O-Poker

I'm going to be very busy during the month of June.  Here is what it looks like as of now:

May 31 - Fly to Hawaii

May 31-June 6 - in Hawaii - Work 12-14 hr days/try to have fun in Hawaii (prob will able to on Sat and Sun)

June 6 - Fly back to Orlando from Hawaii

June 11-13 - Birthday Weekend!

June 14 - Viva Las Vegas!!!

June 14-21 - Las Vegas - Cash games, cash games, cash games (maybe 1 or 2 mtts)

June 21-June 30 - Countdown to the first day of real cash game poker in FL!!!!

July 1st - Cash games in FL - REAL CASH GAMES IN FL!!!!  I don't expect it to be like 2004-2006, but if it is somewhere between 2004-2006 live cash games and today's live games, then I will be a very happy man.

It's looking like I'll probably only play 1 tourney while out there.  The $1.5k WSOP NL donkament on Wed.  I was thinking about playing the Venetian $2.1k on Thurs, but can't justify playing in a 2k tourney right now, since I don't seem to know how to play tourneys anymore and my last live tourney experience really sucked the excitement of live tourneys out of me.

I'm thinking of playing a bunch of tourneys on FTP tonight - taking a break from rush poker.  If I can figure out how to play them again, I may play more than one live mtt while in LV.

By the way, if anyone figures out how to do a live rush tourney I'll be the first in line to register.

2 days until Mai Tais on the beach.  16 days until beer at the Hooker Bar.

Life is hectic, but life is good!!

I'm heading to Game 5 of the Orlando Magic/Boston Celtics Eastern Conference Finals tonight.  The Magic actually have a very good shot at getting back into this series after being down 3-0.  If they win tonight (they are favored), the series will be 3-2 and you can start to throw out the "No team has ever come back to win a series after being down 3-0."

Hopefully, they go out and not only win tonight, but win big.

GO MAGIC!!!!

Good luck to everyone playing in the final MookieDank BBT5 tourney tonight!!!

I'll get back to posting about poker next time.

The Poker from the Rail Tourney tonight on Full Tilt Poker may be my last shot at making it into the BBT5.  I don't think I'll be able to make it to the Mookie on Wed night, unless the Orland Magic somehow lose Game 4 of the Boston Series.  I don't see that see that happening because they have been playing so great this series.  ;)

Good Luck to me tonight!!!  

Last night during the Orlando/Boston ECF Game 2, a fan starting giving one of the refs a hard time during a time out.  The ref threw the ball at him.  The fan threw it back.  The ref immediately had him ejected from what was probably at least a $1k seat (prob a lot higher) since he had access to floor level.

It makes you wonder if a referee with such a short fuse should be one of the few refs selected to officiate a conference finals game.  Do you think we should be suspended from reffing for the rest of the playoffs?  Is this really the guy that you make to be making calls in Game 7 of a series?  Does he have more potential to call a foul in a close situation against a player that has complained to him when a "good no call" is in order?

Time....is running out on the BBT5

Time keeps on ticking away. The BBT5 is getting close to completion. It looks like there are four tourneys left - 2 Mookies, 1 Invitational, and 1 PFTR. I'll only be able to play three of them since I'll be at Game 5 of the Orlando/Boston series on the final day of BBT5 tourneys.

I'm going to make my best effort to bring my "A" game to each of my three remaining tourneys. I need to pick my spots better and focus only on the BBT tourney instead of firing up a couple of Rush cash games at the same time. Rush cash and the BBT tourneys are completely different animals and the most profitable plays in each are at the opposite ends of the spectrum.

I predict at least a FT at the minimum in one of the tourneys and hopefully a win or top 2 in the Invitational. I'm not going so far as calling my shot, but leaving myself the opening for saying that I called my shot. :)

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Time...for the Magic to step it up a notch

The title says it all. They didn't look like they showed up for Game 1 until the fourth quarter. Stan Van Gundy is a good motivator and he has plenty of ammunition to get everyone to step it up tonight. I guess the positive they can take from Game 1 is that when they finally started playing, they turned a 20 point deficit into a game they could have won.

Go Magic!!!!

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Time....is almost here for uncapped poker in FL!!!

I may have to put a countdown clock for July 1, 2010. FL will finally enter the real poker world. The current $100 max buy-in will change to real poker - no more caps on buy-ins!!!

Weeeeeeeee!!!!!!

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Time....is getting closer for the WSOP

My Sunday tourney experience has me re-thinking how many tourneys I will play in LV. I was planning to play a $1.5k WSOP mtt and a $2.1k Venetian DS mtt. I may just play one or the other and stick to cash for the rest of the time. I guess I'll play it by ear on how I'm feeling that week.

I'll be taking enough to LV for to play 2/5 comfortably and both tourneys. Maybe I'll stick to the cash games and take some shots at 5/10 if I'm running well.

Time....to kick some blogger ass.

Time....for me to get back to work.

"Why would I ever play a live tourney again?" - I started to type this on twitter last night and then erased it.

I had just spent an entire day playing my "A" game in a tourney only to have it turn into a turbo super turbo at the tail end with nothing to show for my efforts.  I don't see how the tourney regulars do it every day.  I know the payoff is huge when you hit, but there is mostly frustration.

A more appropriate tweet might have been, "Why would I ever play a live tourney with a horrible structure when my time would be better spent at the cash tables?"  I left my house around 10:30 am and got home around 11 pm.  I had nothing to show for it other than a belly full of "free" Outback food and a few "not-free" beers.

The tourney info:
Daytona Beach Kennel Club Poker Room Venetian Deep Stack Charity Classic
Total number of players including alternates - 536
$150 buyin + $40 initial add-on + $40 add-on after 3 levels.
$80 rebuy if you bust in 1st 3 level
Starting chips - 10k (including the initial addon)
Add-on after 3 levels - 4k
Blinds - 25 minute levels
1st place - $5k Venetian tourney buy-in + $1k meal credit at Venetian + Hotel + Biz Class air
2nd-5th - $2,100 Venetian tourney + above
Cash payouts through 40th place

I was playing great most of the tourney.  I didn't even feel bad about a mistimed bluff that I made against a 70 year old guy during the rebuy period.  After all, it took him a very very long time to call me with KJ on a KKAxx board.  I got a guy to put all his chips in with 77 when I had KK.  I made a big laydown when I couldn't put the other player on anything other than the nuts based on how he played the hand.  After I folded, he proceeded to show me the nuts.  Thanks!!  And on and on....

Everything was going great, until all of the sudden it turned into a super turbo.  We were down to 55 players and I looked around my table and all the other tables.  Everyone's stack, other than maybe 2-4 ppl, was less than 10 BBs.  The blinds were 8k/16k with a 2k ante and going up to 10k/20k in 25 mins.  Assuming that the average chips/player that bought in was 15k based on 536 players, when we were down to 55 players the average stack was $140k.  I had 150k chips and was 2nd at our table.  The chip leader at our table had around 240k.

Nearly everyone was at push/fold level, but not everyone realized that they only had one move.

It didn't take long for me to bust once the 8k/16k 2k ante level hit.

This post isn't meant to complain about bad beats with hands.  I legitimately lost two 50/50s.  The first one was my AK<44 aipf against a guy with around 85k chips.  It knocked me down to around 50k.  Two hands later, my 55 lost to AQ aipf.


I was pissed after I busted.  The 50 minute drive home helped with my sanity.  I knew my state of mind, so I decided not to play any online poker when I got home.  I'll take that as a positive, since in the past I might have fired up the laptop and tilted off a few buy-ins.

A day later, I can definitely say that I had a great time playing and enjoyed playing live again for the 1st time in a while.  In the future, I'll check and analyze the tourney structure of any live tourney that I play and try to stay away from the super turbos.

I'll be heading to the Daytona Beach Kennel Club on Sunday to play a charity satellite to the Venetian Deep Stack tourneys.  1st is entry into the $5k DS ME + airfare for 2 + Hotel + $1k in Venetian restaurant credit.  2nd - 5th is the same package but entry into the $2,100 tourney that I plan to play while out there.  They are also paying cash.

The bad news....I tried to buy my entry today and they are SOLD OUT.  I was told to come early Sunday to get on the DREADED alternate list.

I guess I'll go.  Surely the bustouts will be fast and furious and I can get seated before the blinds start getting out of control.

Hopefully, I get seated before all the dead money is gone.

No reason to bet a Royal Flush - Talk about nitty.

Full Tilt Poker $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - Rush
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+2: $162.00
MP1: $140.25
MP2: $308.95
CO: $301.35
BTN: $639.80
SB: $145.00
Hero (BB): $273.00
UTG: $167.60
UTG+1: $339.95

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is BB with 2h 2c
3 folds, MP1 raises to $6, 4 folds, Hero calls $4

Flop: ($13.00) Jd Qd Td (2 players)
Hero checks, MP1 checks

Turn: ($13.00) 7s (2 players)
Hero checks, MP1 checks


River: ($13.00) Ad (2 players)
Hero checks, MP1 checks with the nuts of all nuts

Final Pot: $13.00
MP1 shows Ah Kd (a Royal Flush)
Hero mucks 2h 2c
MP1 wins $12.35
(Rake: $0.65)

Way to maximize value!!!  Maybe he thought there was a Royal Flush jackpot, but only if you went to showdown!!!


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It feels good to actually dodge all the cards for once.  Straight over set over set over set

Full Tilt Poker $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - Rush
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+1: $109.70
UTG+2: $122.70
MP1: $331.85
MP2: $135.95
CO: $287.60
BTN: $89.20
Hero (SB): $385.85
BB: $209.65
UTG: $283.75

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is SB with Kh As
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $4, UTG+2 raises to $12, 3 folds, BTN calls $12, Hero calls $11, 1 fold, UTG+1 calls $8

Flop: ($50.00) Jh Qh Tc (4 players) - Jackpot
Hero checks, UTG+1 checks, UTG+2 bets $50, BTN raises to $77.20 all in, Hero calls $77.20, UTG+1 raises to $97.70 all in, UTG+2 calls $47.70, Hero calls $20.50

Turn: ($420.30) 6s (4 players - 2 are all in)
Hero bets $276.15 all in, UTG+2 calls $13 all in

River: ($446.30) 9c (4 players - 4 are all in)

Final Pot: $446.30
UTG+1 shows 9h 9d (three of a kind, Nines)
UTG+2 shows Js Jd (three of a kind, Jacks)
BTN shows Qc Qs (three of a kind, Queens)
Hero shows Kh As (a straight, Ace high)
Hero wins $26.00
Hero wins $61.50
Hero wins $355.80
(Rake: $3.00)

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I don't think this guy will ever fold an overpair.  Just a feeling.  :)

Full Tilt Poker $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+2: $286.80
MP1: $435.10
Hero (MP2): $232.90
CO: $94.85
BTN: $136.45
SB: $388.80
BB: $200.00
UTG: $276.80
UTG+1: $208.95

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is MP2 with 5s 5h
4 folds, Hero raises to $6, 2 folds, SB raises to $20, 1 fold, Hero calls $14

Flop: ($42.00) Js 5d 7c (2 players)
SB bets $368.80 all in - Well, the pot is $42.  I might as well just shove.  I mean, he might call me with something weaker than the 2nd nuts.  Oh wait....Was there just a flop?
Hero calls $212.90 all in

Turn: ($467.80) Tc (2 players - 2 are all in)

River: ($467.80) 3c (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: $467.80
Hero shows 5s 5h (three of a kind, Fives)
SB shows Ks Kh (a pair of Kings)
Hero wins $464.80
(Rake: $3.00)

A few weeks ago I was playing so 2/5NL $100 max buy-in poker at the Hard Rock in Tampa when a strange situation came up.  (I know, LOL.  July 1st will be here soon enough and we will have real uncapped poker.)

After a few hours I was involved in a pot that was heads up between me and another guy on the river.  He went all in.  I missed my flush but hit top pair on the river and called.  He instantly flipped up a set.  I went to muck and the dealer said, "Turn up your cards." as I was mucking them.  He then grabbed my cards out of the muck and turned them over.

I didn't get mad but I did ask him, "Why?  I've never had to do that before."

The dealer said matter of factly, "It is to prevent collusion.  Any time someone is all in you have to show your cards."  I didn't press the issue, but it just seems horribly wrong to me.

This was a cash game.  No one asked to see my cards.  The guy that won the pot was getting all in at least 2-3 times/orbit.

Has anyone ever run across this in a live cash game before?  Am I missing something?

High Stakes Poker Season 6, Episode 12

"Wow!!  Wow!!  What a call?" - Mike Matusow

"Nice call, man." - Eli

"Where you thinking of raising?" - Tom "durrrr" Dwan with a very confused look on his face.

"No." - Elky

"How can you fold?  How can you fold?  You people must be playing a different game than I am!"

This conversation happened after durrrr bet 58k on the river into a $147k pot on a 3sAsAh/9h/Ac board after raising pf, betting the flop and checking the turn.  Elky took a while to finally call him with TT for a chopped pot with durrrr's TT.

Elky must have taken an incredible amount of time (edited down for TV) to make the call.  Durrrr seemed to think that it was a no brainer call with 9x, TT-KK, and a hero fold with 77 or 88.  In his mind (I think) he was value betting his TT and hoping to get paid off by 9sXs hands or a mid pair.

Yes, most of the rest of the table are probably playing a different game than you, Tom.  Isn't that how you are so successful?  Isn't that why you have an edge?  Whether it is someone clearly playing with scared money (Matusow), someone with playing on one bullet, someone that views the money as actual real world money, or someone that can't fold trips when they are obviously beat.

I think most of us nobodies that like to play poker would at least have to think about the possibility of durrrr having JJ-KK.  It might also cross our minds that durrrr has something like A3 or A9 - although we could probably discount those hands because he would be betting the turn almost 100% of the time on a board with two spades and two hearts.  For the same reason, we could probably discount the rest of the AX hands.

So, I know that I would have to at least think about the call before making it.  Maybe some of our brains don't process information as fast as durrrr's.  I blame the keg parties during my college years. 



The video below starts right before durrrr's river bet.  Search for clip 3 if you want to see the entire hand.

We are a little less than 2 hours from the start of another BBT5 tourney on Full Tilt Poker.  I think tonight is a must play, after all it's the BBT5 and it's Cinco de Mayo!!!!  5/5/10.

Fuel55 is probably a 2 to 1 favorite to win the BBT5 MookieDank.  (I like the hybrid instead of going all the way to calling it the Dank or the Buddy - sorry Waffles)

If you hold pocket fives preflop, they are at least a 5x favorite against aces tonight.

Good Luck to everyone tonight.  I'll be rooting for you to come in 2nd.

CINCO de BBT!!!!

EDIT:  Out quickly thanks to some horrible play on my part!!

I'm starting to get excited about the 2010 WSOP!!!

I finally bought my plane tickets and booked my room at the Rio.  I'll be arriving in LV June 14th and leaving June 21st (Monday-Monday).  I was going to leave on Sunday, but overall it was about $60 cheaper to stay because the airfare was ridiculous on Sunday.

I plan to play a lot of cash games and the following tourneys:
6/16 - WSOP Event #30 $1,500 NLHE
6/17 - Venetian Deep Stack $2,100 NLHE (unless I'm still in the WSOP tourney)

If I make it to Day 2 of WSOP #30, then I will probably play the $550 Venetian tourney on Friday.

The only way that I will change the plans is if I somehow luckbox my way into winning a WSOP ME seat in the BBT5.