O-Poker

The FTOPS starts tonight with Event #1 $216 buy-in $500k Guarantee. I took a break from the cash games last night and signed up for the $55 Super Sat to FTOPS #1 (guaranteeing 100 seats). It took the place of the regular nightly $50/$50k on FTP. I had read on Hoy's blog about how the FTOPS #1 $11 turbo rebuy at 9:50 was a great value because a lot of the players don't rebuy and bust out before the end of the rebuy period, so I signed up for that satellite also.

I won my entry in Event #1 in both of the satellites. The 2nd entry paid $216 cash.

I jumped out to a big stack early in the $11 rebuy and bounced up and down as we got near the bubble, until the following hand came up. Blinds huge. One limper to my right. I shove with JJ (barley having him covered) he instantly calls with K9s. I'm not sure WTF he was thinking. The blinds were high, but that was a horrible play in so many ways - the limp, the overcall, etc. I felt good when I flopped a set. That feeling quickly went away when the turn brought him a flush draw. The river was a beautiful Jack - DEM QUADS BITCHES!!!!!!!

DQB


I took a chance late in the $55 super sat. I had a below average stack with about 280 players remaining (150 seats). A player in middle position (he had been raising almost every hand, but still had a little less than average stack) made it 3 times the BB. I shoved with 99 on the button. He had to call a little more than double his bet, but making the call would leave him around 5 Big Blinds. He instantly called with KQs. My nines held up. I coasted from there without any danger of not winning a 2nd seat.



Good Luck to everyone that is playing in the FTOPS tonight!!!

I am trying to see if I can turn nothing into something on UB.

When I first started playing online poker a few years ago (early 2003), I played at the original World Sports Exchange Poker, then migrated over to Pokerstars and eventually Ultimate Bet. After winning my way to Aruba in 2003, I started playing a lot more on UB. It had a great community that some people described as a "home game" feel. The player base wasn't huge and you really got to know a lot of the other players since you played with them daily. I had even met quite of few of them in Aruba - some are still good friends. I played a lot of tourneys and SNGs on UB in 2003 and 2004, but then things at UB started to go south. The customer service went downhill. They completely changed their tourney schedule that wiped out a lot of the tourneys that fell within the stakes that I was playing and the times that I could play. The site started crashing a lot. When I say a lot, I mean several times a week. All this led, to me playing more on Party Poker and Pokerstars. I eventually landed on FTP and play 95% of my poker there now.

I just checked the pokerdb and I have played a grand total of 6 tourneys at UB this year. I had only played 3 this year until June 30th. About a month ago, I received a "special offer" from UB. It was different than a lot of the other "special offers" that they send out. This one offered a free entry into their Sunday $200 buy-in $200k guarantee. I emailed them back asking for the free entry even though I probably wasn't going to be able to play in the tourney. They registered me for it and I promptly attempted to unregister. It worked. My account was credited with $200 tourney dollars.

My plan was to try to turn the T$200 into some real money. Shortly before heading to the WSOP, I played one of the nightly $129 bounties tourneys and donked out early. I had almost completely forgotten about the remaining T$ until the other night when I opened UB and jumped into the next tourney that was starting. It was a $20 6 max. I busted out with AK vs KQ.

This left me with T$62. It didn't look like I was going to be to successful with turning $0 in my UB account into something. I logged on last night and saw a $20 rebuy satellite to their Sunday Night(8:30 PM) $530 $75k guarantee mtt. I decided that I would spend my last T$62 on that tourney even though 3 total buy-ins is a horrible way to go into a rebuy tourney. I used all of my buy-ins up a few hands into the satellite and was sitting on about 2,400 chips with no money to add on at the end of the rebuy period. I somehow managed to have a huge chip lead by the break and wound up 3rd in chips after everyone but me added on.

I was the chip leader after knocking one player out at the final table. Then the perfect situation came up. I was dealt Aces on the button. A player in mid-position made a large raise. I raised enough to almost put him all in. To my surprise the SB (who I barely had covered) re-raised all-in. Mid-position folded. I called and my Aces held up against SB's Kings. I was now chip leader by more than double the 2nd spot with 6 or 7 players left and 2 seats being awarded. I managed to hold on to win my entry to the $530.

So, on Sunday night I will see if I can turn nothing into something. Hopefully, there will be more to this story.

I qualified for the Friday Pokerstars $1,050 WSOP Super Satellite, but we had plans that night so I unregistered from it. I used $650 of the W$ to register for the Sunday super sat and sold the rest. I wound up busting out in the low 200s out of 1,100+ (paying 62 seats).

I shook off the bustout and managed to focus on the FTP $500k guarantee and make it somewhat deep. I busted out when I shoved KQ (short stacked) and was called by the BB's AA. The poker gods had to give me hope with a KQJ106 board. I finished 204th for $450 +/-. Lucko and N82 went pretty deep (109th and 96th, respectively) and they were both at the same table as me for a while late. (I think they both doubled me up too).

Not sure what to do next (about the WSOP), I saw that pokerstars was running a $360 - 6 max double shootout to the WSOP until Midnight. It was about 10:30 PM, so I registered. 1st gets a seat, 2-4th gets $360 back, 5th gets $88. I would up finishing 4th. Close.

I won't be partying Thursday night (7/5) when I get to Las Vegas. Instead, I'll be playing a live sat or 2. I know that I will still have a blast in LV even if I don't qualify for the Main Event. I'm not down right now, just a little numb. I think that I devoted way to much time to trying to win a seat. In hindsight, maybe I should have just kept playing cash games (since that is where the money seems to be - for me at least).

I just qualified for the $1k WSOP Super Satellite on FTP tonight.

Dear cmitch,

You finished the tournament in 1st place.
You have received an entry into tournament #19790012:

Name: $1K Thurs. Main Event Qualifier
Buyin: $1000.00 + $60.00
Date: June 21 9:00 PM ET

I am running out of chances to win my Main Event seat. I basically have three chances left:

1. FTP $1k Super Sat tonight.

2. Pokerstars $650 Super Sat on Sunday (assuming I qualify for it)

3. Live $1k Super Satellite at the Rio on 7/5.

Hopefully, I can take it down tonight or Sunday. (Fingers crossed.)

I am a little frustrated right now. Just busted out of both of the WSOP guarantee tourneys. No bad beat stories.

Good luck everyone that is still in.

I didn't play any cash games this weekend. I really haven't play cash games too much since I got back from vacation last week and I am trying to concentrate on mtts/winning my seat to the WSOP. I came very close to a big cash in the FTP $400k yesterday and got deep in a few other tourneys.

Friday Night
I didn't have enough W$ to enter the $1k Pokerstars WSOP satellite, so I played the 9 PM $80 sub-satellite to the Sunday $650 and wound up winning another W$650.

I played a few other small tourneys including the daily double on FTP. I don't remember exactly how I busted out of the 1st of the daily doubles, but once I did I found it extremely hard to focus on the other one. The payouts were very small in each tourney unless you make the Final Table (out of about 1,000 +/- players in each) - the real value is in final tabling both tourneys. FTPDoug has a post on pocketfives asking people's opinions on increasing the buy-ins to the daily doubles or adding new bigger buy-in DDs. I am all for them either increasing the DD to $26 (token) or adding a new DD with a buy-in of $75 (token).

Saturday Night
I played a pokerstars $27+rebuys sub-sat to the $650 again and wound up bubbling 4th out of 27. It awarded 2 seats and $475 cash for 3rd.

I also played the $109 6max mtt on pokerstars and wound up cashing 9th place - just short of the final table - cashed for $354.

Sunday
My wife was at the beach for the weekend with a friend of hers. She made it back home around lunch time. I worked it out with her to play some of the Sunday tourneys.

I played the following:

FTP WSOP 2 seat freeroll (140 +/- players; top 2 get $10k WSOP entry). I went out very early in this one when an extremely freaky hand came up. (I am not complaining about a bad beat here - I got that out of my system last week)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1162969 - AA vs. KK vs. AA - Button, Small Blind, and Big Blind respectively.

Pokerstars Sunday Million - finished around 1,300 out of 6,700 (1,080 paid) when my AA lost to AK all-in preflop. I shook it off and kept playing my "A" game in the other tourneys.

Pokerstars $650 WSOP Super Sat - I used some of my stash of W$ and played this tourney. I finished 118th out of 635 (paid 35 seats and I think next 10 spots got $650 cash). I had built a decent stack but was unlucky enough to get moved to a table with the chip leader (by about double the guy in 2nd) to my immediate left. Any time I raised preflop, he would raise enough where if I called it pretty much committed me to the pot. I wound up getting all-in against a mid stack with AQs vs. his 99 and was crippled.

FTP $400k guarantee - Finished 108th out of 2,765 for $553. I was cruising along and built a decent stack late, but the blinds started to get huge. I had about $28k left and shoved with a re-steal in late position with AJs and the button (with $78k) shoved over me. The early position raiser laid down his hand. The button had QQ. I flopped a Jack but didn't improve from there. GG me.

I felt like I played pretty good this weekend, but came up just a little short. I am probably only going to play mtts this week and try to play the 100 seat and 150 seat guarantees on FTP and PS, respectively.

It's strange, but I think that I do a lot better in MTTs when I concentrating on only mtts and not playing any cash games.

Good luck at the tables and good luck to everyone in Vegas.

Doggone it, People Like Me.

Last night made me feel like calling Stuart Smalley for a pep talk. I mean it worked for Michael Jordan.

I was feeling pretty good heading into the night. I had a great attitude and was going to play solid poker - avoid fancy play syndrome in the early levels.

I played the following:

$1k FTP WSOP Super Sat - won in through SNG sat
$225 Pokerstars sat to the $1k - using my W$ and trying to add to the W$ stack
$225 Pokerstars SNG sat to $1k sat - again using the W$

I took some beats in all three and didn't come close to the money in any of them. I was happy that I didn't let getting sucked out on (with KK to 99 all-in preflop when deep stacked) effect my play in the other tourneys. I was playing well, but things just didn't go my way - that happens sometimes in poker. I had gotten short in the FTP $1k and was crippled after I had AK lose to a short stacks A9 All-in Pre. The same player finished me off when my 55 couldn't out race his AQ.

In the $225 SNG Sat on Pokerstars, I lost with AA early against a gutshot and probably lost the minimum after he caught. I shut down my computer after I raised enough to obviously commit myself with AJ and K8o shoved - who happened to make a straight flush.

I feel great that I was able to maintain a positive attitude in the face of all those beats - Thanks STUART!! I got my money in ahead every time last night and that is all I can ask for.

(Hopefully, my next post won't have anything to do with bad beats. If it does, I'll try to just keep it to myself and not post it here.)

The WSOP Main Event is right around the corner and I haven't won my seat yet. I'm not getting discouraged yet. After all, I won my seat to the Pokerstars PCA this year in their last chance satellite. I, also, won my 2nd seat to the WSOP last year in FTP's 100 seat guarantee tourney. I think that I will probably focus on the WSOP sats over the next week and a half.


"Dear sportingimag,

You finished the tournament in 1st place.
You qualified to play in Tournament #51775993 and are automatically registered for it.
See Tournament #51775993 Lobby for further details.

If you choose to unregister from this tournament your account will be credited
with 1,050.00 W$."


I won entry into the Pokerstars Friday $1k WSOP Super Satellite last night, but am not sure if I am going to play that satellite or spread the W$ around to a few other tourneys. I might use W$225 to play the $225 satellite tonight to the $1k Friday Super Sat and try to pad the W$. If I don't qualify for the $1k super sat again, I will still have W$825 to use for the $650 super sat on Sunday and some additional satellites.

Below is my current (as of today) plan for satellites:

Pokerstars
6/7/07 - $225 Satellite to the $1k Friday Super Sat
6/8/07 - $1k WSOP Super Sat - if I win another entry to it tonight
6/8/07-6/9/07 - Sats to the $650 Super Sat
6/10/07 - $650 WSOP Super Sat - if I have W$ left over after the $1k Super
6/17/07 - $370 WSOP 150 Seat Super Sat

FTP
6/7/07 - Might play a $281 SNG satellite to the $1k WSOP Super Sat tonight - ?? If I have time??
6/7/07 - $1k WSOP Super Sat - if I win another entry to it in a SNG ***EDIT: It looks like I will be playing in the $1k Sat tonight - won 1st SNG sat I tried.
6/8/07-6/17/07 - Satellites to the $1k and $535 100 seat guarantee Super Sats
6/17/07 - $535 100 Seat Guarantee Tourney

Hopefully, I can luck my into a WSOP ME seat sometime over the next week and a half.

Good luck to all those in Las Vegas and all those still trying to win their seats to the Main Event.

EDIT (just won entry into the FTP $1k tonight