Another World Poker Blogger Tour Winter Classic has come and gone. I know I had fun because the time flew by so fast. Renewing acquaintances from last year's bash, making new ones, playing poker, and generally enjoying the Las Vegas experience - is there a better way to spend a weekend?
I chose to stay at the Imperial Palace this year, partly because that seemed to be Blogger HQ last year, partly because I found a very good rate on a room there, and partly because the hotel has one of the best locations on the Strip. My room was acceptable, and a good value for what I paid, although it showed signs of age and wear. Still, everything worked and I didn't have to complain to the hotel staff about anything, which is always a bonus.
When I arrived at the IP on Thursday night, there was already a big contingent of poker bloggers in and around the Geisha Bar. It would take a while to name everyone that I met there, again or for the first time, but one person I was especially happy to finally meet was Joanada. I first got acquainted with Jo when she wrote for the late, lamented Card Squad blog with my old pal Wil Wheaton. I posted a few comments and questions on Card Squad, and she and I played in Wil's tournaments on PokerStars many times. I still remember the time in one of those tourneys when she cracked my QQ with the Hammer when she caught a four-straight. Recently, I busted her in the NumbBono ten-cent rebuy tourney on FullTilt and won a bounty that she had placed on herself. It's the "Bob and Doug McKenzie Two-Four Anniversary" Special on DVD. She brought it to Vegas for me, and I'm really looking forward to watching it (yeah, I'm behind on that).
I hung out for a while on Thursday night and then crashed early (compared to everyone else, anyway). Friday morning, I met Maudie and Kat for brunch at the Wynn Buffet (good but not fantastic, IMO). Not long after that, it was off to the Hard Rock for the Poker Jingle charity tournament. Lots of poker pros showed up, plus a non-poker celebrity or two like former Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser. In the tourney, I sat just to the right of pro Brad Booth. He was easy-going and friendly with all of us at our table, and donated several rebuys to the cause. I didn't get much going in the game, and busted out not long after the first break. I had a good time, though, and I'm glad I got to play. Garthmeister was at my starting table, and went on to finish fourth in the tourney! He won an assortment of prizes but none of the really big ones. Some photos from the tourney are here.
Maybe the best part of the stop at the Hard Rock was getting to spend a few minutes playing blackjack with Gracie and Pablo there. One downside to these gatherings can be too many people and not enough chances to spend quality time with any of them, so I am very pleased that I got to hang with the happy couple for a little while.
Soon, it was off to the MGM Grand for the traditional blogger mixed games. As usual, it was a blend of donkery and confusion, among the players and the dealers, with a good time being had by all. I quit about $60 behind after 4 hours or so, which I look on as a success considering my lack of skill at most of the games we played.
Saturday it was time to try another buffet for breakfast, this time at Harrah's. Perfectly fine, and the $5 coupon I got at the IP made it even better. I drove downtown to meet up with the wedding party for the big ceremony, and on my way I stopped to get my contribution to the festivities. I had asked Gracie a while ago if they would have wedding cake, and she said she hadn't thought about it. I decided that it wouldn't be a real wedding without cake, but how to do it? I knew things were being done on the inexpensive and expedient side, so I stayed with that theme. I went to the supermarket and found just what the circumstances called for: Fancy Cakes, by Little Debbie. A few boxes of those and I was ready. After getting downtown before the rest of the gang, who arrived by shuttle bus (!!! Nobody told me there was bus service!), we marched down to the court building where the judge performs the marriages. The troop of well-wishers was quite a throng, and we couldn't all fit in the tiny room where the ceremonies usually are held. The judge invited us out into the lobby so we could all gather around for the exchange of vows and rings and such. The Rev. AlCan'tHang said some beautiful words, the judge did her thing, the bride and groom said their "I do"s, and several people cried. Afterwards, I passed out the Fancy Cakes, much to the surprise (and occasional dismay) of the guests. Gracie and Pablo seemed genuinely touched by my silly gesture, to which I can only say, it was my great pleasure to do such a small thing for such a wonderful occasion. You can read another nice report on the wedding at Linda's PokerWorks blog.
Shortly after that, it was time to make our way to the Venetian for the blogger tournament. Thanks go again to Falstaff for organizing the tourney and to the Venetian for hosting. I lasted longer than last year, which was my first goal, but didn't go deep. I made a few mistakes, including not paying attention and calling a raise when I thought I was just limping in the small blind. But I also was getting very little in the way of cards to play, so I ended up busting shortly after the second break. Next time, my first goal will be to make it to the third break. One benefit to sitting where I did was getting to know Bacon Bikini Mary a little better. She was directly to my right, and I found out that she is a prog rock fan like me. I discovered this when I told her what my bounty was: a Yes Greatest Hits CD. Dawn Summers won the bounty when her KK busted my JJ. Mary was glad to hear this, hoping that it might improve the music that Dawn plays when the NY group goes driving together.
I played some $4-8 Limit HE at the Venetian after busting out of the tourney. At one point, I was ahead by almost the amount of my tourney buy-in. I should have quit then, but I hoped to build my profit past that amount, and I didn't get there. Instead, the loose players who were giving their chips away left the table and my card rush dried up. I did leave with $20 more than I bought in for, so that was a plus.
Sunday included breakfast at the Flamingo buffet (my favorite of the three on this trip), hanging out in the IP sportsbook for a bit, taking a walk on the Strip just to look around and get some exercise, and railing some of the bloggers playing $1-2 NLHE at the IP. Then off to McCarran and my flight home.
I still don't feel like a full member of the poker blogger group, at least not yet, but this year was a little better than last year when I only knew a handful of people that I had met at Okie-Vegas. Assuming that I go to more of these events, I may feel like I fit in more each time. I'm not a drinker or all-night partier, but I do enjoy some of the same things as several of the other bloggers, such as a nice meal, sightseeing, and some card playing. I don't expect to attend a Summer 2009 bash because of other plans around the time of the WSOP, but I might come back next winter. To all of you that I saw this year, thanks for the good times, and forgive me for not calling you all out here by name. To those I missed in Vegas, and those who couldn't make it, I hope to catch up with you soon.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Blowing the (Bo)donkey
Last night in the Bodonkey, I got off to a slow start, picked up steam (and chips), and then ran right off the rail on a poor call of way too many of my chips.
I don't have the hand history, but what it came down to was, I had over 10K in chips, MiamiDon on my right had between 5K and 6K, and the player to my left whose screen name was Nate-something, I think, had some number of chips in between. Blinds were around 200/400. I picked up QQ. MiamiDon raised to 1,150, I reraised him to 3,000 trying to get heads up with him. Nate re-popped it; I think he shoved. Don also pushed all his chips in; I had them both covered and it cost me just over 3,000 to call. The pot was big, so I suppose I could be considered pot committed at that point and had favorable pot odds, and my call might be justified for that reason. But if I had been thinking things through, I could have reasoned, "What could Nate have called a raise and reraise with?" A couple of obvious answers are Aces and Kings, both of which are beating the crap out of my Hilton Sisters. Plus, Don probably had at least an Ace and good kicker, or better, if he called Nate's shove. Considering that calling them both would cost me over half my remaining stack, I should have folded my queens and let those two fight it out. But I didn't think it through, I made the call, and saw that my QQ was up against not one but two pair of pocket rockets. Yes, AA vs AA vs QQ. No two-outer suckout for me, and they chopped the pot while I got crippled. I busted a few hands later, in tenth place, when I called a raise all in with KQ and ran into AK. Although I was very short at the time, I should have waited for a chance to be first into the pot instead of calling a raise with a marginal hand like KQ.
So now I am pretty much out of the running for the Bodonkey TOC next Thursday, unless I can earn a seat in the Last Chance game on Wednesday. I can't play tomorrow because I am on my way to Vegas, and I can't play Tuesday due to family commitments. Oh well, I still have fun in these tourneys and I hope there will be another blogger series. I will definitely play if it comes back.
I'll be seeing some of you in Sin City starting tomorrow night!
I don't have the hand history, but what it came down to was, I had over 10K in chips, MiamiDon on my right had between 5K and 6K, and the player to my left whose screen name was Nate-something, I think, had some number of chips in between. Blinds were around 200/400. I picked up QQ. MiamiDon raised to 1,150, I reraised him to 3,000 trying to get heads up with him. Nate re-popped it; I think he shoved. Don also pushed all his chips in; I had them both covered and it cost me just over 3,000 to call. The pot was big, so I suppose I could be considered pot committed at that point and had favorable pot odds, and my call might be justified for that reason. But if I had been thinking things through, I could have reasoned, "What could Nate have called a raise and reraise with?" A couple of obvious answers are Aces and Kings, both of which are beating the crap out of my Hilton Sisters. Plus, Don probably had at least an Ace and good kicker, or better, if he called Nate's shove. Considering that calling them both would cost me over half my remaining stack, I should have folded my queens and let those two fight it out. But I didn't think it through, I made the call, and saw that my QQ was up against not one but two pair of pocket rockets. Yes, AA vs AA vs QQ. No two-outer suckout for me, and they chopped the pot while I got crippled. I busted a few hands later, in tenth place, when I called a raise all in with KQ and ran into AK. Although I was very short at the time, I should have waited for a chance to be first into the pot instead of calling a raise with a marginal hand like KQ.
So now I am pretty much out of the running for the Bodonkey TOC next Thursday, unless I can earn a seat in the Last Chance game on Wednesday. I can't play tomorrow because I am on my way to Vegas, and I can't play Tuesday due to family commitments. Oh well, I still have fun in these tourneys and I hope there will be another blogger series. I will definitely play if it comes back.
I'll be seeing some of you in Sin City starting tomorrow night!
Sunday, December 07, 2008
More updates on the Winter Classic and Bodonkey
More bounties are being offered in the Bodonkey tournaments this week. On Tuesday, Iggy himself will be playing in his first Bodog Blogger tourney, and whoever busts him will win a T$109 bounty. The same prize goes to the player who knocks out Smokkee in Thursday night's game. I'll be there on Tuesday with my sights on Iggy, and on a high finish to earn some leaderboard points so I can qualify for the TOC on December 18. I have a lot of ground to make up, so I'm aiming for a win.
On Thursday, I will miss the Bodonkey because I will be on a plane headed to Las Vegas for the WPBT Winter Classic blogger blowout. As of now, the big items on my agenda for the weekend are the Poker Jingle charity tournament on Friday at the Hard Rock, which I have registered for already, and the blogger private tourney at the Venetian on Saturday. If you are coming to Vegas this weekend, I encourage you to sign up for one or both of these games. I am sure I will do some other fun stuff; what that turns out to be will depend partly on how long I last in each tournament. Hopefully I will go deep enough to make it worth skipping some of the other things I have in mind.
I played in two of the PokerStars Double or Nothing SNGs today and cashed in both, which was nice. I'm getting the hang of the strategy that works for these games, which is mostly to conserve chips and let the looser people knock each other out. Maybe I can add a few bucks to my Stars bankroll with these games, because I haven't had much success in MTTs or cash games.
For those of you going to Vegas this coming weekend, I'm looking forward to seeing you there!
On Thursday, I will miss the Bodonkey because I will be on a plane headed to Las Vegas for the WPBT Winter Classic blogger blowout. As of now, the big items on my agenda for the weekend are the Poker Jingle charity tournament on Friday at the Hard Rock, which I have registered for already, and the blogger private tourney at the Venetian on Saturday. If you are coming to Vegas this weekend, I encourage you to sign up for one or both of these games. I am sure I will do some other fun stuff; what that turns out to be will depend partly on how long I last in each tournament. Hopefully I will go deep enough to make it worth skipping some of the other things I have in mind.
I played in two of the PokerStars Double or Nothing SNGs today and cashed in both, which was nice. I'm getting the hang of the strategy that works for these games, which is mostly to conserve chips and let the looser people knock each other out. Maybe I can add a few bucks to my Stars bankroll with these games, because I haven't had much success in MTTs or cash games.
For those of you going to Vegas this coming weekend, I'm looking forward to seeing you there!
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker
I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!
All bloggers can play in this exclusive online poker tournament.
Registration code: 585205
Monday, December 01, 2008
Updates: Bodonkey and Winter Classic
I played in both Bodonkey tourneys last week. Didn't get far on Tuesday; made it to third place (again) on Thursday. More cash, more T$, more leaderboard points: I'll take them. I also played the Mookie on Wednesday, since I didn't have an early wake-up on Thursday. Only made it to 19th, but it was fun to play in that one again for the first time in ages.
More Bodog blogger action is coming up this week, so be sure to register. I expect to play Tuesday but will probably miss Thursday.
I saw something today that looked very interesting for anyone who will be in Las Vegas for the Winter Classic. PokerWorks has an article about a charity tournament being held at the Hard Rock Poker Lounge on Friday December 12. The tourney, called the Poker Jingle, is to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Southern Nevada in honor of avid poker player Mindy Trinidad. Tom McEvoy is the host, and a long list of poker pros and celebrities are mentioned as planning to attend. Perhaps the most enticing aspect of this tourney is that the buy-in is only $200 + $30.
I will be in town that weekend for the blogger gathering, and I am signed up to play in Saturday's blogger tournament at the Venetian. I expected to spend at least part of Friday playing some poker, most likely mixed games with other bloggers Friday evening. But this charity tournament looks like a very nice option for several reasons:
*The buy-in is not high at all, comparatively speaking and the juice is quite reasonable - even better than what we are being charged by the Venetian for our private tourney.
*This could be one of the cheapest chances I could have to play in the same tourney, maybe at the same table, with some name pros. What the hell, maybe I can tilt Phil Hellmuth with a well-timed donkey play.
*There ought to be a fair amount of dead money in this game, coming from people (who, me?) that would like to rub shoulders with some famous players without having to lay out a grand or two.
I am going to give this some serious thought, and spread the word among the rest of the poker blogger community to see if there might be others interested in playing too.
What do you think? Should the bloggers storm the Hard Rock and represent at this tourney for a good cause? I'm game.
More Bodog blogger action is coming up this week, so be sure to register. I expect to play Tuesday but will probably miss Thursday.
I saw something today that looked very interesting for anyone who will be in Las Vegas for the Winter Classic. PokerWorks has an article about a charity tournament being held at the Hard Rock Poker Lounge on Friday December 12. The tourney, called the Poker Jingle, is to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Southern Nevada in honor of avid poker player Mindy Trinidad. Tom McEvoy is the host, and a long list of poker pros and celebrities are mentioned as planning to attend. Perhaps the most enticing aspect of this tourney is that the buy-in is only $200 + $30.
I will be in town that weekend for the blogger gathering, and I am signed up to play in Saturday's blogger tournament at the Venetian. I expected to spend at least part of Friday playing some poker, most likely mixed games with other bloggers Friday evening. But this charity tournament looks like a very nice option for several reasons:
*The buy-in is not high at all, comparatively speaking and the juice is quite reasonable - even better than what we are being charged by the Venetian for our private tourney.
*This could be one of the cheapest chances I could have to play in the same tourney, maybe at the same table, with some name pros. What the hell, maybe I can tilt Phil Hellmuth with a well-timed donkey play.
*There ought to be a fair amount of dead money in this game, coming from people (who, me?) that would like to rub shoulders with some famous players without having to lay out a grand or two.
I am going to give this some serious thought, and spread the word among the rest of the poker blogger community to see if there might be others interested in playing too.
What do you think? Should the bloggers storm the Hard Rock and represent at this tourney for a good cause? I'm game.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
2009 Poker Bill in Texas Legislature?
You may recall from last year that Texas state representative Jose Menendez introduced a bill to legalize poker in Texas, but the bill died without being discussed or voted on.
It appears that he has revived the bill, now called the "Poker Gaming Act of 2009," with which he hopes to create safeguards for poker players and revenue for the state.
A few articles about the new bill can be found here and here. No doubt, more news will be coming soon. I expect our friends at Pokerati will be keeping a close eye on it as they did the previous bill. Be sure to check in there for updates.
In other news, I played some poker last week myself. I was invited to the Monthly Venue Championship tournament at my local Amateur Poker League venue, since I earned enough points with my second place finish in an October tourney to qualify. Things did not go my way in the MVC, though, and I busted in 15th place. I also played the Bodonkey on Thursday, but only made it to 13th. Not sure how much I will play this week but I'm sure I will get in some time at the virtual tables.
Just three weeks until the Vegas gathering; I'm very much looking forward to that. Don't forget to contact Falstaff if you are going to be there and want to get in on the private tourney.
It appears that he has revived the bill, now called the "Poker Gaming Act of 2009," with which he hopes to create safeguards for poker players and revenue for the state.
A few articles about the new bill can be found here and here. No doubt, more news will be coming soon. I expect our friends at Pokerati will be keeping a close eye on it as they did the previous bill. Be sure to check in there for updates.
In other news, I played some poker last week myself. I was invited to the Monthly Venue Championship tournament at my local Amateur Poker League venue, since I earned enough points with my second place finish in an October tourney to qualify. Things did not go my way in the MVC, though, and I busted in 15th place. I also played the Bodonkey on Thursday, but only made it to 13th. Not sure how much I will play this week but I'm sure I will get in some time at the virtual tables.
Just three weeks until the Vegas gathering; I'm very much looking forward to that. Don't forget to contact Falstaff if you are going to be there and want to get in on the private tourney.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
2008 WPBT Winter Classic tournament info
Great news for those of us headed for the WPBT Winter Classic gathering in Las Vegas next month: Falstaff has set up another private tournament at the Venetian for poker bloggers and their friends, fans and stalkers. Here is the info, shamelessly copied from his blog post:
-----------------------------------
Here's the deal -
Private Blogger Tournament
Venetian Poker Room
Saturday, December 13th
3PM
$135 ($100 buy-in, $25 juice, $10 toke)
Please email me [Falstaff, not me] your real name and blogger name if you want in. I need to let Tim at the Venetian know by a week beforehand. If you have FOBs (friends of bloggers) who want in, let me know how many.
You have to have a Venetian Player's Card to play, so if you don't have one, get there early.
Bring knockout bounties, that's the coolest part of a blogger gathering.
-----------------------------------
Hopefully you have Falstaff's e-mail address; if not, I guess you should leave a comment on his blog. I'm not one to post other people's e-mail addresses on my blog without knowing for sure that they are OK with it.
I hope to see you in Vegas and give you a shot at my bounty! Hint: it will be something related to my screen name, yestbay1.
-----------------------------------
Here's the deal -
Private Blogger Tournament
Venetian Poker Room
Saturday, December 13th
3PM
$135 ($100 buy-in, $25 juice, $10 toke)
Please email me [Falstaff, not me] your real name and blogger name if you want in. I need to let Tim at the Venetian know by a week beforehand. If you have FOBs (friends of bloggers) who want in, let me know how many.
You have to have a Venetian Player's Card to play, so if you don't have one, get there early.
Bring knockout bounties, that's the coolest part of a blogger gathering.
-----------------------------------
Hopefully you have Falstaff's e-mail address; if not, I guess you should leave a comment on his blog. I'm not one to post other people's e-mail addresses on my blog without knowing for sure that they are OK with it.
I hope to see you in Vegas and give you a shot at my bounty! Hint: it will be something related to my screen name, yestbay1.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Some small successes, and a short break
Last week was a pretty good one for me on the poker front. I made a 50 BB profit playing some cash NLHE, and finished third in the Thursday night Bodonkey game. The cash game was only $0.01/0.02, so my 50 BB gain only came to a buck. But I play so little NLHE ring game that it feels good to know I can outdonk the other microlimit donkeys once in a while.
The Bodog games have been hit and (mostly) miss so far for me, but I hung tight on Thursday and survived a couple of my own misplays to win $50 cash and T$50, for a nice profit in the series so far. Not to mention some leaderboard points towards the TOC in December.
I will miss both Bodog Blogger games this week due to activities with my son's high school marching band. We are going to Indianapolis this weekend for the Bands of America Grand Nationals championship competition. It should be an exciting trip.
See you next week!
The Bodog games have been hit and (mostly) miss so far for me, but I hung tight on Thursday and survived a couple of my own misplays to win $50 cash and T$50, for a nice profit in the series so far. Not to mention some leaderboard points towards the TOC in December.
I will miss both Bodog Blogger games this week due to activities with my son's high school marching band. We are going to Indianapolis this weekend for the Bands of America Grand Nationals championship competition. It should be an exciting trip.
See you next week!
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Coming up short
The Bodog Blogger tourneys last week were not shining moments for me. I played in both, and made the final table on Tuesday, but I was a very short stack and busted out shortly after the final table was set. I missed the T$11 rebate by one spot. Thursday wasn't even that close, with a 16th place finish out of 26. I don't expect to play in every tournament in the series, but I hope to perform well enough to have a shot at the Tournament of Champions in December.
I have also played a few of the Double-or-Nothing SNGs on PokerStars. I "won" the first one I played, i.e. I finished in the top five and won double my buy-in. "These are easy," I thought afterwards. Yeah, right. I played two more and didn't finish in the money in either one. I made a ridiculous play in the second one I lost, when I called all-in with JJ against another short stack who barely had me covered and there were bigger stacks behind me yet to act. When the whole point is to survive to the final five, and not to accumulate all the chips, there is no reason to call all-in with a hand like JJ. I should have let the bigger stack take out the other shortie and waited for someone else to bust, or for a much better hand to play.
I expect to play in at least one of the Bodonkey games this week, possibly both. Other than that, I will try a few very low buy-in tourneys on PokerStars to make up my losses in the Double -or-Nothing games. Falstaff has posted a question for anyone going to the Winter Classic in December, about who would play in a private tourney if one were organized. Head over there to post your response.
I have also played a few of the Double-or-Nothing SNGs on PokerStars. I "won" the first one I played, i.e. I finished in the top five and won double my buy-in. "These are easy," I thought afterwards. Yeah, right. I played two more and didn't finish in the money in either one. I made a ridiculous play in the second one I lost, when I called all-in with JJ against another short stack who barely had me covered and there were bigger stacks behind me yet to act. When the whole point is to survive to the final five, and not to accumulate all the chips, there is no reason to call all-in with a hand like JJ. I should have let the bigger stack take out the other shortie and waited for someone else to bust, or for a much better hand to play.
I expect to play in at least one of the Bodonkey games this week, possibly both. Other than that, I will try a few very low buy-in tourneys on PokerStars to make up my losses in the Double -or-Nothing games. Falstaff has posted a question for anyone going to the Winter Classic in December, about who would play in a private tourney if one were organized. Head over there to post your response.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Bodonkey Redux reminder
Don't forget, the Bodog Blogger Tournament series revs up again starting tomorrow night. If I play, I won't be able to be there at the start due to a meeting at my son's school. I may have to skip the game completely. But I do plan to be there Thursday night. Here is more info....
You are invited to play in, post or forward this information.
Don't Miss Tuesday's Bodog Poker Blogger Tournament!
Start Time 9:05 pm ET.
Think you have what it takes to bust out a poker pro?
On Tuesday October 28th, 2008 professional poker player and author, Eric "Rizen" Lynch, will compete in the Bodog Blogger Tournament Series.
There will be a $75 bounty on Eric's head and the poker blogger who takes Eric's last chips in this tournament will receive a $75 credit to their Bodog member player account. This blogger will also receive a signed copy of Eric's book, Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time. If Eric wins this tournament, he will give the $75 credit to the poker blogger that places 1st runner up. That player will then receive the credit of $75 to his or her account.
This blogger tournament series is open to poker bloggers world wide and runs on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 9:05 pm ET.
More details available at the official blogger series site at http://www.bodogbloggertournament.com
If you are new to Bodog, please sign up at http://www.bodoglife.com/promotions/poker/blogger-tournament/
So what are you waiting for?
Register today and may the best poker blogger take the bulls eye on Eric "Rizen" Lynch!
Nadia Alterio
The Bodog Poker Blogger
nalterio@fivermedia.com
Yahoo ID: bodogdirectory
Tune into Buddy Dank Radio for live tournament recaps and updates while you play at http://www.buddydankradio.com
You are invited to play in, post or forward this information.
Don't Miss Tuesday's Bodog Poker Blogger Tournament!
Start Time 9:05 pm ET.
Think you have what it takes to bust out a poker pro?
On Tuesday October 28th, 2008 professional poker player and author, Eric "Rizen" Lynch, will compete in the Bodog Blogger Tournament Series.
There will be a $75 bounty on Eric's head and the poker blogger who takes Eric's last chips in this tournament will receive a $75 credit to their Bodog member player account. This blogger will also receive a signed copy of Eric's book, Winning Poker Tournaments One Hand at a Time. If Eric wins this tournament, he will give the $75 credit to the poker blogger that places 1st runner up. That player will then receive the credit of $75 to his or her account.
This blogger tournament series is open to poker bloggers world wide and runs on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 9:05 pm ET.
More details available at the official blogger series site at http://www.bodogbloggertournament.com
If you are new to Bodog, please sign up at http://www.bodoglife.com/promotions/poker/blogger-tournament/
So what are you waiting for?
Register today and may the best poker blogger take the bulls eye on Eric "Rizen" Lynch!
Nadia Alterio
The Bodog Poker Blogger
nalterio@fivermedia.com
Yahoo ID: bodogdirectory
Tune into Buddy Dank Radio for live tournament recaps and updates while you play at http://www.buddydankradio.com
Friday, October 24, 2008
The NumbBlowMe marathon
This will be short because I am writing this on my lunch break at work and hope to take a power nap after I post.
I played in the NumbBlowMe ten-cent rebuy tourney last night. After about 5.5 hours of roller coaster donkery, I finished in second place. More results and info can be found here.
How did I do it, you ask? Besides rigging the RNG, you mean. I can sum up my strategy for success in this tournament in one word:
Patience.
As you might expect, when you are playing in a tourney where rebuys are only a dime, there is a bargeload of maniacal play and ATC pushing. I chose to wait for opportunities to get my chips in with reasonable hands, and not shove against bigger stacks unless I had what looked like a better than average chance to take the pot. I double or tripled or quadrupled up a few times during the rebuy period using this method. Getting good cards was a big part of it, because they held up a lot of times. By the break, I was well above average in chips, although I took the 1,500 chip add on anyway (it was only $0.10, after all). I only rebought for $0.20 during the first hour; there were a total of 4,417 rebuys in this tourney. What does that tell you about how wild things were during the rebuy period?
I won't say that I played championship level poker, but I feel like my decisions were pretty good most of the time. Still,I was racking cards like crazy all night. I had starting cards of AA, KK, QQ or JJ more times than anyone would expect, even over the course of 5 hours, and they didn't get cracked as often as you would expect either. One particularly painful hand (for my opponent) was late in the game when I had JJ and flopped quads against Joanada who, on the short stack, pushed to my check on the flop. Although I took a couple of nasty beats myself, it seemed like I was dishing out more than I was getting.
I almost didn't play this tourney, but I'm glad I did, for the experience and for the bankroll boost (but not for the lack of sleep). And I'm really looking forward to the bounty I am supposed to get for busting Joanne. Beauty, eh?
I played in the NumbBlowMe ten-cent rebuy tourney last night. After about 5.5 hours of roller coaster donkery, I finished in second place. More results and info can be found here.
How did I do it, you ask? Besides rigging the RNG, you mean. I can sum up my strategy for success in this tournament in one word:
Patience.
As you might expect, when you are playing in a tourney where rebuys are only a dime, there is a bargeload of maniacal play and ATC pushing. I chose to wait for opportunities to get my chips in with reasonable hands, and not shove against bigger stacks unless I had what looked like a better than average chance to take the pot. I double or tripled or quadrupled up a few times during the rebuy period using this method. Getting good cards was a big part of it, because they held up a lot of times. By the break, I was well above average in chips, although I took the 1,500 chip add on anyway (it was only $0.10, after all). I only rebought for $0.20 during the first hour; there were a total of 4,417 rebuys in this tourney. What does that tell you about how wild things were during the rebuy period?
I won't say that I played championship level poker, but I feel like my decisions were pretty good most of the time. Still,I was racking cards like crazy all night. I had starting cards of AA, KK, QQ or JJ more times than anyone would expect, even over the course of 5 hours, and they didn't get cracked as often as you would expect either. One particularly painful hand (for my opponent) was late in the game when I had JJ and flopped quads against Joanada who, on the short stack, pushed to my check on the flop. Although I took a couple of nasty beats myself, it seemed like I was dishing out more than I was getting.
I almost didn't play this tourney, but I'm glad I did, for the experience and for the bankroll boost (but not for the lack of sleep). And I'm really looking forward to the bounty I am supposed to get for busting Joanne. Beauty, eh?
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Bodog Blogger Tournament Series - The Sequel
My favorite blogger tournament series from earlier this year is getting into the starting blocks, and the gun goes off October 28.
Yes, the Bodog Blogger Tournament Series is back, with some new features. Among other things, the tourney will run twice a week this time, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the tournament structure will match what Bodog uses in their 100K Guarantee game. The prizes for the Tournament of Champions at the end of the series aren't quite as sweet as the WSOP seat that they had for the previous series, but aren't anything to sneeze at either, including a grand prize of T$2,000 plus $100 Bodog casino credit. More details and the registration page can be found here. I have already registered for the series, and you should too. If you don't have an account at Bodog yet, go here to get more info and sign up. You can also check Smokkee's blog for updates and info about the series, since he is the Bodonkey host and chief pimp.
In other news, my recent poker sessions have been decidedly mixed. I played in the local Amateur Poker League weekly tournament this past Tuesday, and finished second. That got me a T-shirt from the venue, and what should be enough leaderboard points to enter me in the monthly venue championship for October. I also played in a few online tournaments over the past couple of weeks. Out of five SNGs at PokerStars since my last post, I cashed in one, but it was a first place finish which made up for the losses in the other four. I also played the Riverchasers tourney at FullTilt on Thursday for the first time in many months. Only five people showed up, and I finished fourth. My play was quite poor and disappointing. I guess I'd better play a few more of the lower buy-in SNGs there before I buy in to any more blogger games.
I am still curious about who all is going to the Winter Classic blogger gathering in December. I'm picking up mentions from people who are talking about it here and there, and making note of them. Maybe someone will be (or already is) putting together a list of attendees. Whoever is going, I look forward to seeing you there.
Yes, the Bodog Blogger Tournament Series is back, with some new features. Among other things, the tourney will run twice a week this time, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the tournament structure will match what Bodog uses in their 100K Guarantee game. The prizes for the Tournament of Champions at the end of the series aren't quite as sweet as the WSOP seat that they had for the previous series, but aren't anything to sneeze at either, including a grand prize of T$2,000 plus $100 Bodog casino credit. More details and the registration page can be found here. I have already registered for the series, and you should too. If you don't have an account at Bodog yet, go here to get more info and sign up. You can also check Smokkee's blog for updates and info about the series, since he is the Bodonkey host and chief pimp.
In other news, my recent poker sessions have been decidedly mixed. I played in the local Amateur Poker League weekly tournament this past Tuesday, and finished second. That got me a T-shirt from the venue, and what should be enough leaderboard points to enter me in the monthly venue championship for October. I also played in a few online tournaments over the past couple of weeks. Out of five SNGs at PokerStars since my last post, I cashed in one, but it was a first place finish which made up for the losses in the other four. I also played the Riverchasers tourney at FullTilt on Thursday for the first time in many months. Only five people showed up, and I finished fourth. My play was quite poor and disappointing. I guess I'd better play a few more of the lower buy-in SNGs there before I buy in to any more blogger games.
I am still curious about who all is going to the Winter Classic blogger gathering in December. I'm picking up mentions from people who are talking about it here and there, and making note of them. Maybe someone will be (or already is) putting together a list of attendees. Whoever is going, I look forward to seeing you there.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Choosing where I play on line
I have realized something about my playing patterns that might be a bit surprising to some, but it isn't to me now that I think about it. It concerns how I decide which poker site to play on when I feel like sitting down for a session.
It used to be that I would first find out whether any tournaments were scheduled that were hosted by the poker bloggers that I am acquainted with, or that I knew some of them would be playing in. I haven't been doing that very much recently, in large part because most of those games were played on FullTilt, and my bankroll there had dwindled to the point where it would take most of my balance just to buy in. Since I wasn't playing in those games, I would look for tourneys with buy-ins small enough for me to handle and have a decent chance to build up my roll.
I chose to play those micro games on FullTilt so I could try to win enough money to allow me to play in the blogger games again. Then, as mentioned in my last post, I did win a tourney that more than doubled my bankroll there. Still, it would take about one tenth of my balance to buy into a typical blogger tourney. So, I looked at my balances on other sites. I'm doing fine at Bodog, thanks to the cash and T$ that I won during the Blogger Series earlier this year. I have more money there than at any other site. PokerStars is another story. I haven't had a lot of success there over the course of 2008 so far, and my roll has fallen well below $100.00.
So where do I play most often these days? Why, at PokerStars, of course. Since I am comfortable at Bodog and no longer on life support at FullTilt, I feel the need to work on building up my stake where it is the smallest. I've done pretty well there over the past few weeks, playing in eight low buy-in SNGs since the middle of September and cashing in three of them. I barely eked out a $2.30 profit over that period, but I consider it a positive sign that I have done at least that well. I'm hoping that the trend continues or even improves so that I can pump things up at Stars. Wil Wheaton has said that he is thinking about hosting tournaments again, and I assume that they will be on PokerStars. I would like to be able to play in them, which means I need to have some funds in my account there. As big a hassle as depositing can be, I would certainly rather win to increase my roll rather than have to try to deposit. Who knows, I may try to deposit anyway, to give myself a cushion sooner than later, but we'll see.
Meanwhile, looking ahead to some live poker playing in the future, I am all booked for the WPBT Winter Classic in Las Vegas the weekend of December 12 - 14. American Airlines changed my original flight booking so that now I am scheduled to fly home on Monday morning at 6:00 AM instead of on the red-eye about five hours earlier. That sucks, because I did not book a hotel room for Sunday night, but I also didn't plan to stay up the entire night like I may have to now. I will need to look into seeing if there is any other option to fly home, that won't cost me big bucks in change fees.
I have not yet seen or heard much about what is planned for the Winter Classic, nor a list of people who are planning to go. If anyone out there is compiling such a list and wouldn't mind directing me to it, or letting me sign up for it, please leave me a comment or e-mail me. I'm looking forward to seeing many of my blogger pals in just a few months!
It used to be that I would first find out whether any tournaments were scheduled that were hosted by the poker bloggers that I am acquainted with, or that I knew some of them would be playing in. I haven't been doing that very much recently, in large part because most of those games were played on FullTilt, and my bankroll there had dwindled to the point where it would take most of my balance just to buy in. Since I wasn't playing in those games, I would look for tourneys with buy-ins small enough for me to handle and have a decent chance to build up my roll.
I chose to play those micro games on FullTilt so I could try to win enough money to allow me to play in the blogger games again. Then, as mentioned in my last post, I did win a tourney that more than doubled my bankroll there. Still, it would take about one tenth of my balance to buy into a typical blogger tourney. So, I looked at my balances on other sites. I'm doing fine at Bodog, thanks to the cash and T$ that I won during the Blogger Series earlier this year. I have more money there than at any other site. PokerStars is another story. I haven't had a lot of success there over the course of 2008 so far, and my roll has fallen well below $100.00.
So where do I play most often these days? Why, at PokerStars, of course. Since I am comfortable at Bodog and no longer on life support at FullTilt, I feel the need to work on building up my stake where it is the smallest. I've done pretty well there over the past few weeks, playing in eight low buy-in SNGs since the middle of September and cashing in three of them. I barely eked out a $2.30 profit over that period, but I consider it a positive sign that I have done at least that well. I'm hoping that the trend continues or even improves so that I can pump things up at Stars. Wil Wheaton has said that he is thinking about hosting tournaments again, and I assume that they will be on PokerStars. I would like to be able to play in them, which means I need to have some funds in my account there. As big a hassle as depositing can be, I would certainly rather win to increase my roll rather than have to try to deposit. Who knows, I may try to deposit anyway, to give myself a cushion sooner than later, but we'll see.
Meanwhile, looking ahead to some live poker playing in the future, I am all booked for the WPBT Winter Classic in Las Vegas the weekend of December 12 - 14. American Airlines changed my original flight booking so that now I am scheduled to fly home on Monday morning at 6:00 AM instead of on the red-eye about five hours earlier. That sucks, because I did not book a hotel room for Sunday night, but I also didn't plan to stay up the entire night like I may have to now. I will need to look into seeing if there is any other option to fly home, that won't cost me big bucks in change fees.
I have not yet seen or heard much about what is planned for the Winter Classic, nor a list of people who are planning to go. If anyone out there is compiling such a list and wouldn't mind directing me to it, or letting me sign up for it, please leave me a comment or e-mail me. I'm looking forward to seeing many of my blogger pals in just a few months!
Friday, September 05, 2008
Still bouncing...
Let's see, how have things been going for me at the poker tables since my last post....
PokerStars:
$5.50 HORSE tourney with some of the PokerWorks gang - only 11 players, I finished 9th. I didn't play all that well; I haven't played enough HORSE to have a good feel for it.
$3.40 1-table NLHE SNG - finished 3rd for a big profit of $2.00. Hey, I cashed, which has been really rare for me at Stars lately.
FullTilt:
Another $3.30 Deep Stack Turbo Knockout 10-table SNG, my favorite kind of tourney these days. Not that I have had a ton of success with them lately, mind you, but they can be fun. I was actually playing in this one while I was writing my last blog entry. Although things started slowly for me, they picked up later and I ended up winning it. Yeah, baby, took it down and fattened my bankroll by more than I had when I bought into the game. Gee but it's nice to have some breathing room in the old roll again. I'm still too short (under $150) to feel comfortable entering any of the regular blogger tourneys, but another couple of decent cashes like that and I ought to be able to join in again.
Friday Night Donkament, $1 + 1 rebuy - I hadn't played in this one in quite a while, and I was glad to be able to jump in again. Only 12 runners, and I had to sit through the usual maniacal play that happens during the rebuy period. That part of the game is my least favorite, because I don't like to throw my money away like so many of the people who enter this tourney, and there is very little actual poker playing going on. I only rebought for $4, and lasted to 5th place. I made at least one bad call which probably cost me a shot at a higher placement.
One more $3.30 DSTKO - only got as far as 13th. I tried to turn up the aggression in a couple of spots but it didn't do me much good this time.
I played a couple of short sessions of nickel - dime - quarter cash games at Stars and Bodog, for a profit of under a buck. Wheee.
Since I am booked for the WPBT Winter Classic gathering in Las Vegas in December, I feel like I should play regularly to make sure I don't get too rusty and embarrass myself more than usual. If I could actually learn to play better, maybe I could garner a modicum of respect from my fellow bloggers. After all, I'm not much of a writer, and I know I'm only a fringe member of this poker blogging group. I suppose if I posted more often, and made an effort to write quality posts, it could conceivably enhance my standing from Z-lister to Y-lister. But that isn't why I should try to write better. It should be for my own growth or to get stuff off my chest or out of my system. If others read it and get something out of it, great.
I'll cough something up here periodically. If you are stopping by to check things out, thanks, and have a great day.
PokerStars:
$5.50 HORSE tourney with some of the PokerWorks gang - only 11 players, I finished 9th. I didn't play all that well; I haven't played enough HORSE to have a good feel for it.
$3.40 1-table NLHE SNG - finished 3rd for a big profit of $2.00. Hey, I cashed, which has been really rare for me at Stars lately.
FullTilt:
Another $3.30 Deep Stack Turbo Knockout 10-table SNG, my favorite kind of tourney these days. Not that I have had a ton of success with them lately, mind you, but they can be fun. I was actually playing in this one while I was writing my last blog entry. Although things started slowly for me, they picked up later and I ended up winning it. Yeah, baby, took it down and fattened my bankroll by more than I had when I bought into the game. Gee but it's nice to have some breathing room in the old roll again. I'm still too short (under $150) to feel comfortable entering any of the regular blogger tourneys, but another couple of decent cashes like that and I ought to be able to join in again.
Friday Night Donkament, $1 + 1 rebuy - I hadn't played in this one in quite a while, and I was glad to be able to jump in again. Only 12 runners, and I had to sit through the usual maniacal play that happens during the rebuy period. That part of the game is my least favorite, because I don't like to throw my money away like so many of the people who enter this tourney, and there is very little actual poker playing going on. I only rebought for $4, and lasted to 5th place. I made at least one bad call which probably cost me a shot at a higher placement.
One more $3.30 DSTKO - only got as far as 13th. I tried to turn up the aggression in a couple of spots but it didn't do me much good this time.
I played a couple of short sessions of nickel - dime - quarter cash games at Stars and Bodog, for a profit of under a buck. Wheee.
Since I am booked for the WPBT Winter Classic gathering in Las Vegas in December, I feel like I should play regularly to make sure I don't get too rusty and embarrass myself more than usual. If I could actually learn to play better, maybe I could garner a modicum of respect from my fellow bloggers. After all, I'm not much of a writer, and I know I'm only a fringe member of this poker blogging group. I suppose if I posted more often, and made an effort to write quality posts, it could conceivably enhance my standing from Z-lister to Y-lister. But that isn't why I should try to write better. It should be for my own growth or to get stuff off my chest or out of my system. If others read it and get something out of it, great.
I'll cough something up here periodically. If you are stopping by to check things out, thanks, and have a great day.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
A little bounce back
I haven't had a great year so far in 2008, except for my decent successes on Bodog during their Blogger Series during the first half of the year. The cards have not seemed to come my way this summer. However, the month of August hasn't been too bad. I have cashed in three SNGs on FullTilt, including one first-place finish. They were only $3.30 and $2.25 tourneys, so the bankroll hasn't exactly ballooned as a result, but at least I haven't gotten closer to busting.
I find myself trying to play a bit smarter, since I think I have been too loose in recent weeks. That will probably sound very strange to anyone who has seen my usual weak-tight style of play, but I know that I have played too many marginal hands lately and that is bound to be a big leak. At the same time, I am (mostly) trying to turn up the aggression at the right time, especially when I manage to get a decent stack and I have position. Yeah, I know, this is Poker 101 stuff, and I should know all this by now. Sometimes I just need to remind myself of what works instead of straying from the tried and true. Since I play at such low stakes, there isn't much point in trying to outthink my opponents, many of whom barely think beyond their cards. That isn't to say that there aren't some fair players at the micro level, but part of what I am working on is picking up on which ones have a clue what they are doing, and which are just donking around. It would be nice if these skills would sink in faster for me, and if I could remember to apply them consistently, but I won't claim to be the quickest learner around. I'll just have to keep at it and put a little more effort into improving.
I find myself trying to play a bit smarter, since I think I have been too loose in recent weeks. That will probably sound very strange to anyone who has seen my usual weak-tight style of play, but I know that I have played too many marginal hands lately and that is bound to be a big leak. At the same time, I am (mostly) trying to turn up the aggression at the right time, especially when I manage to get a decent stack and I have position. Yeah, I know, this is Poker 101 stuff, and I should know all this by now. Sometimes I just need to remind myself of what works instead of straying from the tried and true. Since I play at such low stakes, there isn't much point in trying to outthink my opponents, many of whom barely think beyond their cards. That isn't to say that there aren't some fair players at the micro level, but part of what I am working on is picking up on which ones have a clue what they are doing, and which are just donking around. It would be nice if these skills would sink in faster for me, and if I could remember to apply them consistently, but I won't claim to be the quickest learner around. I'll just have to keep at it and put a little more effort into improving.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Tao of Poker 5th Anniversary tourney, August 5
Everyone's favorite poker blogger, Dr. Pauly, is celebrating the fifth anniversary of his outstanding blog, Tao of Poker, by hosting a tournament at PokerStars on August 5 at 9:00 PM ET. Entry fee is $5 + 0.50, the game is NLHE. Besides the usual prize pool from the entry fees, the first place finisher also gets two nights at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City and the $5,000 buy-in for the Borgata Poker Open tourney on September 12. Is that sweet, or what?
More info can be found at Tao of Poker, so check it out and register for the tournament. I will be playing, which means another $5 in dead money for the taking.
See you there!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Random update including WPBT Winter Classic info
I have been wrapped up in the play that I am in, so I haven't played much poker lately. One thing I have done, though, is make my hotel reservations for the WPBT Winter Classic over the weekend of Dec. 12 - 14. I will be staying at the Imperial Palace this time, the unofficial WPBT headquarters. I found a very good rate on rooms for that weekend, and I recommend that you take a look if you are planning on partaking in the debauchery. I still need to buy my air tickets, and will probably do that very soon.
The play closes this weekend, so I should soon be able to start playing poker a bit more regularly. One thing I plan to try again is playing in my local Amateur Poker League tourneys. I had dropped out because the venue closest to me gets very smoky, and their tourneys are held on Tuesday nights when the Bodog Blogger game was going on. Now that the Bodonkey is on hiatus, I think I will give the APL game another try.
I'll be back at the online tables soon, to see if I can build my bankroll on the sites where I have some money. I hope I haven't got too rusty.
The play closes this weekend, so I should soon be able to start playing poker a bit more regularly. One thing I plan to try again is playing in my local Amateur Poker League tourneys. I had dropped out because the venue closest to me gets very smoky, and their tourneys are held on Tuesday nights when the Bodog Blogger game was going on. Now that the Bodonkey is on hiatus, I think I will give the APL game another try.
I'll be back at the online tables soon, to see if I can build my bankroll on the sites where I have some money. I hope I haven't got too rusty.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
WPBT Winter Classic 2008 info and other updates
Quick update....
My wife and I spent last week on a vacation in Scotland, as chaperones with my son's high school band. Everyone had a fantastic time. I did not have an opportunity to play any poker.
I am fully immersed in rehearsals for "Laughing Stock" at the Runway Theatre here in Grapevine. With rehearsals every evening so far this week, I have had no chance yet to play any poker since I got back from Scotland. Maybe I can squeeze in an online game this weekend. Maybe. Rehearsals are going well and I think we are going to have a side-splittingly funny show.
According to a post from The Rooster, the 2008 WPBT Winter Classic gathering will be in Las Vegas the weekend of December 12 - 14. I have no idea yet whether I might be going, but I plan to keep the possibility open.
That's all for now.
My wife and I spent last week on a vacation in Scotland, as chaperones with my son's high school band. Everyone had a fantastic time. I did not have an opportunity to play any poker.
I am fully immersed in rehearsals for "Laughing Stock" at the Runway Theatre here in Grapevine. With rehearsals every evening so far this week, I have had no chance yet to play any poker since I got back from Scotland. Maybe I can squeeze in an online game this weekend. Maybe. Rehearsals are going well and I think we are going to have a side-splittingly funny show.
According to a post from The Rooster, the 2008 WPBT Winter Classic gathering will be in Las Vegas the weekend of December 12 - 14. I have no idea yet whether I might be going, but I plan to keep the possibility open.
That's all for now.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Bodonkey TOC results
It's a well known saying, if not cold hard fact, that you have to win a race or two if you want to go deep in a tournament.
In the Bodog Blogger Tournament of Champions last night, I lost two coin flips that, had I won them, could have kept me going longer than I did.
The first was this hand:
Blinds are 50/100. Players and chips:
JD Schellnutt - 1,350
ScottMc - 7,075
cbags - 5,385
JL514 - 1,505
Drizztdj - 1,880 - SB
smokkee - 4,265 - BB
yestbay1 - 5,180
emptyman - 3,275
UTG, I pick up 9h 9d. I raise to 500. It folds to JL514, who shoves his 1,505 in the middle. Drizz and smokkee fold.
I have more than 3 times as many chips as JL514, and since it only costs me 1,005 to call to win the 2,150 in the pot and knock out someone, I call. JL shows Ad Kc. We're off to the races.
Flop: 2s 7d Ac
Turn: Kh
River: 3s
That knocked me down to 3,675, but with an M of over 20, I was still in good shape.
Unfortunately, the cards didn't come my way after that. Just about everything I got was an auto-fold due to crappy cards or bad position. Eventually, with blinds up to 125/250 and my stack reduced to 2,700, I push from UTG+1 with Ac Jh. ScottMc in the SB with 13,515 in chips calls me with 7h 7c. He catches a 7 on the flop, I can't catch runner-runner, and I'm out.
I feel like the great majority of my decisions were good. I may have played tighter/weaker than some people, and probably folded some marginal hands that others would have played. Unless my call of the shorty with 99 was poor, I think I did OK with what I was dealt.
I really enjoyed the Bodog Blogger series and my thanks go once again to $mokkee and Nadia for putting it all together and making it the success that it was. Congratulations to GoldenHammer who won first prize and the $12K WSOP ME package. Complete TOC results are here.
I will be away from the tables for a few weeks, because I am going on vacation next week and then rehearsing a play which will perform in July. I hope to squeeze in a game now and then, but my Tuesday nights are going to be otherwise occupied for the next several weeks. But when my schedule loosens up, I'll be back for more Bodog Blogger tourney fun.
In the Bodog Blogger Tournament of Champions last night, I lost two coin flips that, had I won them, could have kept me going longer than I did.
The first was this hand:
Blinds are 50/100. Players and chips:
JD Schellnutt - 1,350
ScottMc - 7,075
cbags - 5,385
JL514 - 1,505
Drizztdj - 1,880 - SB
smokkee - 4,265 - BB
yestbay1 - 5,180
emptyman - 3,275
UTG, I pick up 9h 9d. I raise to 500. It folds to JL514, who shoves his 1,505 in the middle. Drizz and smokkee fold.
I have more than 3 times as many chips as JL514, and since it only costs me 1,005 to call to win the 2,150 in the pot and knock out someone, I call. JL shows Ad Kc. We're off to the races.
Flop: 2s 7d Ac
Turn: Kh
River: 3s
That knocked me down to 3,675, but with an M of over 20, I was still in good shape.
Unfortunately, the cards didn't come my way after that. Just about everything I got was an auto-fold due to crappy cards or bad position. Eventually, with blinds up to 125/250 and my stack reduced to 2,700, I push from UTG+1 with Ac Jh. ScottMc in the SB with 13,515 in chips calls me with 7h 7c. He catches a 7 on the flop, I can't catch runner-runner, and I'm out.
I feel like the great majority of my decisions were good. I may have played tighter/weaker than some people, and probably folded some marginal hands that others would have played. Unless my call of the shorty with 99 was poor, I think I did OK with what I was dealt.
I really enjoyed the Bodog Blogger series and my thanks go once again to $mokkee and Nadia for putting it all together and making it the success that it was. Congratulations to GoldenHammer who won first prize and the $12K WSOP ME package. Complete TOC results are here.
I will be away from the tables for a few weeks, because I am going on vacation next week and then rehearsing a play which will perform in July. I hope to squeeze in a game now and then, but my Tuesday nights are going to be otherwise occupied for the next several weeks. But when my schedule loosens up, I'll be back for more Bodog Blogger tourney fun.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Limping into the Bodonkey TOC
I played in the Bodog Blogger Tourney last night, the final game in the series with the grand prize of a WSOP Main Event package. I was very card dead the whole time I was in; I got KK once with no action, and that was about as good as it got. I misplayed one hand with 77 where I should have folded to Ingoal's bet after I missed the flop. Other than that, my decisions were easy because I barely even got any marginal hands that could have got me in trouble. I busted in 32nd place, well out of the points which I hoped to earn to make sure I stayed in the top 18. Incredibly, even with everybody gunning for him due to the T$270 bounty on his head, $mokkee finished first last night. GG, sir.
Fortunately, only a couple of people behind me in the standings picked up enough points to jump over me on the leaderboard. I got bumped from 14th to 16th in the rankings, but that is still good enough to move on to the Tournament of Champions next Tuesday night. The list of finalists is here. I congratulate everyone who made it to the grand finale, and I wish them all good luck, but not as good as mine. The competition will be tough, and the person who wins the WSOP package will certainly need to earn it. I'd love to take it all down, and a 1 in 18 chance is better odds than I may ever see again. I'll be studying and practicing as much as I have time for between now and Tuesday to maximize this opportunity.
I know that the Bodog interface is flaky sometimes, but I must say that I have enjoyed playing in this series. The players have generally been friendly and not quite as prone (although not immune) to the trash-talking and whining that has plagued some of the other blogger tourneys. The overlays have been enormous, which has been a great incentive to play in these games. After the TOC, I will be taking a forced break from the Tuesday night game for a few weeks due to other commitments. But I plan to use the T$ and cash that I have won to play in other tourneys and ring games on Bodog and see if I can build my bankroll there.
I am also entered in the BBT3 banner freeroll on Sunday, so I have that shot at a $2K WSOP prize. That tourney will be a mine field of craziness, so I will just hope to get lucky in that one.
Last note: I will be driving up to Tulsa, OK this weekend to geek out at the Trek Expo convention. While I am up there, I plan to play my first live poker since the WPBT Winter Classic, at the Cherokee Casino. I hear they have a very nice poker room; I'll try to remember to post a report about it when I get back.
Fortunately, only a couple of people behind me in the standings picked up enough points to jump over me on the leaderboard. I got bumped from 14th to 16th in the rankings, but that is still good enough to move on to the Tournament of Champions next Tuesday night. The list of finalists is here. I congratulate everyone who made it to the grand finale, and I wish them all good luck, but not as good as mine. The competition will be tough, and the person who wins the WSOP package will certainly need to earn it. I'd love to take it all down, and a 1 in 18 chance is better odds than I may ever see again. I'll be studying and practicing as much as I have time for between now and Tuesday to maximize this opportunity.
I know that the Bodog interface is flaky sometimes, but I must say that I have enjoyed playing in this series. The players have generally been friendly and not quite as prone (although not immune) to the trash-talking and whining that has plagued some of the other blogger tourneys. The overlays have been enormous, which has been a great incentive to play in these games. After the TOC, I will be taking a forced break from the Tuesday night game for a few weeks due to other commitments. But I plan to use the T$ and cash that I have won to play in other tourneys and ring games on Bodog and see if I can build my bankroll there.
I am also entered in the BBT3 banner freeroll on Sunday, so I have that shot at a $2K WSOP prize. That tourney will be a mine field of craziness, so I will just hope to get lucky in that one.
Last note: I will be driving up to Tulsa, OK this weekend to geek out at the Trek Expo convention. While I am up there, I plan to play my first live poker since the WPBT Winter Classic, at the Cherokee Casino. I hear they have a very nice poker room; I'll try to remember to post a report about it when I get back.
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