning a few big pots when I caught cards and they held up. I know that I play too tight/weak a lot of the time, and probably concede some pots that I should go after. However, there was one hand at Riverwind where I decided to take a chance, and I am embarassed to say that I don't have a good feel for whether my decision was a smart one (not taking into account the result).<br />
<br />
$1/$2 NLHE; my stack was about $250. I was in late position and started with AdJh. Preflop raises were not chasing a lot of people out of the pots at this table, so I decided to limp in behind a few others and see if I could hit something before committing much money to the pot. The player to my left also limped in, and the flop came cheap.<br />
<br />
Flop: A J T rainbow<br />
<br />
It was checked to me and I bet roughly the size of the pot with top two pair but a drawing board. The player on my left went all in for about $110 more. I thought about it for quite a while. My opponent said, "If you have KQ you have me beat, otherwise..." This player didn't strike me as very sneaky or deceptive, so my first reaction was to think that he did not have KQ himself. I did consider the possibility that he was trying reverse psychology on me if he did have that. I then considered that he might have a set of tens and was trying to push me off a draw. In the end, I had the gut feeling that he really didn't want me to call, and therefore might have a hand that I could beat like A-rag, so I called him. He turned over AsJc, the turn and river didn't change anything, and we chopped the pot.<br />
<br />
I didn't feel particularly comfortable with that decision. What I want to develop is the ability to analyze these types of situations more clearly so those decisions will come a bit more easily. I can go back and re-read the poker books that I have, but I know that it requires actual experience more than anything else to improve my skills.<br />
<br />
In on-line poker news, <a href="http://www.alcanthang.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">AlCan'tHang</a> has joined forces with up-and-comer <a href="http://www.faceupgaming.com/#a_aid=ACH" target="_blank">Face Up Gaming</a> to start up a new blogger tournament series. They held an ice-breaker tournament June 9, which I was unable to play. Here is the info for the next tourney; more details at Al's site:<br />
<br />
Tournament: Bloggers 2<br />Date: Saturday, June 30th<br />Time: 3pm ET - Noon
PT<br />Buyin: Freeroll<br />Password: battle2<br />
<br />
Face Up is a monthly subscription site; Al should be able to tell you whether you have to sign up for the subscription to play in the tourney. If everything works out for me to join the fun, I hope to play, and to see you there.<br />
<br />David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-54081890868324545142011-12-24T20:54:00.000-06:002011-12-24T20:54:11.367-06:00My favorite poker-related Xmas gift of 2011We opened our gifts tonight due to plans we have for tomorrow, and I got an awesome T-shirt as one of my gifts. Behold:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMjrrUQRvhB3W1Zw_qcYTEKhdGyjmFoQBEwQYY9RbICVT4Fjrd5xjf5bTi4sea7zNWWU-plaod5bfpfJc_K3-7SdR4Ea1lwl3ImEC1FcnYdjd6hvhhyfbNHd61PBkFfm-0-2m/s1600/P1010011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMjrrUQRvhB3W1Zw_qcYTEKhdGyjmFoQBEwQYY9RbICVT4Fjrd5xjf5bTi4sea7zNWWU-plaod5bfpfJc_K3-7SdR4Ea1lwl3ImEC1FcnYdjd6hvhhyfbNHd61PBkFfm-0-2m/s320/P1010011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I <3 this shirt so much, I will be taking extra-good care of it. But, yes, I will be wearing it at future poker gatherings, for closer inspection.<br />
<br />
Try not to be too jealous.<br />
<br />David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-89711240809005614152011-12-06T19:20:00.001-06:002011-12-27T21:13:53.046-06:00WPBT 2011 Winter Classic reportI have browsed around to some of the poker blogs that I know but I haven't yet seen a report about this year's <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=140730319337011" target="_blank">WPBT Winter Classic</a> weekend. Maybe there are some posts out there that I haven't seen yet. In any case, here is mine.<br />
<br />
Wednesday night<br />
Check into Imperial Palace around midnight. It's 2:00 AM Dallas time and my wife and I are dead tired. She makes a joke about just staying up all night instead of going to bed. Ha, I say, because we have to get up for...<br />
<br />
Thursday morning<br />
I take my wife to the airport so she can catch an early flight to spend the weekend with her sick dad. It would be nice if she could spend the weekend in Vegas with me as originally planned, but it will be better for her to spend some time with her dad and help him out.<br />
<br />
Breakfast at McDonalds is followed by a short rest at the hotel before looking for a poker tournament to play. I choose the 10:00 AM $50 buy-in at Planet Hollywood. To kill time before it starts, I play some $0.25 video poker, Deuces Wild. Down to my last $3.00, I hit four deuces and cash out for $250.00. Nice start to the weekend, eh? I use $50 of my winnings to buy into the tourney. About two hours later, I finish third for another $150.00+ payout. I'm on a roll!<br />
<br />
Back to the IP, where I see CK, <a href="http://bam-baminbedrock.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bam-Bam</a> and Pebbles playing Let It Ride. I watch them play and can't figure out how the hell this game works. Bam-Bam says, "Sit down, I want to buy you in for one hand." After a few minutes of "No thank you"s and "Come on"s, I give in and sit down. First deal, I get some big hand (can't even remember what) and get paid double or triple my bets. Next hand, something just as good or better. I think I got three of a kind at least twice in the space of 30 minutes. After going up about $200, I tell Bam-Bam that I think we should quit while we are ahead. He insists on splitting the winnings with me, despite my offer to let him have it all since I didn't do anything more than sit there while the cards were dealt to me. I still owe him and Pebbles drinks, dinner, or something. My run good continues, but not for much longer.<br />
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Sherwood Forest bar, Excalibur: this year's blogger meeting spot. I drive to the Excal with <a href="http://lightning36.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">lightning36</a> and meet up with lots of old friends and acquaintances. There is talk of heading to the Palms for the Thursday night <a href="http://pokerati.com/" target="_blank">Pokerati</a> NLHE/PLO game, but very few actually leave the Excal and I am not among them. Eventually lightning and I play for a little while in the Excal poker room. I lose about $50 and decide I need some sleep. I drop lightning at Bally's and hit the sack.<br />
<br />
Friday<br />
Feels good to sleep in. After a fabulous breakfast at the <a href="http://www.hashhouseagogo.com/" target="_blank">Hash House A-Go-Go</a>, I go for a walk. Antiquities, a memorabilia store in the Forum Shops at Caesars, has a sign announcing that <a href="http://www.peterose.com/" target="_blank">Pete Rose</a> will be appearing there that afternoon. I grew up in the Cincinnati area and have always been a fan of Pete's. I walk some more, come back after Pete's starting time, buy a book that he co-wrote, and get his autograph on it along with a few pictures. <br />
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Back to the IP again. I spend a little time in their poker room playing $2/4 Limit HE with what looks like a bunch of locals. When lightning calls to say he will be there soon for our trip to the <a href="http://www.pinballmuseum.org/" target="_blank">Pinball Hall of Fame</a>, I am about $20 ahead. <a href="http://pokerandmisc.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">PokahDave</a> catches up with us too, and lightning drives us to the Pinball HOF. We use up just about all of the quarters that I had brought with me, leftovers from my previous visit there a couple of years ago. Fun times. After that, lightning wants to go visit the graves of Redd Foxx and Stu Ungar. Why not, Dave and I say, and off we go. A little searching and a query to one of the cemetery employees, and we find the graves. We pay our respects and head out.<br />
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<a href="http://www.arialasvegas.com/casino/poker.aspx" target="_blank">Aria poker room</a>. After a quick dinner, we walk to the Aria to join the bloggers for some poker. The mixed game table is full when we get there, but a $1/3 NLHE table is opened up and I sit in. A couple of hours later, I have dropped my buy-in after some loose calls and card dead streaks. A leisurely walk back to the IP and an early bedtime for me.<br />
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Saturday<br />
Recommendation to anyone reading this: find somewhere else to eat breakfast besides the Emperor's Buffet at IP. Below-average food and selection for the same price as most other places. Harrah's and Flamingo are both easy walks from IP and the buffets are much better. Another leisurely walk to the Aria for the tournament at noon. Very early on, I call off about half my stack to <a href="http://thewife-herside.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">MrsChako</a> with AA vs her set of 5s. I should have known better, but instead got myself short on chips early. I stuck around longer than I thought I would, but eventually busted out in 52nd place to <a href="http://taopoker.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Dr. Pauly</a>. He seemed pleased to get my bounty, a copy of the Yes CD "90125" - remastered edition with bonus tracks!!<br />
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More walking ensued, including a trip back to the IP, with stops at the Aria gift shop and Miracle Mile mall, with <a href="http://ohcaptainpoker.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">OhCaptain</a>. Always a good traveling companion. Eventually we ended up back at the IP poker room, where a maniac was holding court with a table <a href="http://brianandstacie.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">mostly</a> <a href="http://www.donkeysdraw.com/" target="_blank">full</a> <a href="http://hellaholdem.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">of</a> <a href="http://www.specialksplace.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">bloggers </a>who were intent on taking advantage of his wild and loose playing. There wasn't a seat open for me at first, and when I finally did get to join, I was on the maniac's right and did not get to play with him. The guy to my right eventually felted the maniac, much to the chagrin of the rest of the table. Then that guy left, taking most of the chips in play with him. By then I was running behind again and thinking that I had better turn in, having an early flight to catch Sunday.<br />
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Sunday<br />
Flew home.<br />
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I had another great time at the Winter Classic. The poker and other activities were fun, but as always it was the people that made it special. My thanks to everyone I got to meet or spend time with. Extra thanks to <a href="http://www.thisisnotapokerblog.com/" target="_blank">April</a>, the <a href="http://twitter.com/ariapoker" target="_blank">Aria poker room</a> staff, and the others who worked to organize everything. I hope to see all of you again very soon.David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-6143087921186026012011-11-05T10:19:00.001-05:002011-11-05T10:32:00.389-05:00Overdue update, including WPBT Winter Classic newsYes, it has been quite a while since I posted here. My poker activity has been sporadic since the WSOP, so there hasn't been much to talk about. Let's see what my memory banks can produce from the last few months.<br />
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As with so many other poker players, my playing has been reduced quite a bit since the Black Friday shutdown of the big online sites. I played in a few play-money tournaments on PokerStars with some other bloggers, but dropped out of that group when the host insulted me during one of the games. I didn't see any point in sticking around for that. I still have a few dollars on <a href="http://www.bodog.eu/" target="_blank">Bodog</a> and play there for small change once in a while, but not much. I tried a free month on ClubWPT.com by mailing in a postcard, but the game offerings were sparse and I didn't care for the interface much., so I didn't send in any more cards to keep it going.<br />
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I played in a tourney at <a href="http://www.riverwind.com/" target="_blank">Riverwind</a> in Norman OK when we moved our son up there in August. Didn't get very deep in that one. I did better when my wife and I went on another cruise to Alaska in September. I played in a one-table tourney in the ship's casino and chopped first place. I also helped organize a freeroll tourney for the <a href="http://www.cruisetrek.com/" target="_blank">Cruise Trek</a> group that we sailed with, as I did on a <a href="http://yestbay1poker.blogspot.com/2006/07/floating-wwdn-tournament.html" target="_blank">previous cruise in 2006</a>. I finished second in the freeroll, which won me a voucher for credit toward a future cruise. So that trip turned me a poker profit.<br />
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I play semi-regularly in a local bar league, and have finished in the points a couple of times recently. But I know that my game is rusty and I need to be more focused and brush up on my skills. That need is magnified because I will be playing some "serious" poker in four weeks.<br />
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That's right, I will once again be attending the <a href="http://www.thisisnotapokerblog.com/?p=918" target="_blank">WPBT Winter Classic</a> in Las Vegas. I almost ended up not going this year, but decided that I do not want to miss out on the fun. My wife will be along for the trip again, and we will be doing some non-pokery stuff when I'm not playing. We will be staying at the Imperial Palace, arriving late Wednesday and leaving early Sunday. I'm looking forward to seeing lots of the poker blogger crowd the first weekend in December<br />
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On a non-poker note, I am thrilled that the <a href="http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=tex" target="_blank">Texas Rangers</a> made it to the World Series for the second consecutive year, but (naturally) disappointed that they weren't able to get that last strike (twice!) to seal the deal. They had a great season and I expect them to continue to play great baseball for years to come.<br />
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See you in less than a month in Las Vegas!David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-28963753419187590402011-06-26T22:27:00.000-05:002011-06-26T22:27:24.747-05:002011 World Series of Poker report - Doyle Brunson liked my shirtI never said that I was prompt about posting trip reports. Better late than never, though, right?<br />
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My first ever World Series of Poker experience was, overall, fairly positive. I played in the Seniors Championship event, and although I didn't get very far in the tournament, I don't feel like I made any real boneheaded decisions that cost me a chance to go deep. I played a fair amount of poker outside the WSOP, and did some other touristy stuff; more about that shortly.<br />
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My adventure started when I flew into Las Vegas the morning of Thursday June 16, the day before the start of the Seniors event. I picked up my rental car and drove across town so I could register for said event. I'm glad I got there early in the day, because I only had to wait in the registration line at the Rio for about 15 minutes. By the time I finished, the line had grown out of the room and just got longer as the day wore on. I then wandered around the convention area of the Rio, where the WSOP events were being held, so I could figure our where everything was. I had never seen so many poker tables, or poker players, in the same place at once. I knew there would be a big field for the Seniors tournament, as well as hundreds of players for the other events. It didn't take long before I saw my first recognizable poker pro, Bertrand "ElkY" Grosspellier, walking through the Pavilion. Soon I was spotting pros every other minute, and I gave up trying to keep track of them all, so you won't see a list of them here.<br />
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Eventually I caught up with one of my blogger pals, <a href="http://www.alcanthang.blogspot.com/">AlCan'tHang</a>, and chatted with him for a few minutes. Later I would meet up with <a href="http://taopoker.blogspot.com/">Dr. Pauly</a>, <a href="http://specialksplace.blogspot.com/">Special K</a>, <a href="http://www.ftrain.blogspot.com/">F-Train</a>, CKBwoP, and other friends and acquaintances. I didn't do much more than soak up the atmosphere around the WSOP area at the Rio that afternoon.<br />
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After a brief trip downtown, I ended up at the Palms to play in the <a href="http://www.pokerati.com/">Pokerati</a> mixed NLHE/PLO game Thursday evening. I wasn't playing very much, just treading water, until an interesting hand came up. In middle position, I called a straddle bet of $5 with T9 of clubs. The button, pro Matt Stout who was sitting in for some fun and games, raised to $15. I called the raise to see what might develop, and we were heads up. The flop was TKT, giving me trips. I bet $15, and Matt called. The turn was a 9, filling me up. I thought about checking but decided to see if Matt would call me again like he did on the previous street. I bet $25, which he called fairly quickly. The river was an Ace. I announced all-in, which Matt snap-called. I showed my boat; he turned over QJ for the straight. After that nice pot, I played for a short while longer and decided to call it a night, having been up since about 4:15 AM Dallas time.<br />
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The next morning, I attended an interview session with Phil Gordon and Doyle Brunson which was sponsored by <a href="http://badbeatoncancer.org/">BadBeatonCancer.org</a>, which had a booth at the WSOP asking players to donate 1% of their winnings to cancer research. Phil interviewed Doyle about his life in the poker world and about Doyle's own survival of cancer. After the interview, Doyle took questions from the audience. I got in line and asked Doyle how he liked playing in the cash game shows made for TV like The Big Game and High Stakes Poker. He said he loves playing in those games and isn't bothered by the televised nature of them. You may be wondering, where did the title of this post come from? Well, I wore my red Texas Rangers T-shirt that day, with "TEXAS" in big letters on the front. As he finished answering my question, Doyle, a Texas native himself, said, "I like your shirt, by the way."<br />
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The Seniors tourney started at 12:00 noon, or actually several minutes later, after the introduction by Oklahoma Johnny Hale and general ceremonial stuff. I had no pros or celebrities at my starting table, but those who were there were nice enough people. A couple of people got annoyed by this or that, but by and large things were pretty friendly. I played tight to start, as did everyone else. I took a few small pots, mostly playing position, but didn't build my chip stack. I made it to the first break with a few more chips than the 3,000 that everyone started with. I knew I was going to need to step things up a bit when we got back, but the cards weren't coming and my opponents had pretty much the same idea as I did, so I found it hard to play back at anyone. As my stack started to shrink, I was looking for a chance to double up while doing so would still gain me a decent stack. I found it when I got AK in late position and reraised all-in the UTG player's 3XBB opening raise. He called, showed QQ, and busted me when the A on the flop had a Q right next to it. I suppose I could have folded preflop, but really, how could I do that? And if I had just called, the chips would have ended up in the middle when the A hit the flop. I don't regret that move, or really anything else I did in the tournament. It just wasn't meant to be, for me, and I'm fine with that.<br />
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After I busted, I tracked down Special K, who busted ahead of me on a bad beat. He suggested that we play some cash at Caesars Palace, to check on that action and to get more information about a Super Seniors tourney they were hosting the next day (which turned out to be too pricey for us). We hopped the shuttle bus from the Gold Coast, where we were both staying, to the Strip and walked over to CP. We ended up seated at separate tables, and I think I got the luckier draw. On my immediate left was a gent who was in nearly every hand, making weird bets, calling down with very weak hands, and more or less giving his chips away. I managed to get some of them myself and doubled my buy-in before fatigue got the best of me. I would have loved to stay longer and try to get some more of his donations, but I really felt the need to crash, and to catch the shuttle back to the Gold Coast before it stopped running.<br />
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Saturday, I went back to the Rio, thinking about entering the daily $230 deepstack WSOP side tourney. I played some cash at the Rio's regular poker room early in the day, losing a little of my profit from the previous days. By the time I went to check on the deepstack tourney, it was full. I decided to take a break and see what shows were on that might be fun. I had seen an ad for "Recycled Percussion" at the Tropicana, which sounded a lot like Stomp! where the performers bang on all manner of household objects as percussion instruments. That sounded good, so I went to a discount ticket booth on the Strip and bought a ticket for that night's performance. I got a text from Special K, who wanted to play some poker at the MGM Grand. I told him I would meet him after the show.<br />
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"Recycled Percussion" was fabulous. A high-energy show with lots of audience participation: everyone coming into the theater was given a drumstick and asked to grab an item out of one of four bins of pots, pans, buckets, and other stuff to hit. It was almost certainly the loudest Vegas show I have ever attended. Go see it if you get the chance.<br />
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My session at the MGM Grand was not so fabulous. Just a few minutes after I sat down, I got involved in two big hands. In the first, I started with AA, raised and got one caller. Flop was J rag rag. I bet about half the pot and got called. Turn is another J. I bet half pot again and got smooth called. Figuring that my opponent called me with top pair on the flop and just turned trips, I checked the rag that fell on the river. Opponent bet, I thought for a few minutes and folded. A few hands later, I got AKo in the cutoff. I raised to $12 and got reraised by the button to $25, which I called. Heads up, the flop was KQx. I bet $25 with top pair; button raised all in and had me covered. If I had thought this through, I would have figured out that the three most likely hands where he would push like that, AA, KK and QQ, all had me crushed. My best hope was that he had AQ (I'm ahead) or AK (we probably chop). But, I didn't think it through, called him, and he showed AA. I didn't suck out, and decided to call it a night.<br />
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Sunday morning, I walked over to the Rio to sign up for their 10:00 AM daily (non-WSOP) tourney. Only $60+5 to enter. The structure was pretty fast but that didn't bother me for such a small buy-in. I got aggressive early, caught some hands and built my stack and put some pressure on the table. We only ended up with 24 entrants because of a shortage of dealers. After making it to the final table, the cards cooled off for me. I hung in and was the beneficiary of a four-way all-in that busted all three players who were shorter stacked than the winner of the hand. That took us down to four, with three places being paid. We all agreed on a save for the bubble of $20 each so the bubble would get (most of) the buy-in back. I was one of the shorter stacks but another player busted ahead of me, so I made the money. My short stack would not last long, though, and I finished in third place. That payout made up for the buy-in that I lost at the MGM Grand the night before.<br />
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I decided to take another tourist break and drive out to Red Rock Canyon Sunday afternoon. It was hot and dry out there, but the scenery was great and I was glad to get out and stretch my legs. I also picked up some nice souvenirs for my wife and son in their gift shop. Much better than the tacky crap in all the casino gift shops. On my way out of the park, I got a text from <a href="http://lightning36.blogspot.com/">lightning36</a>, who had just arrived in town for his WSOP trip. We met at the Harrah's buffet for dinner and had a great time catching up.<br />
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The trip turned out to be a lot of fun, and I'm glad I went. Not counting the Seniors event buy-in, I came home with more poker money than I started with, and that is always a nice feeling. Will I play in the WSOP again next year? A lot can happen between now and then, so I will make no commitments nor predictions now. What I will say is, I won't rule it out.David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-7544599926863647922011-06-02T20:39:00.000-05:002011-06-02T20:39:36.233-05:00The WSOP competition just got easier - for nowBy now you have probably heard that Phil Ivey has declared that he will not be playing in the World Series of Poker this year, and is suing Tiltware, which I believe is the software arm of FullTilt where he has been an icon for several years. The full statement, which was posted May 30, can be found <a href="http://www.philivey.com/">here</a>. While his absence from the WSOP is not likely to benefit me, since my only event will be the Seniors tourney, I suppose there are others who are glad that they won't have to worry about facing him across the table.<br />
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His statement, though, brings up a whole host of questions. Some of these points have been discussed all over the web and undoubtedly there will be much more analysis and speculation about what it all means. Here are a few thoughts that have crossed my mind.<br />
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One sentence of the statement says, "I am not playing in the World Series of Poker as I do not believe it is fair that I compete when others cannot." This appears to imply that Ivey is sympathetic to the players whose funds are stuck on FullTilt and who cannot cash out the money they intended to use to buy into various WSOP events. This doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. One would think that a top-notch player like Ivey would be happy to have less competition and smaller fields to contend with. How many players will be shut out of the WSOP because of their unavailable funds is unknown (to me, anyway) and may never be known precisely, so maybe it isn't a big number. But how a boycott of the WSOP by Ivey will benefit the stuck players is beyond me. Maybe he is trying to pressure the FullTilt honchos to step on the gas in their efforts to pay out to US players, and if they miraculously succeed, he will rescind his boycott and play in events later in the Series (with FullTilt patch in place). Plus, if his action appears to have had some success in getting players their money, he will gain a lot more positive press and fan appreciation. It still seems to me, though, that the losers in this boycott are Caesars and the WSOP organization, who stand to lose some players who will join the boycott or decide not to show up if they think won't get a chance to interact with Ivey in or around the Series.<br />
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The last sentence of the statement says, at the end, "I will, as I have for the last six weeks, dedicate the entirety of my time and efforts to finding a solution for those who have been wronged by the painfully slow process of repayment." My question is, what can Phil Ivey do to "find a solution" to this issue? If he was part of the FullTilt group in charge of handling the player funds, which I seriously doubt, what can he do that he hasn't done already? If he is not part of that group, which I expect is the case, what influence can he have or what can he do about the payouts to the US (and other) players? Does he have enough money in his bank accounts to pay the players what they are owed? If he does, why would he do that? I just haven't figured out why he would say this except as a way to say to the players, "I'm on your side."<br />
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I have read a response to Ivey's statement from Tiltware (Pauly quotes it on his site <a href="http://taopoker.blogspot.com/2011/06/full-tilts-angry-response-to-phil-iveys.html">here</a>) which is very unflattering to Ivey and calls his motives into question. It will be interesting to see how all of this shakes out over the next few weeks. Will Ivey and Tiltware kiss and make up? Will a lot of dirty laundry see the light of day? Will FullTilt US members ever see their money? We are in for some entertaining and potentially enlightening exchanges in the near future, methinks.<br />
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Meanwhile, two weeks from today I will arrive in Las Vegas to prepare for WSOP Event # 30, the Seniors Texas Hold'Em Championship (No-Limit) which begins at 12:00 noon June 17. I've been doing a lot of reading of my poker books and playing when I have had a chance in the local bar league tournaments. As I type this, I am playing on line in a tournament on the new RISE Poker site, a freeroll with a $1,000 prize pool. My game plan for the WSOP tourney is to play my usual tight-aggressive game and avoid marginal situations to the best of my ability. I fully expect to be outclassed by most of the competition in this tournament, and will be praying for the poker gods and the Card Fairy to smile on me during my participation. I will be sending updates from my plain old dumb cell phone to Twitter, so look for me there as <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/yestbay">@yestbay</a> if you want to find out how I am doing.David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-18983006324050682732011-05-01T20:00:00.000-05:002011-05-01T20:00:23.870-05:00Cashed out of PokerStars, and booked for WSOPThe good news: <a href="http://www.pokerstars.com/">PokerStars</a> has opened up their cashier and is processing cashouts for us US players that can't play with our real money on their site any more. I requested my money, and it was deposited in my bank account within a few days. I guess the next time I want to play for actual dollars on PokerStars, it will be when such play has been legalized and making a deposit is no big deal.<br />
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The disappointing news: <a href="http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/">FullTilt</a> has not yet started offering their (former) US players the ability to cash out. I received an e-mail Friday from them saying that they will have a further update this coming week. Why it should take FT so much longer to come up with a means to send US players their money than it took PokerStars, I have no idea. For the sake of all of us who have funds stuck there, especially those who have large amounts coming to them, I hope it isn't too drawn out a process.<br />
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Other good news, for me anyway: I have booked my trip to Las Vegas for the <a href="http://www.wsop.com/2011/">2011 World Series of Poker</a> Seniors event. I arrive Thursday June 16 and fly home Monday the 20th. I will be staying at the <a href="http://www.goldcoastcasino.com/">Gold Coast</a>, so I will be able to walk to the Rio for the WSOP event, and be just a shuttle ride or car drive away from the Strip if I bust out early and want to hit the town. I saw in a recent comment that <a href="http://specialksplace.blogspot.com/">Special K</a> is planning to be there for the same event; it will be nice to have a fellow blogger there to meet up with and cheer on, at least until we both get to the final table. Anyone else who will be in Las Vegas during that time, leave me a comment or e-mail me at david dot westbay at verizon dot net if you want to get together.<br />
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I have read a couple of interesting articles on line recently which I recommend you check out:<br />
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A legal analysis regarding the "Black Friday" indictments, titled <a href="http://www.relentlessdefense.com/our-team/kevin-j-mahoney/commentary-on-high-profile-cases/u-s-attorney-s-office-on-tilt/">US Attorney's Office on Tilt</a><br />
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One about why outlawing online poker is a dumb idea, one titled <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kate-moulene/how-poker-can-save_b_854134.html">Can Poker Save the World?</a><br />
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And one on a similar theme from the L.A. Times titled<span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik-20110429,0,1228884.column">Federal crackdown on Internet poker looks like a relic from the past</a></span><br />
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I found all three articles through my friend <a href="http://table-tango.pokerworks.com/">Linda Geenen</a> from <a href="http://pokerworks.com/">PokerWorks</a>.<br />
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Anyhow, I'll be playing in as many free bar league tourneys as I can manage between now and the WSOP trip, to get in whatever practice I can. If I can get up to Oklahoma to play some real poker over the next few weeks, I might try to do that too.<br />
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Meanwhile, I have signed up for Heffmike's PokerStars play money Home Game club and plan to play in his inaugural tourney tonight. Go to <a href="http://heffmike.blogspot.com/">his blog</a> for details on joining the club.David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-27967806547146430222011-04-17T21:13:00.000-05:002011-04-17T21:13:10.177-05:00Random thoughts, and WSOP plans updateIf you are reading this blog, then I expect that you have heard the news about the US Department of Justice charging PokerStars, FullTilt, and Cereus Network (parent of Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet) with a host of crimes including fraud, money laundering, operating an illegal gambling enterprise, and I'm not sure what else. You can read the actual indictment <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/53107543/Indictment-DOJ-vs-Scheinberg-Bitar-Tom-et-al">here</a> and the civil suit <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/53170382/3bb-Civil-Complaint-DOJ-vs-PokerStars-Full-Tilt-UB-AP-et-al">here</a> (links copied from <a href="http://pokerati.com/">Pokerati</a>). Lots of bloggers have posted their thoughts on what is going on and may be to come. <a href="http://bwop.blogspot.com/">CK</a> writes a very readable summary of the legal aspects as well as her reactions; <a href="http://pokerati.com/">Pokerati</a> has a lot of good information or links to it; and there are plenty of others out there for you to search for. Here are a few random comments, observations, and questions from me.<br />
<br />
<br />
*I have active accounts at three poker sites: PokerStars, FullTilt, and Bodog.<br />
<br />
Right now, I can log into PokerStars but I cannot join any cash ring game or register for any tournament which has a "real money" prize or is a satellite to such a tournament. The only thing that appears to be available to me there is play money games. I can't register for an FPP tourney or even a freeroll if it ends up with some sort of tangible prize.<br />
<br />
I can't log into FullTilt at all. When I try, I get a message that a software update is available. When I try to accept the update, I get a message that the update could not be retrieved and I should try again later. (I have been getting this message since yesterday, so I don't know how soon I will be able to log into FT, if ever.)<br />
<br />
I have no trouble logging into Bodog. They aren't included in the current indictment, and they appear to be operating as usual. Interesting side note: Bodog's website has no mention of the recent developments. I can't say I'm totally surprised; what are they going to say? No doubt they don't want to call undue attention to themselves, so I suppose ignoring it for now is as good a strategy as any.<br />
<br />
*Although the dot.com domains for PokerStars, FullTilt and Ultimate Bet have been seized and redirected to a DOJ information page, the dot.net domains for those companies are still available. I have to wonder if the DOJ really wants to shut these companies out of the US market completely if they are leaving the dot.net domains alone (at least for now). Perhaps they concede that they can't legally seize a website if it says all over it that it only offers play money games and no real money play.<br />
<br />
*Will this change increase the player base of the online subscription poker sites like ClubWPT.com which appear to be legal in the US? That would seem to make some sense, since the serious online players are going to want to have someplace to ply their trade. I don't have any plans to pay $19.95 a month to join ClubWPT; I don't play often enough in my spare time to make it worth that kind of expense. There is a way to get around the monthly subscription fee, by sending a post card every month; I don't know whether I will go to that trouble or not at this point, but I may try it once to see how it goes.<br />
<br />
*Will televised poker shrink due to loss of advertising by the major sites? Probably so, especially in the near term. But the TV producers can always try to find new sponsors for the shows. They will just have to sign up other companies that want to reach the poker-viewing audience. PokerStars' show The Big Game seems likely to take a big hit since the whole premise is to bring an online qualifier onto the show to play against the pros. With no US players eligible to play for the spot, where will the contestants come from? Canada, maybe?<br />
<br />
*Without the hundreds of online qualifiers to fill seats, the World Series of Poker could very well see significantly lower turnouts this year and in future years, depending on how everything shakes out. Besides the US players who would have won packages to the WSOP from the major online sites, there are almost certainly players who would have used money from their online bankrolls to pay their way to the big dance. The bright side for the people who do play in the Series is that they won't have fields as large to contend with.<br />
<br />
As a small stakes recreational player, this ruling doesn't have a huge effect on my life. I certainly have enjoyed the ability to log on and play whenever I wanted, and will miss it to some degree. I feel for those whose livelihoods have been disrupted by this development. I don't have the faintest clue how all of this will evolve, but it is obvious that things have changed greatly, and most likely permanently, for online poker players in the US.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, <a href="http://yestbay1poker.blogspot.com/2011/01/wsop-plans-wbcoop-pokerstars-home-games.html">my plans to play in the Seniors event</a> in this year's WSOP have not changed to speak of. For quite a while it looked like I was going to abandon the idea, due to some upcoming family stuff. But in looking at the big picture again, it still appears that getting my first WSOP experience under my belt this year is going to work out better than waiting for some future time. I've looked again at airfare, hotel rates, etc. and will probably firm up my plans soon. Once it is all set, I will post more info in hopes that I can meet up with any fellow bloggers or friends that might be in Las Vegas while I am there.<br />
<br />
More coming soon....David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-77362274030294706452011-01-28T15:43:00.000-06:002011-01-28T15:43:46.965-06:00WSOP plans, WBCOOP, PokerStars Home GamesThis year has not got off to an auspicious start for me as far as poker goes. I made some bone-headed plays in the bar league that I play in, I have min-cashed in exactly two online tournaments so far, and I have felt off my game for pretty much the entire month.<br />
<br />
So, naturally, I am making plans to play in the <a href="http://www.wsop.com/">World Series of Poker</a> this summer in Las Vegas. Why, you may ask? A reasonable question, and one that my wife asked when I told her what I am thinking. The bottom line answer is, because I can. Right now, I have the means to enter a (relatively) low buy-in tourney and can afford the travel costs to do it. I have wanted to participate in the WSOP experience for several years now but haven't taken the steps to make it happen. In a few more years, my wife and I are hoping that I can retire early from my current job, following in my wife's footsteps who volunteered to be laid off from her job last fall. I figure that now is a good time for me to fulfill this "dream" of playing in the WSOP, while I have a steady income and don't need to worry about whether the money I might spend playing poker should be used to pay the electric bill instead.<br />
<br />
I can't go nuts and jump into the Main Event or anything like that. I feel like I can handle a bottom-tier buy-in event, preferably over a weekend so I don't have to take too many days off work. After examining the recently released event schedule, I have found what I believe is probably the best fit for me: the Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship, which starts Friday June 17 at 12:00 noon and has a buy-in of $1,000. Don't be too surprised that I actually qualify for this 50-or-older event, despite my youthful good looks. I know that the majority of my poker blogger friends aren't quite at that milestone in their chronology yet, so I don't expect to see many of them in the event with me. But I am hoping that some will be in Las Vegas during that time, and that I will get to say hello to them in between sessions or before or after the events that everyone enters.<br />
<br />
I know that the competition in the Seniors event will be tough. I have no doubt that there will be plenty of long-time players in it with decades more experience than I have. But, at least I won't have to face the ultra-aggressive Internet punks who are barely older than my son. I do plan to study more, and play more, between now and June, to try to find and plug (or at least slow) some of the leaks in my game. If I will have one thing going for me in the event, it's that the chances of any of my opponents having played me before or knowing how I play are infinitesimal.<br />
<br />
Besides the preparation for the tournament, I also will need to take care of some logistical stuff. Where to stay? When to arrive in Las Vegas, and when to leave? How to get around while in town? Right now, I will probably fly in the Wednesday night or Thursday morning before the event, giving myself the day on Thursday to relax and maybe meet up with any friends who are available. The Seniors tourney is a three-day event, so I will most likely book a flight home on Monday. If I bust out early, I will have whatever remains of the weekend to hang out, play some cash games, and generally soak up the atmosphere of the WSOP.<br />
<br />
I am not sure about where to stay. The Rio itself has rates right now for that weekend that aren't as expensive as I thought they would be, but are a little more than I would like to spend. I could stay on the Strip for less, perhaps in a Caesars property and ride their shuttle to the Rio. But I don't like the idea of depending on their shuttle, nor having to drive a rental car from a Strip property to the Rio every day that I am in the event. The Gold Coast, right next to the Rio, has very good rates and is looking like a definite possibility. I may or may not want to have a rental car. It would give me more freedom, especially if I bust early and want to get around town for the rest of my stay. I'll probably get one, if only to avoid having to deal with cabs and shuttle buses.<br />
<br />
I would really like to get some feedback from anyone who has tips for a first-timer at the WSOP, whether it be about playing in the Series, dealing with travel stuff, or whatever. I would also love to hear from anyone who will be in Las Vegas that weekend (June 16 - 19), either visiting or living there, in case we have a chance to meet up. Please leave me a comment or e-mail me at david dot westbay at verizon dot net.<br />
<br />
In a short while, I will be playing in today's PokerStars <a href="http://www.pokerstars.com/blog_tournament/">WBCOOP</a> 8-Game tournament. In my previous two attempts in this year's WBCOOP, I have come up short of any prizes. I would like to get some sort of ticket to another event, if nothing else. Although I can afford to pay my own way to the WSOP this summer, winning some money online that I could use towards those expenses would certainly be nice.<br />
<br />
On a different note, some of you have probably heard about the <a href="http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/home-games/">PokerStars Home Games</a> that they are now offering. I haven't looked into it too closely yet, but it struck me as a way for poker-playing friends to play together for fun without having to request private tournaments from the poker sites. I will be happy to set up a "club" (as Stars calls them) for any of my blogger pals or other friends who want to play occasionally (or regularly). If you are interested, leave me a comment or drop me an e-mail and I will send you an invitation when I get things going.<br />
<br />
I hope to hear from some of you, about the WSOP or about the home game or both, soon!David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-83784605834148054522011-01-17T11:30:00.000-06:002011-01-17T11:30:38.164-06:00PokerStars WBCOOP 2011 - I'm registered; are you?<div style="height: 180px; width: 100%;"><a href="http://www.pokerstars.com/blog_tournament/"><img align="left" alt="Online Poker" border="0" src="http://www.pokerstars.com/images/wbcoop/180x150.gif" style="margin-right: 10px;" /></a><br />
I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! The WBCOOP is a free online Poker tournament open to all Bloggers, so register on <a href="http://www.pokerstars.com/blog_tournament/">WBCOOP</a> to play.<br />
Registration code: XXXXXX 157829 </div>David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-29103181994377644012010-12-26T15:14:00.000-06:002010-12-26T15:14:37.997-06:00Belated WPBT Winter Classic 2010 trip reportYes, I have been back from Las Vegas for almost two weeks. I will use the "busy holiday season" excuse for not posting my report sooner. If you want to read into that the "too lazy to get around to it" excuse, I won't say that you are too far wrong.<br />
<br />
One big difference about this year's trip compared to previous years is that my wife Pat came along for the first time. That changed my activity schedule somewhat, but I still participated in a fair amount of poker blogger fun. Another change this year is that I didn't arrive until Friday, so I missed the usual introductory get-together at the Geisha Bar at Imperial Palace. I think I will try to make it out on Thursday next time, partly to join the gang at the Geisha Bar and partly so I will have the early half of Friday available for additional tourist time.<br />
<br />
Friday evening, after checking in at Bally's and grabbing some dinner, my wife and I went to MGM Grand so I could play in the traditional blogger mixed games. Pat went off to look around the casino and hotel, while I sat down with a blogger all-star group that included <a href="http://www.upforpoker.com/">CJ</a>, <a href="http://corporationpoker.blogspot.com/">Snuffy</a>, <a href="http://pokergrump.blogspot.com/">Poker Grump</a>, <a href="http://specialksplace.blogspot.com/">Special K</a>, <a href="http://veryjosie.blogspot.com/">Very Josie</a>, and <a href="http://www.iam23skidoo.com/">23skidoo</a>. I know there were a couple of others there whom I either did not know or have forgotten (sorry). We played HORSE, and I went up early during the Hold'em and Omaha 8 rounds, but then went card dead during the Razz, Stud and Stud 8 rounds. I walked away a whole $7 in the black, but had fun playing with the group, which is the main thing. There was a very interesting Razz hand involving Josie and skidoo, which you can read about at Josie's blog <a href="http://veryjosie.blogspot.com/2010/12/razzle-dazzle.html">here</a> or at Grump's blog <a href="http://pokergrump.blogspot.com/2010/12/now-thats-how-to-play-razz.html">here</a>. Hilarity always ensues when bloggers play mixed games. I also finally met my last longer teammate <a href="http://brianandstacie.blogspot.com/">BrainMc</a> in person.<br />
<br />
Saturday was the day of the big blogger tourney at Aria. Pat and I decided to get over there early to look around the City Center complex a bit since neither of us had seen it before. Beautiful place, with very weird but attractive architecture. I got to the poker room early and hung out with several bloggers while we waited for the starting time to arrive. After a blogger group photo, which I have not seen yet and don't know whether it has been posted anywhere, the tourney began. The Hammers started flying fast and furiously, from players trying to pick up the $50 bounties offered up by <a href="http://www.pokerstars.net/">PokerStars</a> for the first ten players to win a hand post-flop while playing 7-2 offsuit. I got one early on, raised pre-flop, but took the blinds when no one called. Later, I called a PF raise from Vinnay with 66, whiffed the flop and folded to his C-bet. He showed the Hammer and took one of the last available Hammer bounties before they were all claimed.<br />
<br />
I got AA and KK a few times in the early levels, but got no action for them and was unable to build a chip stack. I lasted to about 51st place, when my KT was bested by <a href="http://www.ftrain.blogspot.com/">F-Train</a>'s A-rag and another blogger's KJ (sorry that I didn't catch her name). I didn't make my goal of lasting longer than last year's finish of 29th, but I feel like I made mostly good decisions, which is about all you can do anyway. By the end of the night, <a href="http://vegasmiamidon.blogspot.com/">Miami Don</a> had taken the trophy and first place, in a six-way chop with the other finishers. Congrats to Don! Unfortunately, TAG Team did not finish in the money in the Last Longer Challenge. BrainMc went pretty deep, about 16th I think, but Mike and I didn't hold up as long. Maybe next year.<br />
<br />
After I busted out, I called my wife, who had met a friend who lives in the area for lunch and then gone shopping at the Fashion Show Mall. We chilled at the mall for a bit and then headed to the Spice Market Buffet at Planet Hollywood for dinner. We have been to this buffet a few times before and it is a definite favorite. The line to get in was monstrous, but at least we weren't starving when we got in it. The food did not disappoint when we eventually were seated. We bought a 24-hour buffet pass there, which is good at the buffets at all of the Caesars' (formerly Harrah's before the recent corporate name change) properties. After dinner, we went back to Bally's and I played $1/2 NLHE in their poker room for about an hour. I finished up $50, which capped off the night nicely.<br />
<br />
We used the buffet pass again the next morning for breakfast at the Flamingo and then dinner at the Rio Sunday evening. In between, we drove down to Hoover Dam to check out the new bridge. The view of the dam from the new bridge is very cool. We then drove back to the Strip, gawked at a few of the casino hotels, and waited in the long line at the Rio for their buffet. One side note about that buffet's queuing system: they had one line for people using coupons, comps, discounts, or other promo-type things, and three or four lines for people paying with cash or credit card. About 95% of the people in line were using something that required them to stand in the promo line, including us with our buffet pass. They would move people along much better if they had more lines for promo customers.<br />
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We then drove downtown to check out Glitter Gulch and the Fremont Street Experience, which we had not seen for many years. It was packed with people, which made for a festive atmosphere. There were lots of costumed performers there, including some dressed as rock stars, cartoon and movie characters, and Vegas showgirls. I wish now that I had taken more photos there. I went into Binion's and the Golden Nugget to look at (but not play in this time) their poker rooms. On a future visit, I would like to go back down there and play a few hands, and look around some more.<br />
<br />
We drove back to Ballys and hit the sack to get some rest before the flight home on Monday. It was another enjoyable gathering with the poker blogger group, and I look forward to the next one. Many thanks to <a href="http://www.thisisnotapokerblog.com/">April</a>, <a href="http://bwop.blogspot.com/">CK</a>, <a href="http://www.upforpoker.com/">CJ</a>, <a href="http://www.alcanthang.blogspot.com/">Al</a>, <a href="http://www.pokerstars.net/">PokerStars</a>, and everyone else that had a hand in making this event another success.David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-34241265045703996922010-11-23T12:41:00.000-06:002010-11-23T12:41:07.078-06:00Big Game - high and dry, plus WPBT updatesThe bad news: my video for the <a href="http://www.pokerstars.net/">PokerStars</a> <a href="http://www.pokerstars.tv/poker-channel-221-the-big-game.html">Big Game</a> TV show was not chosen as a winner, so I won't be appearing on the show in the near future. I have played in a couple more qualifying tournaments but have not progressed to the final round again (yet). I have some ideas for a new video but will keep them under wraps until I get to the point where I need to make one.<br />
<br />
The good news: in case you haven't been marking off the days on your calendar, the 2010 WPBT Winter Classic gathering is only 16 days away. This year, my wife will be along on the trip for the first time, and it will be interesting to see her reactions to the motley group that is the poker bloggers. We arrive Friday afternoon and depart Monday.<br />
<br />
If you will be in Las Vegas for the fun that weekend but haven't yet signed up to play in the WPBT tournament, contact Texas April ASAP, via <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/event.php?eid=116690675044104">Facebook</a> or <a href="http://www.thisisnotapokerblog.com/">her blog</a>, to get on the list.<br />
<br />
In other WPBT news, I am pleased to announce that I have joined a team for this year's <a href="http://www.upforpoker.com/archives/luckbox-last-longer-challenge-1.html">Last Longer Challenge</a>.<br />
<br />
Presenting, TAG Team:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://brianandstacie.blogspot.com/">BrainMc</a><br />
<a href="http://wsopmaineventblog.blogspot.com/">Mike G</a>. (friend of BrainMc)<br />
Yours truly<br />
<br />
Opponents, get ready to be smacked down.David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-54117461618983404892010-11-06T21:16:00.001-05:002010-11-08T22:13:25.678-06:00Poker Stars Big Game update - in the poolAs I mentioned in my last post, I qualified to play in the second round tournament towards the <a href="http://www.pokerstars.com/">PokerStars</a> <a href="http://www.pokerstars.tv/poker-channel-221-the-big-game.html">Big Game</a> TV show. So, I played in the second round tournament, finished in the top 1,000, and won an entry into one of the third and final round tournaments. I played in the final round tournament, and just squeaked into the top 200 to make it into the contestant pool. I almost let myself be blinded out of the final round, but woke up to the fact that my chips were disappearing faster than I thought just in time to survive.<br />
<br />
Having made it to the contestant pool, I was waiting for the e-mail from PokerStars telling me what I needed to do next. I knew that it involved making a video telling them why I should be the next "Loose Cannon" on the show. However, several days went by and I didn't hear from them. I finally e-mailed PokerStars support asking when I should expect to get the e-mail. The reply said they were sorry I hadn't received it, and gave me the instructions, which are:<br />
<br />
• Make a video of yourself explaining why you should be chosen to go on the show to play with $100,000 of PokerStars’ money!<br />
• The video must be a digital movie not larger than 32MB in any of the following formats: .avi, .mp4, .mkv, .h264 • The video must be no more than two minutes in length.<br />
• Audition videos must be submitted within ten days of the satellite in which you placed in the top 200. (They let me off the hook for this one.)<br />
<br />
After tossing around some ideas in my head, I decided that I wanted to keep it simple, but do something to make it at least mildly interesting visually without jumping through a lot of technical hoops. You can see the results at the website where the contestant videos have been uploaded:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://memelabs.com/pokerstars/">http://memelabs.com/pokerstars/</a><br />
<br />
At the site, look for the Search box below the main viewing window, type in yestbay1 (my PStars ID) and press Enter, and it should bring up the thumbnail for my video. Click on the thumbnail to select it and then click the play button on the main screen.<br />
<br />
It took me several tries to get the video the way I wanted it, and I still would have liked it to turn out better in some respects, but I think it came out OK, and definitely better than some of the others that have been submitted. I do wish that I didn't sound like I have a mouthful of mush. Nevertheless, it's hard to tell what the producers are looking for in these vids, so I will just have to cross my fingers and hope they see something they like in mine. If the long shot comes through and they pick me, you can bet that I will be blogging about it here.<br />
<br />
EDIT: I didn't realize it before, but you can vote for the contestant videos by clicking on the "Vote" button in the upper right hand corner of the viewing screen. I don't know if the number of votes has any effect on who gets chosen, but I encourage you to vote for my video, just in case.<br />
<br />
In other news, I won a bar league tourney recently for a whopping $50 first prize, and I finished ahead $20 playing $3/$6 LHE up at the <a href="http://www.riverwind.com/">Riverwind</a> in Oklahoma on a recent visit with my son up there. I'm on a roll; maybe I should start up those plans to turn pro. Or not.<br />
<br />
I'm also counting the days (38 as of today) until I fly to Las Vegas for the <a href="http://www.thisisnotapokerblog.com/?p=816">WPBT Winter Classic</a>. I have one teammate for the Last Longer Challenge, <a href="http://brianandstacie.blogspot.com/">BrainMc</a>, and we may be looking for a third. Let me know if you are interested in joining us.David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-33556547438705256612010-10-09T13:37:00.000-05:002010-10-09T13:37:57.559-05:00PokerStars Big Game - tourney hand analysis<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">As many of you probably know, PokerStars presents a TV show called “The Big Game” in which amateurs who qualified in freeroll tournaments on PokerStars get staked $100,000 to play in a high-stakes cash game with professional poker players. I have watched the show and found it rather entertaining and educational. I will have more to say about the Big Game in another post that I am formulating. But this post is about a hand that I played in one of their qualifying tournaments. After it was over, the player who came out on the losing end had some comments about the way I played the hand. I am certainly willing to learn from my mistakes, so I thought it would be worth looking more closely at this hand to see what mistakes I may have made, and what I could have done better.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A little background: in the Round 1 freerolls like this one, the top 300 finishers move on to the next round. Each of the nine players at the table starts with $10,000 in chips. The blinds start at $200/$400 with a $100 ante. So, before any cards are dealt, each player has an M of about 7. This has two effects: (1) you have to start accumulating chips early, and (2) just about every pot is worth contesting. Another thing that happens is that there is a lot of limping, because everyone wants to hit a draw and take down a big pot. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, here is the hand in question, with my comments added along the way.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">*********** # 109 **************<br />
PokerStars Game #50429242296: Tournament #308745183, Freeroll Hold'em No Limit - Level VIII (1200/2400) - 2010/09/30 22:30:29 CT [2010/09/30 23:30:29 ET]<br />
Table '308745183 11' 9-max Seat #8 is the button<br />
Seat 1: Rivit36 (19050 in chips) <br />
Seat 2: iam99930301 (105650 in chips) is sitting out<br />
Seat 3: ResinSystems (77700 in chips) <br />
Seat 4: bunny'sTiger (48450 in chips) <br />
Seat 5: Alley Cat 7 (210175 in chips) <br />
Seat 6: BAPMAN55 (138500 in chips) <br />
Seat 7: yestbay1 (203600 in chips) </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I am second in chips at my table, and in the cutoff seat. My M is around 23, so I am in decent shape and have some room to maneuver.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
Seat 8: kowalabear69 (106050 in chips) <br />
Seat 9: Framkie B (87250 in chips) <br />
Rivit36: posts the ante 600<br />
iam99930301: posts the ante 600<br />
ResinSystems: posts the ante 600<br />
bunny'sTiger: posts the ante 600<br />
Alley Cat 7: posts the ante 600<br />
BAPMAN55: posts the ante 600<br />
yestbay1: posts the ante 600<br />
kowalabear69: posts the ante 600<br />
Framkie B: posts the ante 600<br />
Framkie B: posts small blind 1200<br />
Rivit36: posts big blind 2400<br />
*** HOLE CARDS ***<br />
Dealt to yestbay1 [Qd Ad]</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A nice hand to play, especially in late position.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
iam99930301: folds <br />
ResinSystems: calls 2400<br />
bunny'sTiger: calls 2400<br />
Alley Cat 7: calls 2400<br />
BAPMAN55: folds <br />
yestbay1: calls 2400</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Three limpers, so a nice pot is building. If I can hit a big hand, I can add a nice chunk to my stack, so I decide to limp along. I can stand to call a raise, but I don’t expect to see one.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
kowalabear69: calls 2400<br />
Framkie B: calls 1200<br />
Rivit36 is disconnected <br />
Rivit36 is connected <br />
Rivit36 has timed out<br />
Rivit36: checks <br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Pot is now 25,800. I would love to take this one, even on the flop.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">*** FLOP *** [6c 4d Kc]</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">That doesn’t help me at all, but did it hit anyone else? I am ready to fold to a decent-sized bet.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
Framkie B: checks <br />
Rivit36: checks <br />
ResinSystems: checks <br />
bunny'sTiger: checks <br />
Alley Cat 7: bets 4800</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A bet of less than 1/5 the pot? Hard to tell what kind of hand Alley Cat would bet that amount with. My best guess would be a flush draw, because one or two pair or a set should bet larger to discourage others from drawing. I can certainly afford a call, and might catch an Ace and/or Queen or running cards that could win this pot. Of course, I don’t want to see a club. If someone behind me raises, I am done, with minimal damage to my stack.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
yestbay1: calls 4800<br />
kowalabear69: calls 4800<br />
Framkie B: calls 4800<br />
Rivit36 is disconnected <br />
Rivit36 has timed out while disconnected<br />
Rivit36: folds <br />
Rivit36 is sitting out<br />
ResinSystems: folds <br />
bunny'sTiger: folds <br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Two more callers, so the pot is definitely getting fat; now up to 45K.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">*** TURN *** [6c 4d Kc] [Jd]</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I love that card, giving me straight and flush draws. I would probably fold to a big bet, though, to guard my stack. I don’t have to finish first, just 300<sup>th</sup> or better.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
Framkie B: checks <br />
Rivit36 is connected <br />
Rivit36 has returned<br />
Alley Cat 7: bets 9600</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">OK, what is this cat up to? This time it’s just a little more than 1/5 the pot, giving me the odds to draw, especially since Alley Cat has a big stack for me to aim at. Even if someone has a set and would fill up on the river if the board pairs, I still have 7 diamonds as outs (discounting the 6d and Kd) plus 3 Tens for a straight (discounting the Tc which might give someone a crub frush). That’s ten outs, and the Rule of Two says that gives me about a 20% chance of catching a winning card. With the bet of slightly more than 1/5 the pot, I’m getting pretty much the right pot odds up front to call, especially if the players behind me call, plus some implied odds if I can get paid off. I can’t see much reason to fold here, and also no reason to raise since I haven’t made a hand yet.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
yestbay1: calls 9600<br />
kowalabear69: calls 9600<br />
Framkie B: calls 9600<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And yet more chasers, sweetening the pot even more: 83,400.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">*** RIVER *** [6c 4d Kc Jd] [8d]</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Gin! How do I get some chips out of these suckers, er, worthy opponents? I hope someone has a lower flush and bets into me…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
Framkie B: checks <br />
Alley Cat 7: checks </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, looks like Alley Cat either missed his draw or got scared by the diamond. Might as well bet a decent amount which I hope can be called by at least one person. How about roughly half the pot?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
yestbay1: bets 42400<br />
kowalabear69: folds <br />
Framkie B: folds <br />
Alley Cat 7: calls 42400</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Suckered in one, anyway.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
*** SHOW DOWN ***<br />
yestbay1: shows [Qd Ad] (a flush, Ace high)<br />
Alley Cat 7: shows [Kh Kd] (three of a kind, Kings)<br />
yestbay1 collected 164600 from pot<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Whaddya know. Alley Cat flopped a set of Kings and played them so slow that they got away from him (or her; I will guess “him” for simplicity’s sake). Then comes the commentary….<br />
<br />
Alley Cat 7 said, "great very bad playing"<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Normally I don’t respond to derogatory chat comments, but I thought I would toss one back.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">yestbay1 said, "if you say so"<br />
Alley Cat 7 said, " u had nothing and got really lucky for runner runner"<br />
Alley Cat 7 said, "i say so i guess"<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the interests of poker education, I decided to let out a little secret of my playing strategy. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">yestbay1 said, "you gave me the pot odds"<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Which got me the snappy rejoinder:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Alley Cat 7 said, "yeah sure greg"</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I have no clue who Greg is. In any event, I have to wonder if Alley Cat realized that he could have prevented getting drawn out on, just by betting more to deny me (or others who were drawing) the right odds to keep trying to get there. Maybe he will learn a lesson from this hand. I did, and it is: don’t slowplay your flopped sets in multi-way pots when there are draws on the board. Then again, I think I learned that lesson a while ago. Nevertheless, an occasional reminder is always a good thing.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Epilogue: I did finish in the top 300 and went on to the next round. More about that in a future post….</div>David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-13168741563413780042010-09-10T17:09:00.000-05:002010-09-10T17:09:09.386-05:00WPBT Luckbox Last Longer Challenge III (plus bonuses!)As you may recall, the <a href="http://www.upforpoker.com/">Luckbox</a> organized a last longer challenge for last year's <a href="http://yestbay1poker.blogspot.com/2009/12/wpbt-trip-report-2009.html">WPBT Winter Classic</a> tournament. For 2010, the challenge has expanded to new heights of awesomeness. All the details are <a href="http://www.upforpoker.com/">here</a>, but below are some highlights.<br />
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The Luckbox Last Longer Challenge III, or L-Cubed-Cubed, just starts where last year's contest left off. <a href="http://pokerstars.net/">PokerStars</a> is once again adding to the contest prize pool, this year to the tune of $3,000. They are also sponsoring two new add-ons to the fun: $100 bounties on ten players from the original WPBT tournament in 2004, and a $500 prize pool for the first ten (post-flop) winning Hammers dropped in the tourney.<br />
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Be sure to read the whole post at <a href="http://www.upforpoker.com/">www.upforpoker.com</a> to get the nitty-gritty. Once you have done that, come on back, and leave me a comment if you would like to join me on a team for the L-Cubed-Cubed, or e-mail me at david [dot] westbay [at] verizon [dot] net. I look forward to going deep in the tournament with two of my fellow bloggers and taking down the big prize.<br />
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And if you haven't made plans to attend the Classic this year, what are you waiting for? If you are on Facebook, sign up to attend the tourney at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=116690675044104">this page</a>; if you aren't on FB, read more about it and leave a comment at <a href="http://www.thisisnotapokerblog.com/?p=816">This Is Not a Poker Blog</a>.<br />
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Many thanks to the fine folks at <a href="http://pokerstars.net/">PokerStars</a> for the very generous bonus prizes for this event, and to the <a href="http://www.upforpoker.com/">Luckbox</a> for putting it together! And to <a href="http://www.thisisnotapokerblog.com/">April</a>, of course, for organizing the tourney.<br />
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Who will be on the winning team with me?? Get your name in fast - first come, first served. Once our team is formed, we will discuss our team name. It should be intimidating and awesome. Put your thinking caps on.<br />
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See you there!David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19009081.post-31251876705713968542010-08-23T17:46:00.000-05:002010-08-23T17:46:36.499-05:00Success storyAs I predicted in my last post, I dropped in at the Riverwind Casino in Norman, OK, this past weekend to play some poker. In fact, my son Ben and I played in their Saturday morning bounty tournament, where the buy-in was $50 + $10, + $25 towards the bounty. I had never played in this tourney before so I didn't know what to expect in terms of number of players, structure, skill levels of my opponents, or much of anything else. Actually, I hadn't played in more than a handful of live, cash buy-in tournaments up to that one; the great majority of my playing is online. But this one went fairly well for me.<br />
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There were 71 entrants; 8 places paid. Everyone started with $2000 in chips, and blinds started at $25/$25, with levels lasting 20 minutes. I played my usual tight game at the beginning, and most of the other players did the same. In fact, there was plenty of limping and a lot of multi-way pots. I didn't get much going early on, but I took a few pots to keep from being blinded off too fast. My stack started shrinking, though, and it took a couple of decent-sized pots to stay afloat. I won a bounty when I called a shortie's all-in with A-J and caught a Jack to beat his 99. After that, I stole a few times and won a few others, holding my head above water but never threatening to take the chip lead.<br />
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I wish I remembered more details about specific hands, but there weren't many that stuck in my mind. I do feel like I didn't make any bone-headed mistakes or decisions that stand out in my memory. Suffice it to say, I made the final table and finished 7th, for my first live cash tournament payout. I won a second bounty along the way, so my total cash-out was $210.00. Less my $85 buy-in, I gained $125.00 net, which will cover my buy-in to the blogger tournament at the Winter Classic in December. I know that this is no big deal to almost anyone who might read this, but I feel good about the fact that I finally made the money in a "real" tournament, as I always thought I could. Hopefully this will be the first of many live cashes as time goes on. Finishing well in the aforementioned blogger tourney in December is definitely a goal this year.<br />
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Oh - my son busted early on. It was his first live tournament and he was a bit intimidated. I told him not to worry about it and that more experience will make him feel more comfortable.<br />
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I think I will leave it at that for now. I may have to try the same tournament when I am in Norman again to visit Ben later in the school year. With a little luck, I will do as well as this time, if not better.David Westbayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259050920964772251noreply@blogger.com2