Poker Nation

Could D.C. be ground zero for American online poker?

2012-01-25T09:20:00.001-06:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/news-for-degenerates-vol-2-dc-moves-closer-to-online-poker-md-stumbling-newt-rumbling/2012/01/24/gIQAXZ2UOQ_blog.html

Where have all the bloggers gone?

2012-01-23T19:50:00.002-06:00

The first few months of my new job I went headfirst into work.

It's not unusual, I think, too be very eager when you start a new endeavor, and it's been fun to be back at the reporting game again. One day you're writing about a crime, the next a new business, the next a feature on a humanitarian. Variety is the spice of life, right?

Between commuting two hours a day while trying to sell a house, then selling the house and moving to storage, then buying a house and getting ready to move in...well, I've been preoccupied since the first of October.

We are finally settled into Decatur, having closed on our new home on Dec. 31. We moved in a couple of weeks ago and now my commute to work is about nine minutes.

Yes, I can breathe again!

It's also got me thinking how much I miss poker. I'm sure there are live games somewhere around here, but I am not at all in tune with the underground scene. (And I would be surprised to find an afternoon $2-$5 NLHE game with an average of $5K on the table, but I digress).

I still dabble online at World Sports Exchange, but I have to treat it like play money. If you haven't heard, they are at least $600K behind in paying players. That's just the known delinquent payments on the top sportsbook forum, Sportsbook Review. The nearly five figures they owe me, for example, would not be included in that total since I have not reported it to the forum. There's no telling how much they owe.

The good folks at WSEX claim they are behind because payment processors won't process enough money. I would say the smart money is on another Full Tilt situation where the till got raided and player accounts were not segregated. WSEX seems insolvent. Stay away. Stay far away.

I've taken some time lately to catch up with some of my favorite bloggers. Unfortunately, they seem to be more scarce online than even me! It's sad to see many who haven't posted in at least six months. Perhaps the worse sight of all was going to alcanthang.com and finding a Go Daddy placeholder page. Oh, the humanity!

The temporary death of American online poker seems to have scattered the online poker blogger community too. Both will be back in time. I just hope Congress comes to its senses and creates federal legislation before we have a patchwork of intrastate poker from sea to shining sea. Besides, can you imagine Alabama online poker? Yeah, me neither...

Tuscaloosa Johnny minus Tuscaloosa

2011-11-06T19:57:00.000-06:00

The last few weeks? A whirlwind of emotions…and the miles, oh the miles.

Excuse my prolonged absence from this little blog of mine. I’ve noticed that when major life changes occur, blog posts tend to go by the wayside. (An aside: You write a “blog post” not a “blog.” The “blog” is the place where your “blog posts” go. Every time I see it written otherwise it drives me a bit nuts. OK, back to our regularly scheduled “blog post.”)

The last blog absence longer than this one was when I met and fell in love with my future wife and also started grad school way back in 2006. Those simultaneous occurrences had my mind focused on other things, as is the case now.

The first recent major life change happened in the first week of October when I started my new job at The Decatur Daily. Yes, the former newspaper man who said he wouldn’t return to that dying business is back at work at the dying business. What can I say? It’s been a slower death than expected!

While I am proud that I made it more than six years as a self-employed fellow, the writing has definitely been on the wall for some time. With my own government conspiring against its citizens to prevent us from playing online poker (and by extension preventing us from making a living writing about online poker), as well as some of my other freelance opportunities drying up (I’m looking at you Demand Studios), plus my wife’s desire to be a stay-at-home mom it was time to find a steady paycheck again.

Fortunately, I quickly found this job and have enjoyed my first month at it. The Daily is a slightly smaller paper than my old one, The Tuscaloosa News, and it is a demanding yet rewarding job. I’ve been cranking out the Pulitzer Prize wannabe articles and I think they like me here. The biggest plus is that it puts us closer to our respective families in Cullman County. Visit decaturdaily.com if you’re bored.

Even before I found this job we had put our house on the market, ostensibly to sell it and hope to find a job if our house sold quickly. Things worked out well on both fronts as we got an offer on the house the first week I was in Decatur. Before that week was over we had reached an agreement. On Oct. 31, as the kiddies went door to door seeking candy, I was driving a U-Haul from Tuscaloosa to Cullman to put our scads of furniture and junk into storage.

And that’s how after 15 years in T-Town I became Tuscaloosa Johnny minus Tuscaloosa.

I had nine good years in that house. It's where I dated and fell in love with my future wife, where we brought our son home from the hospital, where I made the decision to leave the newspaper business in the first place -- and set in motion the events that led to a wife, dog and child. (And since this is a poker blog I will note that it was there that I qualified online to play in the 2006 WSOP main event.)

If you want to read a talented writer muse on leaving his house visit rapideyereality.
Good luck having dry eyes after reading his post.

I’m better at making myself cry. I’m not ashamed to admit that I had a good weep fest before we locked the door on Halloween. Every room full of memories, I told Amy as we hugged and I bawled into her shoulder in the kitchen entranceway. To my left were the stairs where John Harper had recently begun climbing up to the third step so he could flick the landing light on and off repeatedly. Of course, Amy or I had to sit with him just in case he lost his balance so that he would not go tumbling down.

That’s just one.

Many of the memories Brad relates in his post I have yet to experience. I look forward to the days of teaching my son to throw a spiral and the adventures he will have in his pirate ship deck.

Those will happen in our new house.

We’re hitting the hunt hard Monday morning on my day off, and we are already in love with a foreclosure that appears to be in surprisingly good shape. As my realtor in Tuscaloosa told me, “You see a lot of anger in foreclosures” from people upset about losing their homes. This one seems loved and cared for.

Perhaps it will one day be the house where I will watch my son (and any future children) grow up. Perhaps another one we visit tomorrow will be. Right now, I’m commuting an hour each way from my in-law’s house to the Daily, just about burning up the new Coldplay CD on the way.

For now, I’m just Johnny, not Tuscaloosa Johnny, putting in the miles and dreaming about the future.

Vegas 2011

2011-07-19T17:14:00.009-05:00

I started writing this post shortly after the Vegas trip and got sidetracked, and put it off, and well...finally I am not completing it nearly a month later. Here it is:

I'm back from my five-day trip to Vegas with a little money in my pocket. Nothing like the cash I've managed to win on WPEX lately, but it did pay for the trip at least...and lest we forget it was NOT a vacation and WAS a business trip. But yes, I had plenty of fun. It is Vegas, after all.

In addition to networking, one of main goals was to hit every poker room on the Strip that I did not make it to last summer. This was to make notes on each one for my website project. This meant that in addition to checking out the WSOP and playing some cash games in glorious poker rooms like Venetian and Bellagio I would also be slumming it in Hooters, Riviera, Circus Circus and the like.

One thing I've discovered in trekking around Strip poker rooms is that many of the smaller rooms are struggling big time. If not for little morning tournaments that tend to draw in the neighborhood of 15-25 players these rooms wouldn't have a poker game going at all before late afternoon. Even then, most of the small rooms are lucky to get one 1-2 NL game going. I'm not sure any games run at all at Hooters except for weekends. The casino is running a promotion where a player who sits in a cash game for 20 hours during the week gets $300...AND THE ROOM WAS STILL EMPTY!

This was to be another trip on the cheap so we ended up staying a couple of nights at the El Cortez and a couple at Golden Nugget. (GN is a nice hotel for the price, though, with accommodation rivaling those of good Strip rooms for a much lower price...in all of those Vegas articles I wrote for USA Today Travel Tips I mentioned this frequently.) I like to joke about the ol' El Cortez, but I had heard the rooms were actually pretty good. I would say I was a bit disappointed in the furnishings (older), but happily surprised with the size of the room (large).

Brian and I played the evening deep stack tournament at the WSOP as I knew this would be one of my few (if only) chances on the trip to play a lengthy tournament. I lasted awhile, doubling early when I flopped a nut straight and a woman pushed all in against me with the bottom end of a four-card straight on the turn drawing dead to a chop. I busted with AT on a ten high flop against slow played jacks when he called preflop and check raise shoved the flop.

We checked out the stage for the featured table. It's by far the coolest setup yet:

We spent a couple of days hitting Strip rooms pretty hard, and playing lots of 1-2 NL. Of course, we had to stop in to places like Venetian, Aria and Bellagio although I had already taken notes for my research. Don't worry. These rooms are still kicking!

I met up with Jim Anderson, a former regular on RGP, to finally cash in on an unpaid gambling debt. Since our alma maters, Alabama and Texas Tech, played in the 2006 Cotton Bowl we decided to wager a Vegas dinner on the outcome. Bama squeaked by on the fugliest game winning field goal in history. Although both Jim and I have spent considerable time in Vegas in the ensuing five years, this was the first time we were able to connect.

Jim, my traveling companion Brian and I had dinner at the Peppermill, a Vegas institution at which I had yet to eat. Just as its Reno casino counterpart, this local eatery features low lighting and plenty of neon. The three of us played the late tournament at Binion's that night with no luck. I must say that place continues to sadly go downhill. The tournament itself drew about 15 players (they used to get maybe 10 tables) and the former poker room was converted to a bingo hall...which I don't think is even in use anymore.

On this trip Brian and I did perhaps the coolest thing I can recall doing in Vegas (other than, you know, playing in the WSOP ME). You probably are aware that Sahara closed in the spring. We were able to visit during the last days of the liquidation sale inside the property. Where slots once stood on the casino floor was rows and rows of lamps, desks and other assorted junk. A craps table could be had for several thousand.

We weren't so much interested in buying goods as we were in wondering around the property. Talk about access! We went back through the restaurants and kitchens, cashiers cage and coin sorting room and up to the top floor to visit the penthouse suites. We roamed through space that untold celebrities and big shots once stayed. Here are some photos from the excursion:

We checked out the Cosmo one day. Nice place, and you get $10 in free slot play when you sign up for their player's club card. My advice on free slot play is to use it on video poker, where you are likely to recoup most of the free play amount and if you get lucky to hit a royal, straight flush or quads might just make some decent cash.

Overall, I made about enough to pay for the trip so let's call if a freeroll. :)

So Close...Yet So Far Away

2011-06-27T14:44:00.002-05:00

As you might expect, we had several later arrivals in the freeroll. Eight handed in all including celebrity guest Dr. Pauly.

We started with 1,000 chips and 15/30 blinds so I knew this would be a quickie. I managed to chip up when I shoved my 980 stack with AQ with blinds of 50/100 and got called by AJ.

I had about 2,800 when a short stack shoved with T3, another player with decent chips went all in with AT and I called with AdKx. The flop was gin in the form of Kd2d3d. Of course T3 caught up with the T on the turn and the river bricked. I ended up winning a few chips on the hand by beating the AT, but if my AK held against short stack I would have had 5K out of the 8K chips in play four handed. As it were I lost with K9 vs. Pauly's K5 and got sort of short myself. I luckily chopped with a couple of outkicked aces against Pauly and ended up heads up against my T3 nemesis, who sucked out big on TimTern to get there.

Not much to report heads up as he had a 3-to-1 chip lead. I just wanted to double so I could play a little poker with 4K chips and 100/200 blinds, but my Q7 went down to A7 and I got the second-place prize of $0.

Honestly, it would have probably cost me $500 just to get to Vegas so I guess it's all for the best.

I want to thank RISE Poker and Hustler Casino for putting on the event. This is one of those subscription based online poker sites that is legal in the U.S.

Heads-Up Freeroll for WSOP Seat?

2011-06-27T11:40:00.002-05:00

Doubtful, but with 75 minutes to go before registration ends in a freeroll put on by RISE Poker today I can report that only two people are signed up to play at this time, myself and TimTern from PokerRoad fame.

The winner gets a $1,000 entry in either Event 53 or 54 of the WSOP at the end of the week. My Vegas travel dates are July 8-12, but that could change with a win here. Of course, the cost of a flight might be as much as the tournament entry so I might have to pass even if I won. Another post coming later...

Vegas, Here I Come :)

2011-06-23T15:18:00.002-05:00

The title sums it up.

As the Series began I hadn't necessarily planned on going this year, but the streak will continue...eight WSOPs in a row for me. This trip will be a short one, though, and late in the game...from July 8-12.

Last year I went to work on a project I was beginning with American Casino Guide. Unfortunately, things didn't work out as I had hoped. My lovely wife, Amy, however, has encouraged me to build the website I want to start so I'm following through -- this time on my own. (And you can guess that she also encouraged me to thank her profusely on my blog for allowing me to hop on a plane to Vegas.)

The time of the WSOP main event is a great time for me to network, both as a writer and the purveyor of this website project (the details of which I am not ready to divulge just yet). It also allows me to gather research for the site. Yes, that involves playing poker all over town. Sucks, doesn't it?

As usually seems to happen before I head off to Vegas, I have been running hot at the poker tables. Incredibly hot, in fact, as (please don't curse me for bragging poker gods) I am up about $3,000 on the month. May that fun ride continue on to Sin City...

WSOP time almost here

2011-05-24T16:16:00.003-05:00

The grand ol' poker tournament is just around the corner. Hard to believe that it's already World Series of Poker time again. I'm sure plenty of online players are chomping at the bit, especially those who focused their play on Full Tilt and PokerStars.

I do find it interesting that while PokerStars has quickly reimbursed American players (got my meager check two weeks ago), Full Tilt still does not have a plan in place to pay us. I'm sure we'll get the money in due time, but for those who have a large percentage of their roll on that site it could affect how much of the WSOP they are able to play.

At least for those players who didn't move to Vancouver or Toronto to play Canadian poker.

Our friendly Feds may have put an end to my WSOP streak. This would have been my eighth year in a row to visit Vegas during the WSOP, but the FBI putting the kabosh on the BBT and any freerolls for Poker from the Rail bloggers is putting that streak in jeopardy. I was lucky enough to win free airfare on Southwest through a website for which I write, but we may pencil that in for flights to alternate locations.

SCOOP & Happy Families

2011-05-20T10:17:00.007-05:00

Since we're tornado crazy around here, let me share this video that my friend Tony sent me the link to:

Insane how close that was to him. I believe this was taken in Alberta area in Tuscaloosa, which was just about wiped off the face of the Earth. No joke.

Here's my picture of one Alberta intersection:

We're nearly done covering PokerStars' Spring Championship of Online Poker, which will end on Monday. It's been enjoyable getting back into doing recaps of the tournaments. Part of what I love about my life is in having the ability to make money doing the things I enjoy. As my friend Brian pointed out the other day, it's been almost six years since I left my newspaper job. It has not been an easy road by any means, and I can certainly say that I never expected I would still be trolling around outside of an office six years later.

Of more important note to me, is that this summer will be five years since the Summer of 2006. That's worth capitalization in my eyes. An earlier generation had the Summer of 69 thanks to several notable national events. I have the Summer of 2006, not due to any big news events in the world--I couldn't even tell you a single newsworthy item from that summer--but just for the things that went on in my life.

The Summer of 2006 was the time I decided not to go back to "work." It was the summer I met many bloggers, and got paid to write for Party Poker. It was the summer I spent the longest in Vegas--five weeks--and hung out with people like Wil Wheaton. It was the summer I got to play in the WSOP main event for the first and, perhaps, last time. Most importantly, it was the summer I met my lovely future wife

which led to out future son

which makes us one happy family

The Tornado

2011-05-12T13:00:00.001-05:00

Multiply what you see in this photo by a few thousand. That's a fairly accurate description of what happened in Tuscaloosa on April 27.

The tornado and its aftermath have obviously kept me busy. I think I went through a period of survivor's guilt. It was as if our family won some sick lottery after the tornado turned slightly while headed through the heart of town and missed our home by about a quarter mile. I think it took about a week for me to get over the depression that set in after seeing the devastation the tornado wrought on my city. Fortunately, no one we know was among the 41 that were killed, or were even injured. Several people we know lost their homes, including a Sunday School member (the home depicted here.)

Due to some professional connections, I got to write two articles for Time's website, which you can view here and here.

I also was interviewed on FOX News a couple of days after the tornado thanks to the first Time piece. For those of you who are Facebook friends you can view it there (amazingly I don't sound TOO stupid.)

Hey, at least the poker room where I play in town was missed--by mere yards as it turns out.

Finally, two weeks after the disaster I've turned back to my bread and butter of poker and poker writing. I still play a few online poker games at the smaller sites, and was fortunate enough to get hired to do recaps for the 2011 edition of SCOOP on PokerStars. Thanks Otis!

Since PS is now focused more on the Eastern Hemisphere, the start times are more palatable for us who must stay up and watch the final tables for the blog recaps. Although I was up until 3 a.m. on Tuesday morning covering Badugi, I finished up before 11 p.m. the last couple of nights.

How NOT to Play the Hammer

2011-04-26T10:16:00.003-05:00

With the closure of FTP and PS to American customers I've seen a few new faces on my sometimes stomping grounds of World Poker Exchange, and boy are some of them donkified. To wit:

Donk limps for $2 in the $1-$2 game and I make it $8 on the button with K-Q. He calls and we see a flop of A-J-T. Donk checks and I bet $10. He calls. Turn is the Q, putting two clubs on the board. He checks, I bet $15 and he check raises to $51. I time out a bit for effect and call. The river is a blank 6 and donk shoves his remaining $71 into the pot and I, of course, instacall.

Yes, he turns over the 7-2 of hearts.

Opportunity Knocks

2011-04-22T14:36:00.002-05:00

First, the good news. As I was posting yesterday I didn't realize some of my questions had already been answered. In case you are as oblivious as me, read this.

Also, there was a post on 2+2 from FTP Doug saying that points and medals may be converted to dollars for cashouts, but I cannot find that discussion again.

Great article on the current and potential future situation of online poker here.

So already some good news is coming out a week after the darkest day for online poker. I spoke to an old colleague via online chat today and he told me he just lost the chance at a six figure front office job with one of the online poker companies. Yet he added "but onwards and upwards. no sense crying over spilled milk."

His is certainly a refreshing positive attitude.

As we agreed later in the discussion, there will be new and different opportunities coming up. I got the nice email today learning that FTP will continue to sponsor this blog with its advertisements, while Party Poker purchased an ad on this site in its aggressive attempt to take some more of the market share.

Last year I teased about a major project I was working on with some established heavyweights in the casino guide industry. My trip to Vegas last summer was largely a scouting mission for that idea. Unfortunately, our plans fell through, but I'm considering renewing that website idea (or something very similar) especially in light of the events of April 15.

Yes, it's cliche, but when one door closes another one opens. While major live tournament attendance is likely to see a significant drop due to the shuttering of the two biggest online poker sites, I think we will likely witness a boost in attendance for both cash games and smaller tournaments at large gambling destinations like Las Vegas as online players are forced to play their trade in brick and mortar properties. This will open up new opportunities for those creative enough to seek them out.

The Fallout

2011-04-20T13:53:00.003-05:00

I suppose it's time for me to ring in on this online poker blackout. I was late to the game because I had a blackout of my own -- a tornado narrowly missed my house on Friday afternoon and I was without power for a day and a half. My neighborhood got whacked, with trees busting through roofs and power lines downed everywhere. Amazingly, no one was seriously hurt and we feel blessed to suffer only very minor damage to our house.

Perhaps we shouldn't be that surprised of the events of April 15th. Deep in our hearts didn't we know the day was eventually coming? Even if online poker was legalized in the U.S. you had to figure the Feds would shut down Full Tilt Poker and Poker Stars for being "outlaws" during the existence of the UIGEA. I figured those two and pretty much all of the other online poker sites now serving American customers would never get licenses to offer games in this country.

I figure I am middle of the road in how this affects me. I only have about $1,400 tied up in financial limbo among FTP and PS at the moment, unlike those with tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars that have disappeared into the ether. I am hopeful that we will all be compensated one day, but it's better to forget the money exists and be pleasantly surprised if we get that "windfall" in our bank accounts one day. Perhaps we will even be given the money for our tournament tokens and what nots, even if it's unlikely we ever see any value from the frequent player points we earned on the sites (about $300 worth for me.)

Most of all, I feel for my friends and colleagues who may now be out of jobs. I've had the fortune to meet a host of great people who made their living by writing for these sites, or writing for other websites and publications that feed heavily off online poker advertising revenues. Time will tell who survives and who doesn't. I must assume my great gig writing occasional articles for FTP's Poker from the Rail blog is now over. In addition, Battle of the Bloggers Tournament Vol. 6 was impending, with plenty of freebies in store from our good friends at FTP and thanks to the tireless work of Al Can't Hang. Now that's no more.

While this is truly a sad day for online poker and those of us who loved to play it (it was a great break for me during the day to hop on and play some quick HU SNGs on FTP in between writing stretches) this may finally be the stimulus that gets more people fighting for legalization and regulation. When, and not if, that day comes opportunities will abound for those of us who play online poker and write about online poker like never before. And April 15 will turn from a dark day to once that signaled a bright future.

Afternoon Poker

2011-04-14T15:58:00.002-05:00

After having only played in underground poker games in Tuscaloosa a handful of times since John Harper's arrival I recently discovered that my old stomping grounds is running two games that start in the afternoon -- a $10-$20 LHE game with a (doubling) rock on Mondays around 4 p.m. and a $2-$5 NLHE game that usually starts before 3 p.m. on Wednesdays. These work out perfectly for me as I can go play for an hour or two and then head home and help Amy with JH and dinner.

So I believe in the last three weeks I've now played more poker in Tuscaloosa than I did the last 15 months combined. Granted we are talking less than 20 hours of poker, but I've won about $500 in these few afternoon sessions.

That doesn't compare to the haul in one hand I witnessed yesterday. I don't remember exactly how the action went initially, but on a flop of 8-T-J a tight nit pushed about $400 all-in over the top of a bet (or raise perhaps) of $100 by good player Rob. Skipper, a loose and unaggressive player flat calls and Rob calls. The turn brings another ten and Skipper calls a $200 all in from Rob. I was unsurprised to see the tight nit turn over Q-9 for the flopper nuts. Skipper did surprise me by revealing A-A. I was not surprised he could not fold the flop, but was surprised how much he slowplayed PF. Rob surprised me even more to show T-8, which I thought was a very loose call on the flop that got lucky on the turn. He nailed a nice four outer for a $1,700ish pot.

Not a bad score before dinner.

It is Coming...

2011-04-05T10:26:00.001-05:00

....what is it?

Here's a four-word clue: Al is the Man!

A Little Trip to Tunica

2011-03-21T14:16:00.002-05:00

Here's a recent guest post on the FTP Blogger from the rail on setting goals in poker.

Amy, John Harper and I enjoyed some R&R last week at Tybee Island, a small outpost about 15 minutes east of Savannah. We had talked about a trip to Savannah for years and finally made it over. JH got his first walk into the surf with mommy and cried when she took him out. I suspect he will be a beach fiend like his mother.

That trip reminded me that I never wrote about my rare journey out of the house and into the land of live casino poker. Whereas I once traveled to places like Tunica, Biloxi, Reno and Vegas for weeks at a time I hadn't been to a casino since I got back from Vegas last summer. My friend Brian helped cure that problem as we decided to take a trip to Gold Strike last month.

It was basically just an overnight trip, but I managed to play two events -- a $230 O8 and $230 NLHE -- and a few cash games. As is usually the case in Omaha Hi Lo, I just hung around and then lost the big hand when the stakes got high. In the NLHE tournament I ran my kings into queens about two thirds of the way through the field. The guy who spike the queen on me made the same play four times (!) where he limped in early position and then pushed all-in over the top of a raise behind him. How often does he think he was going to fool us? Of course when I saw him limp I licked my lips and just hoped he didn't have aces that time. Guess he might as well have had aces as it turned out.

I played a $10-$20 O8 cash game with a half kill and it was quite juicy. I made more than $800 in it, including winning a pot greater than $500 with queens and tens on a Q-4-T-8-4 board. Yep, it got four bet preflop and no one had aces in their hand (much less a four). I believe I had A-K-Q-T. Myself and this old guy who played every hand won most of the chips on the table. When he cashed out the game quickly broke up.

The next day that old man made one of the funniest and stupifying mistakes I have ever seen. Brian and I sat down to play a NLHE satellite and the old guy joined up. He put most of his chips into the pot with garbage and lost to a guy who had aces up. He kept examining the board and asked, "Don't I have a low?" I later saw him playing the Stud 8 event so I see he is quite the split pot player.

One other interesting note: I played another satellite with a pregnant woman (and off-duty dealer) who said she was due in May. I overheard her tell another dealer that she hoped she would be able to deal the WSOP this summer!?!?!! So she plans to give birth and then, what, leave the baby with her family? take it to Vegas?

Some people just aren't cut out to be parents.

No BBT?

2011-03-08T08:21:00.004-06:00

First, it appears that the possibility of BBT6 is on shaky ground. Al said he's not sure if he should host another once since so many people don't actually use the WSOP packages won to play in WSOP events.

I can understand the frustration of organizing such a major event with a specific purpose and the winners not fulfilling the purpose of the prizes. On the other hand, unless we're talking about the main event it doesn't matter if a player enter a WSOP bracelet event and wears FTP gear--since it's not on TV the site gets little free advertising. I've used prizes won to play WSOP events. I've also used prizes won just to use as a Vegas bankroll to play smaller tournaments. So perhaps you can blame me for being part of the problem.

Obviously, when the BBT is going on it's about all the bloggers who participate talk about on their blogs so FTP gets plenty of marketing via the buzz there. The question would be how much is that really worth to them? Is it worth as much as the prizes given away?

If BBT6 does not happen I'll miss the camaraderie of the events and the fun in discussing the results on the blog. These are always fun tournaments in which to participate. I realize the blogger events go on all year, but with nothing at stake I can't justify taking the time to play them.

Shoot Al some love. Promise to use any money won to go to Vegas and play a WSOP tournament. Let's see if we can make BBT6 happen.

The Comeback

2011-02-21T11:28:00.002-06:00

After months of poker hibernation I've been both playing and winning more in 2011. After piddling around with chump change on FTP I finally deposited enough money to play for real stakes and the results have been good. If not for four, and I mean FOUR on the money, bubbles in FTOPS satellites the last couple of weeks the results would be more in the range of spectacular.

I'm still hooked on those HU Ultra Turbo SNGs, except now I play more PLO8 than Hold'em. I've also hit the .50/$1 Rush PLO table pretty hard in the last week to good results.

This weekend I'm headed to Tunica for some live casino poker, which will be the first I've played since I went to Vegas last summer. I'm looking forward to hitting the real felt for the first time this year. Considering how cooped up I am in my house most of the time, it's hard to fathom that I once spent weeks at a time on the road playing and writing about poker. My lifestyle has changed as dramatically as you can imagine in the last year, but I wouldn't trade John Harper for anything. My son is the light of my life.

As for Vegas in 2011? My streak of attending the last seven WSOPs will not continue unless I "win" my way to Sin City this summer. This brings me to the point that I think has many of us poker bloggers in suspense--is Battle of the Bloggers 6 imminent? Considering we thought it had bit the dust last spring yet Al managed to score even more prizes for us I would be really surprised if BBT does not return. Maybe I'll try to prod Al for some info...

What's Right/Wrong with the WSOP

2011-01-31T16:34:00.001-06:00

Jason and I put this together for Al Can't Hang at Poker From the Rail.

Flame away.

Thanks for my invitation for the World Championship of Blogging events, PokerStars. Oh wait, you never gave me a ticket? Guess I better get rid of this free ad I put up for you then...

Poker Goals

2011-01-20T09:50:00.003-06:00

Presently, I'm writing an article for FTP Blogger from the Rail about poker goals. What's a good goal? What's reasonable? What should you NOT focus on?

I used myself as an example of a person who used to set bad goals. The prime one being my focus on winning at least $10,000 a year. Because of the fickleness of luck you hit some ridiculously good swings and hellaciously bad swings. Can you really expect to win "X" amount of dollars in a month? In a year? Not really. Your focus should be on improving your game and making good decisions. The wins will come in the long run if you do those things.

It's not that much different than what Nick Saban beats into the minds of his football players. He emphasizes the focus needed to do the right thing and make the right play no matter the situation. If your focus is where it needs to be you will make the same play no matter if it's the first play of the game or in the last two minutes of a tied game.

That being said, I haven't made any goals for myself this year other than to play more poker than I was at the end of last year. I want to bring more balance into my daily structure, with a good mix of writing and poker playing. If there's plenty of writing work to do I will put the brakes on the poker. If writing is slow I can spend more time on my poker game. Definitely I will look for more opportunities to combine the two by writing about poker more this year, seeking out more freelance work and posting on this blog much more often than I did in 2010.

Back in Action!

2011-01-19T15:54:00.002-06:00

Long time no see.

The last few months have been relatively busy, with few poker hands played by me. John Harper turned the big ONE in December, and I cannot tell you how much joy he brings into our lives. 'Bama had a decent year that was well below our repeat championship dreams, and Auburn came out of nowhere to win the title. The football season was, however, fun as always. I worked almost all of the home games for CBS and ESPN and was usually outside Bryant-Denny Stadium selling copies of Crimson Magazine before games.

I rarely even thought about poker since I got back from Vegas. When I did sit down to play I couldn't seem to win, and my online bankroll vanished as a result...$20 in PokerStars, $10 in FTP and $60 in WPEX. I think I played live once.

I did not come close to the ol' five figure win, ending my streak of six or seven years of scoring at least $10,000 from poker.

Sometimes poker is telling you to take a break.

So I did.

But I am back.

Well, to a degree. While I will definitely not be jetsetting to such farflung and exotic locales as Tunica, Biloxi and New Orleans on a regular basis, I am at least back to mixing in some online poker with my daily writing activities. Those writing activities have not included the subject of poker much in awhile, what with Rounder magazine seemingly folded.

Things have taken a swing upwards lately. Al Can't Hang is asking some of us regular FTP Blogger from the Rail guest posters to contribute more often, an Jason "Tennessee Spaceman" Kirk and I have begun a point-counterpoint column.

I managed to run that $60 up to $1,000 on WSEX, and thanks for the money I get from the ad for the good folks at FTP I was able to build my bankroll up some on that site, as well. I get to take a little weekend trip up to Tunica for the World Series of Poker Circuit event Feb. 4-7, too.

Howdy

2010-09-28T10:21:00.007-05:00

Long time, no see. I realized the other day I haven't posted since before I left for Vegas. The truth is I've taken a hiatus from poker playing, and haven't done much of any poker writing in the last few months. These are the things that usually spur me to update this blog and help explain my prolonged absence.

I had a rare losing stretch in Vegas. For whatever reason I tend to fare well when I visit Sin City, but it wasn't to be on this trip. I didn't get crushed by any means -- I was only there a week -- but I just couldn't seem to win at tournaments or cash games. The main reason I traveled there was for research on a new website project that has yet to come to fruition and seems to have stalled to my frustration. That big news I promised before is not yet official, but we will see.

I actually did pretty good on FTP the latter half of July, between teaching a summer journalism course at a local middle school and working on articles for the fall issue of my Alabama football magazine. After that I hit a rough stretch in August and have played very little poker in the last six weeks. While I am still well ahead for the year, my streak of multiple $10,000 or more poker wins in a calendar year is in danger of ending in 2010.

Considering I have taken close to three months off from poker so far this year that really shouldn't be that much of a surprise, and maybe it's a good thing to take extended breaks as I often feel I can make more money per hour doing other things. Plus, breaks can make me feel renewed and rejuvenated when I come back full force. When I gave up poker for Lent (or at least part of it!) in the spring I bounced back from the break by winning about $3,000 in two weeks.

Here in Tuscaloosa the heat finally broke and we are no longer dealing with highs in the 90s everyday. The Tide pulled out a heart-attack inducing game at Arkansas this past weekend and has a big rematch against Florida this Saturday. As usual, I've been doing stats work for networks and will be working for CBS up in the press box at Bryant-Denny this weekend. I'll also be selling copies of Crimson magazine outside the stadium for most of the rest of the day. Busy times, but good and profitable times.

To conclude this much-delayed post let me share my ups and downs in Vegas this summer:

UPS

Aria -- The casino between Bellagio and Monte Carlo (and also owned by MGM Mirage) opened last December to rave reviews. Now I know why. This place is a great addition to the Strip. The poker room is instantly one of my favorites and offers a great game selection. Poker room manager Adam Altweis is trying to attract some of the high-roller crowd with the one-table Ivey room. I believe a $100-$200 PLO game was taking place one of the times I was in there. I interviewed Adam for my website project and he was very generous with the comps for myself and the friends with whom I was traveling. Aria hosted a summer tournament series concurrent with the WSOP, but the numbers were low. The convention area at which the events took place were spacious and inviting. I played one of their nightly tournaments and the structure was great. In about a 90-player field I played for seven hours and finished 9th.

WSOP -- Criticize the WSOP brass all you want, but they try to make improvements every year. I was impressed that they managed to secure all of the Rio convention space for the WSOP, which allowed for all of the tournament, cash game, satellite action you could stand. I thought the addition of a $200 daily deep-stack tournament in the afternoons was a smart move to steal back some of the poker traffic headed for The Venetian, but I heard the structure was a bit too good and I didn't enter one of these because I didn't want to play until 4 a.m. just to make the final table.

DOWNS

Binion's -- My old stomping grounds continues to go downhill. As you probably know already, the hotel is closed and my beloved coffee shop was also shut down. Cash games have almost dried up and the Binion's Poker Open events attracted smaller fields than ever before. CK and I played a O8 tourney down there that drew less than 100 players. My Oregon pal Ted had to move over to the Four Queens this year for his usual extended WSOP stay. I managed to visit with him just before I left so it was good to catch up. You could say that poker on Fremont Street in general is a down. There's just not a lot of action here anymore.

Harrah's greed -- While the WSOP has seen improvements in service, it grows ever stronger as a money pit for poker players. Prices at the Poker Kitchen continue to rise. Rake was taken in cash games without a flop. Etc., etc., etc.

Viva Las Vegas!

2010-06-17T05:44:00.003-05:00

Can you believe it? Here I come:

For the third consecutive year I said I wasn't going to make it, yet my airline reservation says leaving Birmingham on June 30 and returning from Las Vegas on July 7. I promise to stop saying "this is the summer I don't make it to the WSOP." While I still can't divluge too much about my new project it will have me hitting the ground running when I touch down at McCarran. We should have a site up and running in the next week and then I will kindly ask you to help me promote the heck out of it.

John Harper's "Half" B'day, Plus Big News on the Horizon

2010-06-14T16:51:00.003-05:00

John Harper waves to the camera as he celebrates another day of wonderful life. Man, I love having a son. It was hard to adjust to this big change in our lives at first, but I think we've hit a groove -- and John Harper just hit six months, at already nearly 18 lbs. and 27 inches. The kid's going to be a linebacker!

Life is good on the homefront, and things are also improving professionally. I had been considering contacting a certain book publisher on the casino industry for more than a year and finally stopped procrastinating last week. Quickly, the ball has started rolling not on any book deals, but on some poker blogging for a major website. Perhaps not just a blog, but an entire new poker section wholly created by me. I have a conference call about this endeavor Tuesday morning and should have some big news soon.

WSOP From Afar

2010-06-04T11:05:00.002-05:00

Since I will not be making my annual trek to poker la-la-land this summer I am admiring the WSOP from afar. I've been playing the Full Tilt Poker Fantasy Poker game for the first time this year and am in the Poker from the Rail group. I thought I had some good picks to start, but so far my team(s) have sucked as I'm only 12th in the group and 4,000 something overall on FTP. I can't believe that many people actually take the time to pick a team. I always thought much of the poker coverage, with excited talk and hype about particular players, was pointless. (Of particular amusement is the pick the finishers of the WPT final table segment on PokerRoad Radio.) Personally, I couldn't care less about individual tournament players. For me, it's always about the game. It seems there are plenty of poker fans out there who DO care about the players and follow them as if they would Kobe, Tiger or Manning.

My pal Brian is headed out to Vegas on Monday for four days and plans to hit the poker scene. We were talking the other day about how he should plan his attack with $1,000 in his pocket. That sparked inspriation for an article I wrote on what to do in Vegas if your poker bankroll is $1,000, $5,000 or $20,000...I sent it to Al for Poker from the Rail so hopefully he runs it. I've sent him several items in the past few weeks, including the timely "Best Players Never to Have Won a Bracelet" article, which featured Michael Mizrachi, who won the $50K the next day.

Even if I can't experience the WSOP first hand this year I can make a little coin in writing about it from the comfort of my Tuscaloosa, Alabama, office. I'm still settling in from the Nicaragua trip and trying to get caught up on things. My office (and house) is so disorganized and cluttered I don't know how I ever get anything done here. I should post some photos on here and you can SEE what I am talking about.

I've been thinking about next year and I've set a goal. Obviously, I would like to return to Vegas in 2011 when John Harper is a year older and perhaps I can get away for a few days. Those month long trips are a thing of the past, but short stays may be feasible. I'm going to start putting money made from ads on this blog toward poker trips such as the WSOP. Hopefully, if I am able to block out some time next summer I will either win money for the trip in BBT6 (fingers crossed that it returns, but I suspect it will) or raise enough on here to fund the getaway.

Until then I'll keep picking fantasy players...

Packing up the BBT

2010-05-28T14:54:00.003-05:00

Congrats to the BBT winners last night. I recall seeing jjok and NYRambler (who I have marked in red on my FTP program, meaning I think he's a tough player) as two of the main event winners. Don't know if they plan to actually play the WSOP, but very good luck to them and the other winners (sorry, forgot the rest).

I pretty much packed it in after Sunday. I just returned from Nicaragua and took my shot at the last Sunday freeroll and almost earned my TOC seat. I made only my second final table of the series and busted in sixth when all in with JJ against AK and KQ. I was good to triple until a king smacked the table on the river. After that I decided I didn't want to stay up late on Monday or Wednesday after coming home exhausted from the mission trip. Plus, I needed to spend some quality time with the family after being gone for more than a week.

In years past I was obviously actively involved in the BBT, posting frequently about it on the blog and having better than expected success. This year, I only played about half the events of these poker tournaments. Funny how life changes such as babies being born and mission trips alter your world. It's not that I don't love the BBT and want to participate; it's just that there are other priorities that prevent full attention to this.

I'll try to actually write a trip report of some kind this year. Our church was able to raise enough money to build FOUR houses in the Chacasecra community of Nicaragua this year instead of the lone house we paid for in years past. Our team worked on one house together (oddly located between a bar and a cockfighting ring!) while visiting the other building sites a couple of times.

This week I've been trying to catch up with work after being out a week, shipping some WSOP preview articles to Al for Poker from the Rail, doing some of my online writing work and playing poker online.

Here's a pic from in front of Lake Managua:

That's me in the big hat.

Stinkin' Up the BBT

2010-05-01T08:54:00.002-05:00

Two weeks of BBT5 have come and gone and the best I have to show for my efforts is one 15th place finish. I've either caught no cards, played bad by bluffing off my stack, or took bad beats in each event. But that's tournament poker, isn't it? At least the middle item can be prevented by not playing like a donk.

It's going to be a crapshoot to get into the TOC for any of us due to limited amount of tournaments available. I am glad to see that more people are getting into the Sunday invitational that want in it. When I saw that the field was initially limited to 50 and excluded many regular BBT players I figured there would be a big fuss. I didn't see the fuss, but I see that the field size has more than doubled. Good call by Al and the FTP folks. Of course, that 1 in 25 shot at getting to the TOC from the Sunday event has disappeared now, but the move was just.

When BBT5 started I figured I had about a 50-60 percent shot of qualifying for the TOC. Now, I'd say it's more like 10-20 percent. Field sizes have grown, my tournament game is apparently rusty and I will miss a week while gone to Nicaragua. Hard to believe I leave in less than two weeks.

While I am sure that many are glad the old BBT system is gone, I miss the three months and point system league because I think it suits me better. As was evidenced by my results, my saving grace was consistency. In the six months of BBT3 and BBT4 I finished 1st, 16th, 1st, 12th, 1st and 3rd during the six months of competition. I believe the point system made me play more disciplined. My first goal was to try to make the top 25 percent to earn points and then go for the win. The method seemed to work well for me. Thinking back to casino poker tournaments I've won I can hardly recall one I led wire to wire. I think any I won or chopped I just hung around and then caught fire when the blinds rose and it got to shove in time. The same seems to be true ot BBT tournies.

I think I am also hurt by the lack of "skillz" in this BBT. The mixed games in the Skillz tournament suited me. I may not even have an edge against the average field in BBT in NLHE events, but I believe my edge in the rarely played other poker games was quite strong. I won five events in BBT3 and BBT4 and I believe three of them were in non-NLHE games.

So it appears barring some miracle win I will, as expected, not head to Vegas this summer. I'll live vicariously through other bloggers and poker writers. No biggie. A guy needs a break from the madness every once in a while, and I would miss the dickens out of my little one if I was in Nevada. Going to Nicaragua and leaving my family behind will be hard enough. I'll probably be back for WSOP 2011 though.

To be honest, I'm ready for some football. Bama just had its spring scrimmage known as A-Day and my mag Crimson just came out with the spring issue. I might have to look for some NCAA football tickets too and hit up some Bama road games this year.

More BBT thoughts

2010-04-16T15:05:00.002-05:00

Al pointed this out in an email, and it's a good point, is if you can get into the TOC of BBT5 there will be a MAXIMUM of 24 players in the final since there are only three tournaments a week for six weeks with a total of four qualifiers from these weekly events. If we have a repeat winner (or top two finisher in the invitational) that will reduce the total number in the TOC by one each time it occurs.

Assuming 24 players in the TOC and all things being equal, a player will have a 1 in 8 chance at a main event seat and a better than 1 in 5 chance of winning one of the prizes. With $34,000 in prizes up for grabs in the TOC each player's equity in this tournament will be $1,416.66...and this is on a freeroll! That's quite a bit better than in the past two BBTs in which the final contained two main event seats and a couple of bracelet race packages. With about 45 players in the final the average equity was around $500.

As a guy who enjoys competition, but has little athletic ability, I live for the BBT. I'll miss the point system and the monthly races because it was a great yardstick and challenge, but the trade off is well worth it for the increased TOC equity, more prizes and many fewer mathematical headaches for Al!

At the very least the return of the BBT should get us all blogging more often, as I see I am far from the only one who has been lax on his posts in the past year...

The deets of BBT5

2010-04-16T08:50:00.003-05:00

If you haven't read it on Poker from the Rail yet, here is the scoop on BBT5.

Leave it to the amazing Allen Rash to hook us up with lots of free goodies -- $50,000 in all, including three main event seats, three $2,000 bracelet race packages and $14,000 in freeroll money. For the rest of you fortunate enough to receive invitations to the Sunday tourneys I will see you there!

Four months with John Harper, Amir Vahedi interview

2010-04-09T13:29:00.004-05:00

Well, he and we survived four months. Little guy turned four months old yesterday and celebrated with congestion and diarrhea. He hasn't felt well this week.

Amy fed him rice cereal from a spoon Thursday -- the first semi-solid food for him. He liked it when the spoon was in his mouth, and cried when it wasn't. Surely, it's not as satisfying as the constant flow from a nipple.

Meant to post this when I sent it to Al at Poker From the Rail, but here is the link finally. I had the opportunity to do a phone interview with Amir Vahedi only a couple of months before his passing. It shows how out of touch with poker I was that I did not learn of his death until weeks after it occurred. The interview was for an issue or Rounder that never published. I thought Al might like it as a tribute to the gregarious Vahedi and he ran it here.

I just heard that Al posted via Twitter that there's a BBT5 in the works with $40,000 in free stuff. This comes as a pleasant surprise, and I can't wait to hear the details. I'm really curious what the prizes will be, as I have to assume they will not be WSOP related since the thing would probably not start before May. FTOPS or WPT entries perhaps? I was looking back at BBT4 and I believe the total prizes were about $30,000 (two main event entries, four $2K packages and about $2,000-$2,500 to the overall leadrboard plus jerseys) so this looks to be the biggest BBT yet!

Why wasn't I playing live?

2010-03-12T14:49:00.002-06:00

This happened a few weeks ago on FTP as I played one of those Pot-Limit Omaha Rush Poker games. This is the first hand I have ever been involved in that would have qualified for a bad beat jackpot in a casino with such a promotion. Of course, this had to happen in an online game instead...

Interview with "Boston" Rob from Survivor

2010-02-12T16:44:00.002-06:00

The following is a Q & A I did for Rounder at the Beau Rivage in 2008. I caught "Boston" Rob Mariano walking out of the casino after busting out of the main event of the Gulf Coast Poker Championship and he granted me a short interview. This was to be for the Celebrity Q & A we did each issue, but it never made it in.

Since he's back on Survivor this season for the "All-Star" game of "Heroes vs. Villains" I figured I would take this one out of the vault.

Rob Mariano Q & A

In 2002, “Boston Rob” Mariano first made his mark on television as a contestant on “Survivor: Marquesas”, where his scheming ways made him a target for the other competitors. Mariano’s popularity convinced producers to bring him back for “Survivor: All-Stars” where he finished runner-up to Amber Brkich, with whom he fell in love on the show and asked to marry him on that season’s reunion show. Since then Mariano has appeared on a number of reality shows, including two seasons of “The Amazing Race” with Brkich. The married couple now lives in Pensacola, Fla., and the 33-year-old Mariano is often found on the poker tournament circuit. We caught up with him after he busted out of Day 2 of the main event of the Southern Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi.

Tell us how you first got into poker.

I’ve been playing poker for about five years when the whole Moneymaker thing got me interested in watching the World Series, and I was fortunate enough to be invited to go out and play in a charity event down in Hawaii for Bodog. It was after I played the main event of the World Series for the first time after I was on “Survivor.” I met Josh Arieh and Daniel Negreanu, became friends with them, and subsequently Erick Lindgren and Gavin Smith, and they really got me into it more.

You’ve played tournaments here at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi before. What brings you to Biloxi for poker?

I’m living in Florida now so I’m playing a lot more on the Gulf Coast and in New Orleans. We also have a home game. We play about three days a week, and then I have a sister who lives in Vegas so I go to Vegas about six or seven times a year and play out there. I try to play the big tournaments when they come to town. I was fortunate I won a last-minute 1K satellite to get into the main event, and I did pretty good yesterday, but I had a bunch of bad beats today. I ran two kings into ace-deuce offsuit and he hit an ace on the river. I flopped top two and a guy went runner runner for a straight. I’ve been playing solid, but I took a bunch of beats along the way. The last hand I just went out on I had two eights in first position. My chips were really low. I popped it to 4,300 with the blinds at 800-1,600 and Barry Greenstein came over the top, which he is going to come over the top a lot with a wide range of hands because I had been playing so tight and don’t have a lot of chips. Unfortunately for me he woke up with two kings in the big blind and that was it for me.

What tournaments do you usually play in Las Vegas?

I play the World Series every year, not necessarily the main event, but I play some of the smaller ones. I play at the Bellagio a lot. I like to play cash too. I play low-limit cash games like $2-$5, sometimes $5-$10.

Does Amber play poker?

No, not too much. She won a charity event one time, though, and at the L.A. Poker Classic a couple of years ago she made it to Day 2 with me so she plays a little bit, but not seriously.

What do you think of the recent seasons of “Survivor”? Do you think it is still interesting?

Yeah, we still watch all the time. We watched this last one that the guy with the bow tie won [Bob Crowley]. I think it has gotten a little bit predictable. They need to re-invent the game a little bit. I can’t believe they’re still doing and falling for the same stuff over and over and over again. It’s like you can get raised so many times from the button before you have to look them up, but they seem to be complacent.

What else have you been up to these days?

I just finished hosting a reality blackjack show at the Windstar Casino out in Oklahoma. I just did that last fall, and took a little time off for myself around the holidays.

Babies, Poker, Alabama Football and the $10,000 Man

2010-01-26T10:45:00.004-06:00

I am trying to get back into the swing of things as it comes to regular blogging, but other activities keep pulling me aside...such as raising a child. Little John Harper is almost two months old now and growing at a rapid pace. As such, he needs frequent feedings and diaper changes and certainly lets us know about it with his healthy set of lungs.

Obviously it's high times (and high Tide) here in Tuscaloosa with Bama's victory over Texas for the BCS National Championship. It's definitely a good time to be in the Alabama football magazine business, and I am doing all I can to promote our publication and make some good cheese for myself. I've traveled much of the state trying to get stores to carry our mag, and have found a few potential advertisers for commission sake. We put out a special issue after the championship.

We're working on another project, too, relating to Alabama football that is keeping me busy that we hope to unveil in the next month or two.

Despite this I have found some time for poker. You may recall in one of my few posts from the fall that I was running hot in October. In the end I won about $4,500 playing mostly 1-2 NLHE on World Poker Exchange. You can only cash out $3,000 at a time so I did that and then managed to lose $1,500 back the rest of the year. Nonetheless, with that hot month I managed to (by the skin of my teeth) eclipse the five figure mark in poker winnings for the sixth consecutive year. The final tally was +$10,030. There were a few months during the year in which I played hardly any poker at all so I would call it an average of a $1,000 win a month.

Since I don't keep the best records I cannot say how much my win is per hour, but I do believe that most of my time is better spent on other endeavors. I treat poker these days as more of a side income than the main source of income it once was. Trust me, that stance of mine is a great stress reducer. Poker as a living is a hard road.

I was very fortunate to hit the five-figure mark yet again. For the second straight year I wouldn't have come close without the Battle of the Bloggers series, which is no more -- making a seven-peat even harder. If I had not swapped 10 percent with Drizz and CK in a 08 tourney at Binion's last summer I wouldn't have gotten there. (Thanks guys for both making the final table!)

Despite my reduced playing time I am up about $1,200 this month so who knows? Maybe I get there again. With the little guy in tow and Rounder magazine perhaps gone for good I definitely will not be making many casino trips in 2010. It's highly likely I will not make it to Vegas for the WSOP for the first time since my first WSOP in 2004 as I am committed to the church's Nicaragua trip again, and I don't want to be gone too much during the summer. So if I can retain my $10,000 man title it will be with online poker and Tuscaloosa underground games.

2010 WSOP schedule announced

2009-12-18T06:17:00.003-06:00

From the flack at Harrah's last night:

LAS VEGAS (Dec. 17, 2009) – The 41st annual World Series of Poker® (WSOP®) -- a set of poker tournaments open to anyone 21 years of age or older -- returns Thursday, May 27, 2010 when live action and satellites begin. The annual poker extravaganza, which dates back to 1970, is televised exclusively on ESPN from the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and consists of a comprehensive slate of the game’s most popular variations running from May 27-July 17, 2010.

A total of 57 coveted gold bracelets will be up for grabs in 2010 – equal to last year’s total. July 4th is the tournaments sole “off day”, and will be dedicated to satellites for all those seeking another entry option into poker’s biggest event.

On Friday, May 28, the first open bracelet event will be the $50,000 buy-in Player’s Championship – the most expensive buy-in event to ever open up the World Series of Poker. Playing for the bracelet and the prestigious Chip Reese Memorial Trophy, the event will follow an eight-game format made popular by the late poker legend, and those participating in the mythical “Big Game” around Las Vegas card rooms. Over the first four days, Limit Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Seven Card Razz, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball will be played, with the Final Table being No-Limit Hold’em, as was the case when Reese won the inaugural $50K buy-in event in 2006. ESPN will provide television coverage of this event under the new format.

The opening weekend (May 29-30), features a $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament, which last year established a non-Main Event record of 6,012 entrants. The four-day event includes two starting flights, one each on Saturday and Sunday at 12 noon.

Another first at the WSOP this year, the first 5 weekends of the series will feature $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournaments with two starting flights. May 29-30, June 5-6, June 12-13, June 19-20 and June 26-27 will offer No-Limit Hold’em players from the weekend warrior to the most advanced player the opportunity to compete in some of the largest fields of the year for huge prize pools and a gold bracelet. A sixth event on July 1-2, will also offer the same event at the same buy-in level, just days before the Main Event commences.

The 41st annual WSOP will conclude, as is customary now, with the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Championship (aka the Main Event) which begins play Monday, July 5 and should reach its final table (nine players) on Saturday, July 17, at which time play will be halted for the third consecutive year. The famed tournament’s culmination will be held with the “November Nine” from November 6-9, before a live audience with special primetime coverage from ESPN.

"Whatever your game and whatever your bankroll, the 2010 WSOP schedule offers something for everyone,” said WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel, who will oversee the event for the fifth consecutive year. "We are planning for the largest WSOP ever and look forward to welcoming all players to the Rio in Las Vegas next summer."

The entire convention center of the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino will be exclusively dedicated to the 2010 World Series of Poker for the first time, with tournament tables in the 58,000 square foot Pavilion and the 38,000 square foot Amazon Room. The final number of tables in play is subject to regulatory approval, given just prior to the tournament commencing.

Player comfort is also being addressed by new rules regulating the daily amount of play. Excluding the Main Event, gold bracelet tournaments will begin at 12 noon and 5 PM Pacific Time each day, with a maximum of 10-one hour levels being played for the noon starts, while the 5 PM events playing a maximum of 8 one-hour levels. Day 1 play is expected to conclude at 12:45 AM for noon starts and 2:45 AM for the 5 PM starts. For those advancing past the first day, re-starts for noon bracelet events will be at 2:30 PM, and 5 PM tournaments will restart at 3 PM, with a maximum of 10 levels being played each day until a champion is crowned. The Main Event features two-hour levels and play begins at 12 noon each day.

Registration for all bracelet events will remain open until the start of the third level (approximately 2 hours, 20 minutes after start time) – or until all available seats have sold. Pre-registration for the 2010 WSOP is now available on-site at the Main Cage of the Rio in Las Vegas and online through www.wsop.com. This is the earliest registration has ever opened, as players now have more than five months to register for the first event, and more than six months to register for the Main Event.

Players are encouraged to register in advance to avoid being shutout of their favorite events. Any foreign entrants who wire transfer monies will receive the exchange rate into U.S. dollars at the time of the wire transfer, thus locking in their exchange rate in advance.

New policies and procedures regarding Main Event registration will be detailed in the future, but entrants can expect to be assigned starting days after a certain date. The only way to guarantee your starting day will be to pre-register prior to the determined cut-off date.

All Harrah’s properties in Las Vegas offer special reduced room rates for entrants of WSOP bracelet events. Rates start as low as $69 for players staying at the host property, the Rio. Imperial Palace offers rates as low as $30, and Bally’s, Flamingo, Harrah’s, Paris and Caesars Palace provide WSOP player rates as low as $45-$100 a night. Click here for the special WSOP player hotel rates.

The 2010 WSOP marks the 41st running of the game’s most prestigious annual tournament. In 2009, the WSOP generated the most entries ever (60,875) from 115 different countries that competed for more than $174 million while awarding 57 championship gold bracelets, globally recognized as the game’s top prize.

To view the entire schedule, visit WSOP.com/schedule where you can download event structures, pre-registration forms or save the schedule to your calendar and even link it to your Facebook, Twitter or other social network sites. Media can add a WSOP schedule widget to their websites, by going to WSOP.com/poker-widgets/.

Among the highlights of the 2010 schedule:
• 57 gold bracelet events over 51 days.

• Expanded footprint – The giant Pavilion Ballroom (58,000 sq. feet) will be in use this year for poker in the Rio Convention Center. The Pavilion is the largest ballroom at the Rio, and along with the famed Amazon Room (38,000 sq. feet), will make-up the playing rooms for this year’s WSOP. The entire convention space will be used.

• Expanded capacity – Along with expanded footprint, comes more poker tables. A record 295 tables were utilized last year, and this year’s configuration is still being plotted, but expected to offer about 20 percent more tables.

• No Food Tent – The outdoor food tent will now become an indoor food court experience. The Miranda Ballroom, last year used as a room for play, will be converted into a food court with a variety of popular food items for players and spectators.

• Sensational Structures & Starting Chips – Drafting off last year’s success, all gold bracelet events in 2010 will feature triple the buy-in in starting chips and deep structures, providing plenty of play.

• $25K 6-Handed No-Limit – A new event this year will be a $25,000 buy-in 6-handed No-Limit Hold’em 4-day event. Event #52 begins on Wednesday, June 30 at 12 noon.

• $50K Players Championship – The Chip Reese Trophy is up for grabs at the $50,000 buy-in eight-game mixed event, dubbed the Players Championship, which is being morphed from the $50K H.O.R.S.E. tournament run the past four years. This new eight-game format will serve as the true test of the game’s greatest all-around player and receive star treatment, with ESPN cameras covering the five-day event for television. Event #2 starts on Friday, May 28 at 5:00 PM.

• Still Plenty of H.O.R.S.E. – A new $10,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. Championship tournament will be offered, to go along with $1,500 and $3,000 buy-ins to the popular game.

• The 4th annual Ante Up For Africa Celebrity-Charity Tournament -- $5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em celebrity and charity tournament on Saturday, July 3, (two days before the Main Event begins) featuring the opportunity for anyone age 21 or older to enter and be seated at the same table as A-list celebrities and top poker pros.

• The Ladies Only No-Limit Hold’em Championship – On Friday, June 11, featuring a $1,000 buy-in and helping to raise awareness for the Nevada Cancer Institute, the official community relations partner of the World Series of Poker.

• The Seniors Only No-Limit Hold’em Championship – On Friday, June 18 , featuring a $1,000 buy-in for all poker enthusiasts 50 years of age or older.

• June $550 No-Limit Hold’em Tournaments – Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 1:00 PM throughout June, the Rio will host new $550 No-Limit Hold’em tournaments for those looking for a Hold’em fix. These are one-day structured tournaments, and not bracelet events.

In addition, a complete array of satellites, from single-table to mega, will be offered beginning from May 27-July 8. Nightly No-Limit Hold’em tournaments will be offered from May 27-July 4 at 7:00 PM and 11:00 PM.

All winners will be required to provide a valid picture ID. Tax forms will be completed for those with winnings in excess of $5,000 net of event buy-in. Players without a Tax Identification Number and foreign players from non-tax treaty countries are subject to up to 30 percentage tax withholding. WSOP reserves the right to cancel, change or modify the tournament or any tournament event, in part or in whole, without notice.

ABOUT THE WSOP
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world awarding millions of dollars in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970. In 2009, the event attracted 60,875 entrants from 115 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and awarded over $174 million in prize money. The WSOP in December, 2008 was named the 7th most admired sports brand in North America by the Turnkey Sports Survey, trailing only the older and more established NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR and PGA Tour among sports properties. In addition, the WSOP has experienced groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent in 2007 of the World Series of Poker EuropeSM. For more information on the World Series of Poker, please visit our website at www.WSOP.com.

And after all that hullaboo here is the actual sched:

Fri, May 28th
12:00 PM
2-Day Event Event #1: Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $500

Fri, May 28th
5:00 PM
5-Day Event Event #2: The Player's Championship
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now

Limit Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Seven Card Razz,
Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, No-Limit Hold'em,
Pot-Limit Omaha, 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball
$50,000

Sat, May 29th
12:00 PM
4-Day Event Event #3: No-Limit Hold'em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,000

Sun, May 30th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #4: Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Mon, May 31st
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #5: No-Limit Hold'em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Tue, Jun 1st
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #6: No-Limit Hold'em Shootout (2000 players max)
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $5,000

Tue, Jun 1st
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #7: 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball (Limit)
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $2,500

Wed, Jun 2nd
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #8: No-Limit Hold’em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Thu, Jun 3rd
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #9: Pot-Limit Hold'em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Thu, Jun 3rd
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #10: Seven Card Stud Championship
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $10,000

Fri, Jun 4th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #11: No-Limit Hold'em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Fri, Jun 4th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #12: Limit Hold’em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Sat, Jun 5th
12:00 PM
4-Day Event Event #13: No-Limit Hold’em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,000
Sat, Jun 5th

5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #14: 2-7 Draw Lowball (No-Limit)
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Sun, Jun 6th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #15: Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Championship
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $10,000

Mon, Jun 7th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #16: No-Limit Hold’em / Six Handed
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Tue, Jun 8th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #17: No-Limit Hold'em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $5,000

Wed, Jun 9th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #18: Limit Hold'em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $2,000

Wed, Jun 9th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #19: 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship (No-Limit)
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $10,000

Thu, Jun 10th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #20: Pot-Limit Omaha
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Thu, Jun 10th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #21: Seven Card Stud
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Fri, Jun 11th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #22: Ladies No-Limit Hold’em Championship
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,000

Fri, Jun 11th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #23: Limit Hold'em / Six Handed
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $2,500

Sat, Jun 12th
12:00 PM
4-Day Event Event #24: No-Limit Hold’em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,000

Sat, Jun 12th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #25: Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Championship
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $10,000

Mon, Jun 14th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #26: No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $2,500

Mon, Jun 14th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #27: Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Tue, Jun 15th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #28: Pot-Limit Omaha
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $2,500

Tue, Jun 15th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #29: Limit Hold'em Championship
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $10,000

Wed, Jun 16th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #30: No-Limit Hold’em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Wed, Jun 16th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #31: H.O.R.S.E.
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now

Limit Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Seven Card Razz,
Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
$1,500

Thu, Jun 17th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #32: No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $5,000

Thu, Jun 17th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #33: Pot-Limit Hold'em/Omaha
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $2,500

Fri, Jun 18th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #34: Seniors No-Limit Hold’em Championship
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,000

Fri, Jun 18th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #35: Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship (256 player max)
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $10,000

Sat, Jun 19th
12:00 PM
4-Day Event Event #36: No-Limit Hold’em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,000

Sat, Jun 19th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #37: H.O.R.S.E.
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now

Limit Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Seven Card Razz,
Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
$3,000

Sun, Jun 20th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #38: Pot-Limit Hold'em Championship
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $10,000

Mon, Jun 21st
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #39: No-Limit Hold'em Shootout (2,000 player max)
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Mon, Jun 21st
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #40: Seven Card Razz
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $2,500

Tue, Jun 22nd
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #41: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-low Split-8 or Better
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Wed, Jun 23rd
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #42: No-Limit Hold’em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Wed, Jun 23rd
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #43: H.O.R.S.E. Championship
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now

Limit Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Seven Card Razz,
Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
$10,000

Thu, Jun 24th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #44: Mixed Hold'em (Limit/No-Limit)
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $2,500

Fri, Jun 25th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #45: No-Limit Hold’em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Fri, Jun 25th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #46: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-low Split-8 or Better
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $5,000

Sat, Jun 26th
12:00 PM
4-Day Event Event #47: No-Limit Hold’em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,000

Sat, Jun 26th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #48: Mixed Event
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $2,500

Mon, Jun 28th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #49: No-Limit Hold'em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Mon, Jun 28th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #50: Pot-Limit Omaha
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $5,000

Tue, Jun 29th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #51: Triple Chance No-Limit Hold’em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $3,000

Wed, Jun 30th
12:00 PM
4-Day Event Event #52: No-Limit Hold’em / Six Handed
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $25,000

Wed, Jun 30th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #53: Limit Hold’em Shootout
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,500

Thu, Jul 1st
12:00 PM
4-Day Event Event #54: No-Limit Hold’em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $1,000

Thu, Jul 1st
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #55: Pot-Limit Omaha Championship
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $10,000

Fri, Jul 2nd
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Event #56: No-Limit Hold’em
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now $2,500

Sat, Jul 3rd
2:00 PM
1-Day Event Ante Up For Africa Poker Tournament
Structure Sheet $5,000

Mon, Jul 5th
12:00 PM
13-Day Event Event #57: No-Limit Hold'em Championship
Structure Sheet Pre-Register Now
July 5,2010 12:00 PM Day 1A
July 6,2010 12:00 PM Day 1B
July 7,2010 12:00 PM Day 1C
July 8,2010 12:00 PM Day 1D
July 9,2010 12:00 PM Day 2A
July 10,2010 12:00 PM Day 2B
July 11,2010 12:00 PM Media Event
July 12,2010 12:00 PM Day 3
July 13,2010 12:00 PM Day 4
July 14,2010 12:00 PM Day 5
July 15,2010 12:00 PM Day 6
July 16,2010 12:00 PM Day 7 (play down to 27 players)
July 17,2010 12:00 PM Day 8 (play down to 9 players)
November,2010 TBD FINAL TABLE

$10,000

General Information

For events 3, 13, 24, 36, 47, 54, and 57, you may request your first day of play based on seating availability.

For vendor information please call 702-777-2310

Single Table Satellites, Mega Satellites and Live Action begin on May 27, 2010:

No-Limit Hold'em Tournaments Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday June 1-30
$550 Buy-In No-Limit Hold'em tournaments Daily at 1PM. Structure Sheet

Nightly No-Limit Hold'em Tournament Schedule May 27-July 4:
$340 Buy-In No-Limit Hold'em tournaments nightly at 7 PM. Structure Sheet
$200 Buy-In No-Limit Hold'em tournaments nightly at 11pm. Structure Sheet

Mega Satellite Schedule: May 27-July 2
$330 Buy-In Mega Satellites Daily at 3 PM. Structure Sheet
$550 Buy-In Mega Satellites Daily at 9 PM. Structure Sheet

Mega Satellite Days July 3-7:
$550 Buy-In Mega Satellites at 10 AM and 4 PM. Structure Sheet
$1060 Buy-In Mega Satellites at 1 PM. Structure Sheet
$2080 Buy-In Mega Satellites at 9 PM. Structure Sheet

Turbo Mega Satellite July 8:
$1060 Buy-In Turbo Mega Satellite at 8AM. Structure Sheet

$25k Six Handed No-Limit Hold'em Mega Satellite Days June 27-29:
$1570 Buy-In Mega Satellites at 8 PM. Structure Sheet

$50k The Player's Championship Mega Satellites May 27:
$2250 Buy-In Mega Satellites at 1 PM, 4 PM, and 8 PM. Structure Sheet

The Following Take-Out Percentages Will Be Withheld From the Buy-In for House Fees and Dealer/Staff Tokes
Buy-In Take-Out
$500.00 10%
$1000.00 10%
$1500.00 10%
$2000.00 9%
$2500.00 8%
$3000.00 8%
$5000.00 6%
$10,000.00 6%
$25,000.00 5%
$50,000.00 4%

John Harper Kampis arrives!

2009-12-18T06:12:00.002-06:00

Been awhile since my last post, but it has been a very busy time as they often are around here during football season. Amy and I got out little football on Dec. 8 with the arrival of John Harper Kampis, measuring in at 8 lbs. 4 oz. and 20 inches long. Not sure his reach, but I figured for babies he has to at least be in the welterweight class.

The Amazing Race

2009-10-22T07:54:00.007-05:00

Photo: CBS

I'm sure most reading this are aware that we have two known poker players participating on CBS' The Amazing Race this season in the form of Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle. I don't call them poker professionals because that is not a word I throw around lightly, unlike most people in poker -- especially those who want people to think they are better than they really are.

That's not to say that either of these girls is not a poker "pro". The only ancedotal evidence I have to go on is the WSOP. Maria and Tiffany are most famous for being the last women standing in the Main Event of the World Series of Poker in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Maria finished 33rd and Tiffany was 17th. I don't believe this fact has been discussed during the CBS telecasts, but perhaps explaining it to viewers at home would be a bit too wordy for a fast-paced show.

Otherwise, I don't think either of them has much of a tournament record to speak of. When I interviewed Maria after the 2007 WSOP she talked about playing high stakes limit hold'em cash games at the Commerce with good success. When I interviewed Tiffany after last year's WSOP she spoke mostly about here past acting gigs and work with PokerNews. While I do know that her most famous acting role was as a dying teenager in the arms of Noah Wyle I don't know of her poker success outside the WSOP.

While I will grant that reality show producers can edit the film to make participants look as bad as possible, Tiffany and Maria did a good job of giving themselves a black eye early on when they told their competitors that they worked with homeless children rather than played poker for a living. The jig was up when some people recognized them at the airport and they looked really bad for that lie. However, they have settled in since then and have even made an alliance in the race with a couple of guys who waited for them to get a replacement car after Maria tried to drive over a steel barrier and busted the radiator. This followed Michelle allowing one of the guys to use her ladle during a water-finding challenge in the Dubai desert.

While Tiffany and Maria have looked better in character in recent episodes they are very fortunate to still be in the race. During the first two-hour episode they came in last during one leg of the race, but were lucky it was a non-elimination leg. This is a feature the producers have added during The Amazing Race's run that I can't stand. If they want to extend the number of episodes to air during a season they should add more teams, not let some lucky teams off the hook in such a cheesy fashion. It feels like cheating.

Maria and Tiffany caught another break two episodes ago when the team that reached the finish line first lost a passport and were eliminated when they could not find it. TiffMar was last on that leg and would have been booted from the race that time, too, if not for a second lucky break. It appears they have caught a couple of two outers.

Can that luck continue? A team of two women has never won The Amazing Race. Due to some physical challenges that pop up along the way a team of two females can find themselves at a disadvantage. There is one precedent that has previously been set in which TiffMar is following the form. A few seasons ago two hippie-type guys finished last during two non-elimination legs and went on to win the race. Just as with as poker tournament it takes a fair amount of luck to win The Amazing Race.

"When are you going to update your blog?"

2009-10-19T08:06:00.004-05:00

That is a comment I heard frequently in July and August, less so in September and October as Amy figured I had given up blogging completely. It's weird how often after I return from Vegas I am kind of burned out on poker and let the blog marinate for months at a time (a good five solid months in 2006, in fact).

I played little poker after I returned home, but have been firing up the online games at more regular intervals in the last month or so. I have been on a tear in the month of October that I don't want to discuss too much for fear of bringing the bragging curse upon myself. Perhaps at the end of the month if I show a tidy profit will I discuss those recent adventures on the virtual felt.

It's been an exciting and trying time since the end of June. Good news first -- we found out we are having a boy! We are naming him John Harper Kampis. He will be the fourth generation John/Johnny on my side of the family, and Harper is Amy's maiden name and just so happens to work well as a boy's name. So there that is. While that is new news on Poker Nation it's old hat for us. Shows how long it's been since I posted. In fact, we are now less than two months from Amy's due date of Dec. 15. We have the nursery painted and now I need to vacuum and steam clean the floor and get the windows fixed. Then it will be time to start putting in the furniture and decorating.

They say he looks like me, but I don't know how you can tell that from the ultrasound pics.

The sad news was that my grandmother passed away. She had battled brain cancer for more than a year and complications from that finally took her from us. I was particularly close to "Nannie" because she and Papa lived just down the road from us so I saw them nearly every day growing up. Papa died from liver cancer in 1998 and my maternal grandparents each died in 1999 and 2000. So Nannie was the only grandparent I had for nine years. She was the kindest, most generous woman you could ever hope to meet. She taught two and three-year-old Sunday School classes for decades and attended the same church for about 50 years. She will be forever missed.

In the months I slacked off from posting on this blog I let the five-year anniversary of Poker Nation pass without notice. My first post on here was Oct. 4, 2004. I enjoy reflecting back on that time and how much my life has changed in the last five years. In the fall of 2004 I was filled with hubris. I was winning consistently at the poker table and about to head up to Foxwoods for the World Poker Finals. I was considering leaving my newspaper job the next summer to go off on my own poker/freelance journey, a decision I would make in a few short months after that first post. That was originally intended as a one-year break that turned into four years, four months and counting, with grad school, marriage, and an impending baby along the way. Oh what a journey it has been. I'll reflect more on that in the coming weeks (I promise!)

I still have the people of Nicaragua in my heart, but the photos were on my now dead laptop. My tech pro cousin is in the process of transferring my hard drive to my new laptop so I hope to finally put up some trip reports soon. I talk often with my fellow church members who went on the trip, and every single one can't wait to return. Despite the heat, the hard work, the longing for home it's all worth it to see what a huge difference you can make in the lives of a few people.

Trip report coming...

2009-07-07T19:29:00.001-05:00

...but I think I will try something a little different. Since I took two major trips in the month of June and the experiences in Nicaragua and Las Vegas were such a jarring juxtoposition I think I will try a little experiment in trip reportage I'll call the Nicavegas report. Coming soon.

Let's talke Vegas meetups FINAL

2009-06-22T12:26:00.002-05:00

I leave for Vegas in five hours and I am not sure how my internet situation is going to be in the next week so this is probably my last post on the 25th meetup. We never set any definite hours, but based on the discussion I'll throw this schedule up that I think will work for most so if you're coming to part or all of the festivities here it is:

June 25th

4 p.m. Blogger mixed games at the IP. If no one shows up this early at least I will be around playing some 1/2. Look for the dumb looking white as a sheet guy in the beige old school WSOP cap.

9 p.m. Leave IP for the Hooker Bar at the Rio for drinks and revelry.

11 p.m. Head to the Gold Coast for some late night bowling. Bring your $20s to destroy Dan "Wolfman" Michalski at bowling prop bets.

See you there!

The Mission Trip: Into a Foreign Land

2009-06-19T14:38:00.008-05:00

I have taken my time getting to this trip report simply because it is hard to write. No words, no pictures, no first-hand account can fairly describe the magnitude of the poverty in Nicaragua or the emotional impact it had on those who took this mission trip. It was particularly tough on me because I had never undertaken such a project as many in the group had done.

Because of the late start typing up this report I may not finish it before I leave for Vegas, so I might conclude it while in Vegas or after I get back. I just hope you will read it whenever I do get it all together because I hope in some small way this might spur you to take some action to help your fellow man. I know I've been searching my brain since I got back, trying to deal with the mixed emotions I am feeling. To be honest it's been hard to get "up" for Vegas because I keep thinking about the people we met and the situations in which they live while I enjoy the cool air-condtioning of my home while drinking my morning coffee and playing Scrabble on my computer...and then I head off to Vegas. It seems overly extravagant after spending more than a week in Nicaragua.

The first day was an early one, as we met at our church, Trinity United Methodist (less than two blocks from Bryant-Denny Stadium) at 2 a.m. for the drive to Atlanta. It saved us almost $200 per ticket to fly out of Atlanta instead of Birmingham so we made the three-hour commute over the state line, beating rush hour traffic for our 8 a.m. flight.

From Atlanta we flew to Miami (first time there for me, although just being in the airport doesn't really count) where we waited more than three hours for our next flight. Our already long day was made longer when our flight to Managua was delayed for nearly two hours. Our plane to Managua was the largest in which I had ever ridden, with three seats on each side and a middle row of four seats, and it was nearly full. Having never flown in one of these, it made me think of the "movie" planes. Note how movies set on planes never take place on one of those six seats per row types.

We finally arrived in Managua late in the afternoon after a two and a half hour flight. After going through customs (much easier leaving the U.S. than it is entering it, more on that later) we met our bus driver, Juan Pablo. That's him on top of the van loading our stuff.

Our pastor, Wade, has worked with Juan Pablo since he took his first mission trip here earlier this decade. The two have worked together several times since then. Not only does Juan Pablo drive us around, but he is also active in the home construction, having been a construction worker in his younger years. He is very friendly and a true man of God. When we met him at the airport I reached down to shake his hand and he gave me a big hug. Juan Pablo's English is about on par with my Spanish, which means he won't be giving speeches anytime soon. We also met the second local member of our team, Tonia, who would be our translator on the trip.

We loaded up and headed on the two-hour drive to Leon, the cultural capital of the country, a city once considered to be the capital itself. Our final destination would be Chacraseca, one of the poorest areas of what is considered the poorest country in Central America. As we traversed the streets of Managua, we came across several kids begging. We passed out a few coins and snacks, but were told that adults often farm out kids to beg for them. There were few traffic lights, as drivers here just tend to sort out the traffic details themselves, creating some hairy situations.

We drove through the countryside, spotting several volcanoes in the distance. Most of them are dormant, but some have erupted in recent years, killing people in their wake. Most of the volcanic areas are remote and sparsely populated, however.

We arrived in Leon and dined in a local restaurant, which would be one of the last fancy meals we would eat in a while. One thing I learned was that Coca-Cola tastes the best when it's poured out of a glass bottle in a foreign land.

After our meal we headed down bumpy dirt roads to our final destination, the Casa de Paz in Chacraseca. Created by a nun in the 1980s, the Peace House serves as a boarding house for missionaries in the area doing projects. It would be our home for the next week.

That's team member Wes on the left, our translator Tonia in the middle and Wade on the right.

We got to the Peace House at about 10 p.m., after 20 hours of travel. We were all dead tired and quickly got out sleeping clothes out of our bag. The room for the men was tightly packed with bunk beds and storage containers so four of us decided to sleep outside.

It was much cooler out here on the porch, and as we prepared to bed down for our first night it began to rain. The drops hitting the tin roof made a peaceful sound that quickly put us all to sleep.

Vegas plans

2009-06-17T09:09:00.002-05:00

It's now five days and counting until my trip to Vegas Monday afternoon and night. I always like to fly in at night if possible, when the city is lit up and at its most beautiful. It's a tough adjustment to go from the mindset I had in Nicaragua to get my poker game face on for Vegas, but I have this week to prepare. Watched some Ocean's 11 Tuesday, probably watching my old 2004 WSOP event DVD later this week.

Like many of you, I've had some problems with the recent money grab by the feds, but it looks like I'll be able to get my bankroll out and ready to play next week. I hope that this overstep by the NY DA's office will actually help our cause and make the good folks of Congress realize that peer-to-peer online poker (the new buzzword) should be legalized and regulated in the United States.

We made some tentative plans for the 25th, but I would like to nail down some definite (or at least good estimated) times for anyone else who might decide to join us. (I've also sent this as an email to the people who have expressed an interest in this.)

What time do we plan to start playing mixed games at the IP? I figure we ought to cut it off around 9 or so to move west for drinking and bowling. My thoughts are to drink at the Hooker Bar at the Rio as some in the group may have never been to the "legendary" setting, and it might be easier to pick up more for our group among those working at the WSOP. Spend some time there and then walk over to the Gold Coast for bowling. Thoughts?

I recently heard that my good friend Brian and another friend are coming out to Vegas for a couple of days, something like June 28-30. We are planning on playing some poker tournaments at Binion's on the 28th and Venetian on the 29th. If I recall correctly, this will be the first time Brian and I set foot in Binion's at the same time since our first trip to the WSOP in 2004.

By the way, people have left comments or emailed me about helping me with my link and color issue. Please send any helpful hints my way as I am HTML deficient. I have been trying to change my background color in the main heading so that it matches the color of my sidebar, but it always seems to go back to the default color when I preview the changes. What do I need to do to get the colors the same for the main and sidebar? Thanks for the help, and continue to send feedback regarding the 25th.

Back from Nicaragua

2009-06-15T10:06:00.002-05:00

First of all, thanks to the very kind donations and well wishes from all who contributed. This trip was an amazing, amazing experience. Words and pictures truly cannot describe the conditions and my emotions and experiences in a just manner, but I will post the best trip report I can over the next several days.

I see I have missed a very interesting week in online poker, with the seizure of players' money. How sick is it to think that my own money is safer in an offshore online poker account than it is in the hands of the federal government? Oh wait, never mind...

It is unfortunate that this has occurred here at WSOP time although highly unlikely the timing is coincidental. There are an awful lot of $10,000 checks floating around in the ether, you know. I am surprised by the lack of articles I have seen in poker media on how this could affect main event turnout. It certainly affects me as I now have to scramble around to gather up the bankroll I need for my Vegas trip that begins next Monday. I hope everyone is still able to make it out to Nevada who planned to. Meetup post coming.

Nicaragua mission trip

2009-06-04T10:16:00.001-05:00

As some of you who have talked to me recently know, I am soon embarking on a mission trip with Trinity United Methodist church here in Tuscaloosa to Nicaragua where we will be helping to build a house for a family and donating money to a project to bring clean water to thousands more families in the Chacasecra area. We have done a number of fundraising projects toward this effort and have been quite successful. However, each of us is tasked with our own personal fundraising to pay for the trip and I am kindly asking if any of you could help me in this regard. $5, $10, $20, anything you can give will be greatly appreciated and I will email you a receipt for the tax deduction when I return. Any donations can be sent to me via PayPal at jkampis@hotmail.com. I will hammer some nails in your honor.

Thank you very much and God bless.

Johnny K.

Veteran Vegas tips

2009-06-04T10:11:00.001-05:00

Here's another one I put together last month that may not run anywhere. Perhaps in the next issue of Rounder. Here's a sneak peek, just in case:

Veteran tips for the WSOP

By Johnny Kampis

I’ve been traveling to Las Vegas for the WSOP every year since 2004, and with so many players new to the game it practically makes me a veteran. Having navigated my way through the halls of the Rio and the streets of Sin City without going broke, I felt I could provide some tips for those making their first trip to Vegas for the WSOP. Even if you’ve been a time or two I hope these tips will provide some help for survival in the poker jungle.

Make a plan of attack before you go. Before flying into McCarran Airport, learn all you can about the WSOP and other poker options in Las Vegas. Which WSOP events would you like to play? Can you afford them? Should you try to satellite your way in? How about the cash games? There are a number of other tournament series taking place concurrently with the WSOP with lower buy-ins. Consider playing in some of these during your trip. I like to look at all of the tournament schedules and see which events work best for me on each day and make my own tentative playing schedule during my trip. My plans always change somewhat, but it gives me a good roadmap from which to start.

Pace yourself and your bankroll. First, make a budget and stick to it. If you have $5,000 to take to Vegas to play at the WSOP for two weeks don’t blow through it and take out another $5,000 at the ATMs. The key to this is to pace yourself. If you hop off the plane, throw your bags on the hotel bed and head to the nearest $2/$5 NLHE table enjoy yourself, but if you lose $500 right off the bat go take a break. Don’t lose a big chunk of your bankroll the first couple of days after you arrive or you may end up going broke during the middle of your trip if your luck doesn’t turn.

Don’t get star struck. If this is your first trip to the Amazon ballroom the WSOP can be overwhelming. The room is big, really big – 200 plus tables big. You’ll see many of the poker stars that are regularly on TV and if you enter some bracelet events you may be pitted against some of them. Always remember, though, that you’re still sitting at a standard looking poker table and playing with the same standard 52-card deck. It’s like the scene in “Hoosiers” when Coach Norman Dale has his players measure the height of the hoop in Indianapolis – still the standard 10 feet. The competition may seem greater, but the game is still the same.

Enjoy the city. Especially if this is your first trip to Vegas, please don’t spend all your time at the poker tables. In my opinion, this is one of the greatest cities in the world and I look forward to the trip every summer. There is so much to see and do here that you should definitely soak it in rather than play cards all day and night. See a show, walk through some casinos and hit the clubs. That being said…

Watch out for the dark side. By that I mean the pit games. Many a poker player has lost a good portion of his bankroll at blackjack, craps, pai gow, and so on and so forth. By all means enjoy yourself with a little table game or slot action, but don’t blow a healthy percentage of your bankroll on the games where you are bucking impossible-to-beat house odds.

Follow this practical advice and I hope you hit it big in Vegas this summer.

It's over...

2009-06-02T10:59:00.002-05:00

...in more ways than one.

The Battle of the Bloggers Tournament Series 4 is now in the books, at least the regular season is, with the postseason coming up Sunday. It was another dandy and I plan a complete wrap-up and awards aplenty after the TOC and my trip to Nicaragua.

Great finish Sunday. QueensUp had won back-to-back events to take over the May and overall points leads, but HighOnPoker came in third in Brit Blogger and neither made the points in the Big Game so HOP was able to reclaim the lead and the May win. I still had a chance to retake my overall points lead with a final table run in the Big Game after not being able to play in the Brit Blogger, but my 12th place finish was not enough and I ended up 12 points behind QueensUp. Congrats to QueensUp and HighOnPoker for their respective wins.

Because his week was so strong last week, I give the Week 13 Player of the Week award to QueensUp (but don't worry HOP there are MORE awards to come later this month). Sorry Brian, I am lazy today and did not update a graphic for you...

Al posted today that this marks the end of not just the BBT4, but the BBT in general, but all good things must eventually come to an end. I think we all knew this gravy train wasn't going to run forever. I personally did not become involved until last year for BBT3, which I think was the first really big year with points standings and many, many prizes. Obviously, I have been very fortunate in my results in winning March and May in BBT3 and April in BBT4 (heh, does that make me a Triple Crown winner?) and the writing prize last time. If not for a one outer by Loretta8 against me in the TOC last year I may have also won another $10,000. There is still, however, a chance of that this year.

I thought it would be interesting to go back and look at the six months of results over BBT3 and BBT4 to see how everyone stacked up against one another (and, yes, as a total brag on my part because I knew going in what the numbers would show). I saw how many players from BBT3 were scarce or non-existent (or just plain ran bad) this year and how others came on the scene in full force in BBT4. Here is the top 10 points leaders for the last two BBTs combined:

1. Tuscaloosa John 3,776
2. Shabazz Jenkins 2,634
3. heffmike 2,480.5
4. QueensUp/PokerBrian 2,442.8
5. twoblackaces 2,220.3
6. lucko21 2,203.6
7. lightning36 2,128.4
8. NumbBono 2,023.8
9. hoyazo 1,941.8
10. ChippyMcStacks 1,879.2

Yep, total brag. ;)

Let's talk Vegas meetups Part 4

2009-06-01T11:29:00.002-05:00

So the 25th seems to work for several people. I was hoping to send out an email soon with everyone's email and phone numbers for easier communication, so if you want to be on that list and haven't given me your contact info do email me at jkampis@hotmail.com. If you don't want your phone number disseminated among the group please say so. (And if you want CK's SSN shoot me a line.)

Here is who I think are "yeas" among BBT players--

APOSEC72, I have email and no number
SmBoatDrinks, email and no number
Queens Up, got all yours
Lex Luther, no contact info
CK, don't think I have any for you either

Oh, and feel free to also share your first name if you want. Hi, I'm Johnny.

We should have others join us as well. Perhaps some CELEBRITY POKER BLOGGERS!!!

I had suggested dinner, then a handful of hours of mixed games, then drinks and bowling at the Gold Coast (or drinks at the HB in the Rio, the moving over to GC perhaps). CK thought that might be packing in too much, and she may very well be right. I believe her thoughts were skip dinner, go straight to mixed games, then drinking and bowling. I guess it all depends on how much time everyone has and how long they wish to do each activity. Let's start hammering out a more definite schedule so folks will know when to be where. Please leave some comments with timeline suggestions.

Mission: Impossible plus Vegas Moments

2009-05-30T08:12:00.003-05:00

Me winning the May leaderboard? That is now Mission: Impossible.

But heck, I thought I had the overall leaderboard sewn up. TJ back-to-back in BBT3 and BBT4! But then QueensUp does the true back-to-back by winning both the Skillz Stud and Mookie events this week. I told QueensUp he is the TuscaloosaJohn of 2009. I won March and May last year and the overall leaderboard. QueensUp is likely to do the same this year -- well if he somehow won the overall leaderboard by 500 points it would be about the same (end of brag).

Oh, I decided since we had a little extra play on Sunday with two more events that I would include those in Week 13 for Player of the Week consideration, hence no POW yet, but you can be sure it will take a lot to knock a certain player off that perch after Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

I won't even be able to play the Brit Blogger Sunday as I have a mission team meeting at church. That trip to Nicaragua is now about a week away (have I even mentioned it on this blog? I thought I had, at least in passing). My only chance to regain my overall leaderboard status is the Big Game. Can I go back-to-back in winning that sucker? My ego and bankroll hopes so.

--

Here's a bonus morsel. I started to put this together for somebody... Al, Rounder, etc., but it didn't seem to fit anywhere so I'll just stick it on here. Vegas virgins take note. Here are some cool things you should do while in town that are either off the beaten path or tucked into the corner of a behemoth casino. It's really an unfinished article with only a few "moments" listed, but I hope what's here will be useful. Readers please leave any additional ideas in the comments. Maybe you can share a "moment" with me of which I was not aware.

Shrimp cocktails at the Golden Gate

Sure the place is dingy and you can smell the mustiness when you walk through the front door, but if you’ve never been in here you are missing out on a treat. Walk to the back of the tiny Golden Gate – the oldest casino in Vegas – and order a shrimp cocktail. If you have a player’s club card you can still get what has for years been called the city’s best value – the 99-cent shrimp cocktail. There is nothing spectacular about it. It’s just a big sundae glass full of pretty good tasting shrimp with cocktail sauce poured on top. Grab your glass and a drink, find a seat and listen to the piano player entertain the crowd. Relax and enjoy this reminder of what Vegas used to be like, and occasionally still is.

Sigma Derby at the MGM Grand

Reportedly the last working member of its kind on the Las Vegas Strip, this quarter muncher is tucked between some slots near the lion habitat and maybe 50 yards behind the sportsbook. Sigma Derby is a mechanical horse racing game. Between every “race” the odds will be posted for various exactas of two horses finishing one-two (it doesn’t matter which is first and which is second, actually, as you are just betting on the horses that will be top two). Some odds will be as low as 2-to-1, while some will approach 100-to-1. You put in your quarters and bet however many credits you want on two horses. After 30 seconds the horses will race out of the gates, with two eventually pulling away from the pack to the finish line. Sigma Derby is a fun place to waste a roll of quarters and is generally packed with its limited seating.

Red Rock Canyon

A cheap lounge act

These are harder to find these days, but look through the Vegas guides while in the city for advertisements. I’m not talking about something like Legends in Concert or American Superstars. My aim is much lower. I can remember while traveling with my friend Brian for the WSOP in 2004 when we stopped into the Plaza to look around and were offered free show tickets with a drink purchase. We walked in and were “entertained” by a guy doing bad impersonations of famous celebrities. The show was pure cheese, but we loved every minute of it – perhaps because it was cheese, Vegas cheese that is.

Auto collection at Imperial Palace

If you are a car buff you will probably get a kick out of spending an hour in here. Free tickets are commonly found in some of the Vegas publications around town so the cost is certainly not an impediment. The cars in here are actually for sale, but you can’t afford them unless you have a wheelbarrow full of money (put that WSOP win to good use here). Antique Rolls Royces, famous cars from television and movie productions, rare prototypes, this collection has them all here on a floor in the Imperial Palace’s parking garage.

TJ'S BBT Player of the Week

2009-05-27T07:20:00.003-05:00

HighOnPoker continues to just win baby, with a victory in the Riverchasers last week. For monthly and overall leaderboard purposes it is very good. For my Player of the Week awards I look more at consistency in any given week, so even though HighOnPoker is thrashing us on the May points standings he is not my Week 12 POW.

Instead that honor goes to heffmike, who final tabled the Riverchasers (6th), Skillz (6th) and Mookie (9th) in Week 12. Three final tables in four events is tough to accomplish, but heffmike has shown an ability to keep himself in the running. He also jumped to second on the overall leaderboard (since eclipsed by QueensUp's Skillz win last night). Plus, he just found out he's having a baby girl! Check his blog for more details. Great week for heffmike, who is TJ'S Player of the Week for Week 12.

Meanwhile, I am on a major cold snap in the BBT. Last night was the worst as I went from chipleader with about 25 left to out in 19th. How do you even do that? Answer = combination of bad play and bad luck. I believe I have gone seven events without making the points, which is probably my longest streak in the BBT. Good timing for that after climbing to the top of the May leaderboard. After HighOnPoker's runner-up finish in the stud event it's a very long way to the top indeed, and now I am looking at up at five or six people. Oh, and did I mention I also will miss the Brit Blogger this Sunday? I don't think ol' TJ will win two monthly awards this time. Now if I can just hold off the challengers for the overall leaderboard...

Looking at the summer tournaments in Vegas

2009-05-26T08:27:00.003-05:00

More (I hope) useful info for you regarding the other tournament options in town during the WSOP.

Comparing the summer Vegas tournaments

By Tuscaloosa Johnny Kampis

What is great for us poker players is there has been a sort of arms race in Vegas the last few summers as competing casinos have begun starting their own events, and then as that competition grows they each try to outdo each other with better structures and higher starting stacks. Each summer you get more play for your money. The triple starting stacks at the World Series of Poker this year is a direct result of all of this competition. Just a few years ago you only got 1,500 chips in $1,500 events – now it’s 4,500.

If you are planning your first Vegas trip, or even if you are not, you should keep in mind that there are plenty of other tournament options in Vegas this summer. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of each of these events as you consider making the trek away from the Rio through the desert to other poker nirvanas. (I am omitting the annual Orleans Open because it was held early this year and will be completed by the time the WSOP rolls around.)

Bellagio Cup

Pros – Great structures are the norms at all Bellagio events and this one is no different. The Cup is held in the Fontana Lounge with a great view of the famous fountains. Most events are held as the WSOP winds down (this year from July 1-July 16) so players who bust out of the main event can used this as a de facto second chance tournament.

Cons – This isn’t for the weak of bankroll as events start at $1,500 and go up to the $15,000 buy-in main event. The fields here are usually among the toughest in town as the Bellagio is a normal World Poker Tour stop.

Binion’s Poker Open

Pros – This event pretty much runs concurrently with the WSOP and for the most part mirrors the WSOP with 10 percent of the buy-in. For example, what is a $1,500 NLHE event at the WSOP might be $150 buy-in here. The premise when this event was started in 2007 was that players could win money in events here and then take it the next day and play the same type WSOP event. So, in essence, the events are affordable, and could be considered as a sort of satellite. Playing here conjures up ghosts of past World Series of Poker events as you will be playing in the same room in which the WSOP was held for more than two decades. The BPO has a nice mix of events like the WSOP and is even holding a Crazy Pineapple tournament this year.

Cons – It’s downtown, making it out of the way for most poker players in town, especially those staying at the Rio. The structures here aren’t as good as in most of the other events in town.

Caesars Mega Stack Series

Pros – This event is making its return in 2009 after an inaugural foray into the tournament mix last summer. It has some of the best structures in town and is held in the Caesars poker room’s separate tournament area, which is quite spacious. Buy-ins are in the affordable $330, $540 and $1,060 range. The casino is conveniently located at the corner of The Strip and Flamingo Boulevard, making it an easy place in which to access.

Cons – $10,000 is taken out of each prize pool to give the winner a WSOP main event seat, which is going to make final table chops tricky. This could also make it difficult for players who weren’t planning on being in town for the main event who win an event here. The events are nothing but NLHE (granted, this could be a pro in the eyes of some).

Deep Stack Extravaganza

Pros – Like Binion’s event, this one runs concurrent with the WSOP (May 28-July 16 to be exact). The structures here are probably the best in town as it’s not called the Deep Stack for nothing. The Venetian poker room is among the most spacious and comfortable of its kind in Vegas. Events are mostly budget conscious with buy-ins of $330 and $550, but also consider the more affluent players with $1,070 and $2,100 buy-ins and a $5,000 main event to cap the series. Lots of satellites are available to win the ever cool octagonal lammers. The Venetian is located mid-Strip, also making it easy to access.

Cons – Like the Caesars series there is little variety here. The DSE will hold one event each of HORSE, O8 and PLO. Otherwise, it’s all NLHE all the time.

The Grand Poker Series

Pros – The variety here is the strongest of all the summer series with a HORSE here and an O8 there. The Golden Nugget is definitely the place to go for variety. Buy-ins are all in the $225 to $330 range except for the $1,080 main event. The Grand convention room is among the most spacious tournament venues and is quite comfortable. The Nugget will also run several daily NLHE tournaments called “bankroll builders.” Howard and Suzie Lederer are hosting an open charity event on July 1 that will feature a number of pros and celebrities.

Cons – The GN is also downtown, making it a more difficult trip than the Strip properties (although a cab is never far away).

World Series of Poker

Pros – Obviously, this is the big one. This is the horse that drives the poker machine in Vegas in the summer. With a great variety of events and buy-ins and no shortage of satellites, the WSOP provides numerous options for players. Cash games are abundant and full of little fishies. If you are a novice or pro wannabe this is the place you are going to be star struck watching your poker heroes in action.

Cons – The Rio is a labyrinth. If you get lost we will send out a search party. Most of the food is overpriced and WSOP comps in cash games are non-existent. The fields here are huge, so winning an event is very, very difficult, but if you do…

(end of article)

Personally, I'll be playing lots of these non-WSOP events this year. My bankroll has been a bit on the weak side this spring as I have not fared particularly well at the tables the first four months of 2009 (although things have been looking up some this month). I've put together a tentative schedule for my Vegas stay with multiple options on some days.

Date Event
June 23 Venetian $330 NLHE or Binion's $150 NLHE
June 24 Binion's $200 HORSE
June 25 Bloggerpalooza
June 26 Golden Nugget $230 HORSE or WSOP $1,500 LHE Shootout
June 27 Golden Nugget $230 Omaha Hi-Lo or WSOP $1,500 NLHE
June 28 Binion's $150 NLHE
June 29 Showing my parents around town
June 30 Binion's $150 Omaha Hi-Lo
July 1 Venetian $300 NLHE
July 2 Golden Nugget $225 NLHE or time with folks

I'm skipping Caesars entirely because of the $10,000 main event seat provision. This year I plan to leave around the time it starts so it does me no good. Several years ago I took a cross country road trip with my parents, brother and uncle and we spent about half a day in Vegas. My mom always wanted to go back so I convinced them this was the summer to do it with rates as cheap as they are. They will be here June 29-July 3 so I'll have to spend some time showing them around. I've been doing a lot of research to find out where they can get free slot play and the like for player's club sign-ups so they can get the most bang for their buck.

Anyway, that is my tentative schedule, crafted so I can get the most bang for my (few) bucks. I always like variety and you can see that in the events I plan to enter. Considering what I'm playing this summer I'm not likely to strike it rich, but if I can bring home a good month's wage I will be happy enough with the results.

Catching up...Vegas songs for your iPod

2009-05-26T06:57:00.003-05:00

Got a backload of posts to make (including POW for last week) so let's get started...

Made a top 10 list of songs to get you in the mood for Vegas to put on your iPod. Gave this one to Al for FTP, but not sure he wants this one. Here it is at Poker Nation if it is of any use to you:

Vegas playlist for your iPod

By "Tuscaloosa" Johnny Kampis

The World Series of Poker is only days away. You’re beginning to pack your bags (don’t forget the sunscreen) and have printed your boarding passes at home. Before you hop on that plane remember to load up your iPod with all of your favorite tunes. In fact, to get you in the mood for your stay in the glitz and glamour of Sin City I’ve compiled my top ten list of Vegas themed tunes you may want to add to your playlist. Some of these have become unofficial Vegas anthems more due to the singer (Elvis, Sinatra, et al.) or the big band aspect than the subject matter, but all should get you pumped for the trip at 40,000 feet.

10. Big Spender – Peggy Lee

Lee recorded this song in 1966, after it had already become a hit on the musical “Sweet Charity.” Imagine yourself walking through the Rio with your fat bankroll and women dripping off your arm as you listen to this one. Another interesting tidbit about this tune is that it was the song the character Ellen Griswold dances to naked in the bathroom in “European Vacation” that later causes her grief when the videotape recorded by her husband, Clark Griswold, is accidentally lost and later shown to audiences in Europe.

9. Burning Love – Elvis Presley

Released in 1972, in the thick of the fat Elvis Vegas years, this was one of the few rock songs in the later part of his career and his last Top 40 hit. Receiving much play in the Las Vegas Hilton showroom during his performances there, “Burning Love” is another Sin City regular.

8. I Get a Kick Out of You – Frank Sinatra

An example of a song on the list that is more about the man than the message. The song itself does not have any Vegas or gambling references, but Ol’ Blue Eyes was a staple on the Strip for years as part of the Rat Pack. You could fill this slot with many Sinatra songs, and I listed a couple of them in the honorable mention selections below.

7. Can’t Help Falling in Love – Elvis Presley

Appealing to the romantic side, this one is a staple of many a romantic movie set in Vegas. I think of all the little wedding chapels between the Strip and Downtown when I hear this one, not to mention that I fell in love with my own future wife long distance while here in the summer of 2006.

6. A Little Less Conversation – Elvis Presley

It seems since the television show “Las Vegas” used this as its intro music that this song often pops up in Vegas themed productions. In a town that’s all about action this song fits. Elvis could be saying just shut up and roll the dice.

5. A Game of Poker – Nelson Riddle

Riddle worked extensively with the Rat Pack over the years, including conducting the scores of their motion pictures “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Robin and the 7 Hoods”. He wrote arrangements for numerous Sinatra songs, as well. Listen to this full orchestral arrangement tune and imagine sitting at the poker table in the 60s with Sammy Davis Jr. on your right and Joey Bishop on your left.

4. Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley

Finally, we have a song that actually mentions Vegas – in the title! Written and performed for the 1964 film of the same name, this catchy song says “the bright lights are going to set my soul on fire. Gotta whole lotta money that’s ready to burn so get those stakes up higher.”

3. Danke Schoen – Wayne Newton

No Vegas list would be complete without Wayne Newton, and this is his most famous work. Meaning “thank you” in German, “Danke Schoen” is a staple of Mr. Vegas. Listen to it and imagine how many times he has sung this one in the various Vegas showrooms over the last several decades since he first recorded it in 1963.

2. Ain’t That a Kick in the Head – Dean Martin

You almost never watch a movie set in Vegas without hearing this one, from another Rat Pack member. Again, it doesn’t reference Vegas yet it has become another unofficial Vegas anthem. Martin sang it in the original “Ocean’s Eleven” and Nelson Riddle (see number five) conducted the background orchestra.

1. Luck Be a Lady – Frank Sinatra

A great gambler’s lament. Sinatra sings about how both luck at the tables and luck with the ladies is a fickle thing. How true it is. Backed up by a full orchestra, this song is the quintessential Vegas song. Sammy Davis Jr. also recorded a faster version, but this one is best.

Honorable Mention – Wear My Ring Around Your Neck and Good Luck Charm by Elvis, The Lady is a Tramp and I’ve Got You Under My Skin by Sinatra, Who’s Got the Action by Dean Martin and I’m Shooting High by Nat King Cole.

Let's talk Vegas meetups Part 3

2009-05-20T08:37:00.002-05:00

So on the 25th...CK can use her insider IP connections to get a mixed game rolling there followed later by bowling at the Gold Coast. Anyone up for a little dinner before the mixed game?

Maybe dinner at 5 p.m., mixed game around 6-6:30, bowling 10-11? Thoughts? Who is in? Is this too much packed into one night? My thoughts are that it is harder to get several folks together on multiple occasions than on one night, but maybe it would be better to spread it out?

Dream Team Poker, meet the World Series of Poker

2009-05-19T18:08:00.002-05:00

Media release from the Harrah's brass today:

DREAM TEAM POKER TO HOLD EVENT AT THE 2009 WORLD SERIES OF POKER

Team-Based Event to be played during final days of 40TH Annual WSOP

BEVERLY HILLS & LAS VEGAS, MAY 19, 2009: Dream Team PokerTM has taken the industry by storm in the few short months since their inaugural event. Giving team-based poker validation with their successful structure, Dream Team Poker will host a tournament at the 2009 World Series of Poker®. The event will be held at the Rio® All-Suite Hotel & Casino from July 12-13, 2009 with the buy-in of $500 + $60 per player ($1,680 per team). The first 300 teams that pre-register on www.dreamteampoker.com will receive personalized jerseys for the tournament.

“After seeing the terrific response to the recent Dream Team Poker tournaments in Las Vegas, we thought a team-based event would be a fun addition to the end of the WSOP,” said Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP Commissioner. “The Dream Team Poker event is one of the many new elements added in 2009 that will help make this summer a memorable one for all WSOP players and fans.”

Dream Team Poker has quickly gained traction and saw significant growth in the past six months alone. The speed of progression that Dream Team Poker experienced can be attributed to the two successful events held in November 2008 and March 2009. The invitation-only opening event was sold-out within weeks and was attended by top pros and celebrities. The most recent event at Caesars Palace garnered record attention from the media, professionals and average players, who turned out by the dozens to play. The tournament sold out the Caesars poker room with 148 teams and 444 players.

“The WSOP and the Rio have really shown their commitment to the players in continuing to innovate and try new concepts,” said Daniel Delshad, CEO of Dream Team Gaming. “Bringing our brand to the Rio during the WSOP and onto the most hollowed ground in the sport is a powerful way to introduce Dream Team Poker to the world.”

Dream Team Poker has added a new dimension to the poker industry with their patent-pending team-based tournament structure. It brings a new layer of competition and strategy to the game of poker while providing team-based and individual prize pools for the players.

Dream Team Poker will have a booth outside of the Amazon Room throughout the World Series of Poker. Staff will also be on hand to answer questions about the tournament and to explain the rules and structure.

Let's talk Vegas meetups Part 2

2009-05-19T08:05:00.002-05:00

I think we have a motion the floor from QueensUp for bowling at the Gold Coast the night of the 25th. I tentatively have penciled in that day to play the $150 LHE event at Binion's as there is little going on the 25th I can afford to play in, and am not concerned if I play it or not. I'd probably be at the final table or out by late night anyway I figure...

So who is up for bowling the night of the 25th? Mixed games at the Venetian either earlier in the evening or on the 26th? Maybe BWoP, whose SSN is 123-45-6789, can get us a table with her connections.

Congrats, by the way, to HighOnPoker for yet another win last night. Three wins in seven events played in May? Inconceivable! I was at the Coldplay concert in Birmingham last night. It was awesome! They played for a couple of hours, about 25 to 30 songs, most all the big hits and practically all songs off Viva La Vida. They also covered "I'm a Believer" and we all got a free live CD on the way out that included a couple of previously unrecorded Coldplay songs.

Let's talk Vegas meetups

2009-05-17T07:50:00.003-05:00

It's too bad that all of us who might like to meet each other aren't going to be in Vegas at the same time, but with a seven-week WSOP and people having J-O-B-S that's just the way it is going to be. So this being my blog all I can worry about are those people who are going to be in Vegas the same time as myself, which is June 22-July 3.

I would like to propose a gathering around June 25 or June 26. Obviously, any blogger who is working the Series will be around then, and QueensUp and SmBoatDrinks are a couple of bloggers who plan to be there around this time (perhaps lightning too?). We could meet one of those nights (or both!) for bowling at the Gold Coast, mixed silly game at Venetian/Caesars/MGM/etc., electronic action at the Excalibur, drinks at the hooker bar at the Rio, whatever...

Share your thoughts, please, or alternative dates if you wish...

TJ'S BBT Player of the Week

2009-05-15T08:12:00.002-05:00

Really, I did not create the Player of the Week award so I could vigorously pat myself on the back, but, well, here we go again.

For the week I made the points three times, with two final tables -- a third in Brit Blogger and fifth in Skillz. The 17th place finish in the Mookie was just enough to squeak into the points and take a slight lead over qrs1 for the May leaderboard at the halfway point of the month. I was actually as proud of that finish as just about any final table I've had. It seemed nothing was going right for me in that thing early (including getting one outted on the river), but then I pushed in with A2 after several limpers and was called by AQ and sucked out. The sucking out I'm not proud of, but I was able to maintain my stack with no good hands and somehow make the top 25 percent. By all accounts I had no business being there.

TJ's BBT Player of the Week for Week 11? TJ!

Planning your summer Vegas trip

2009-05-11T12:51:00.004-05:00

Thanks to the kind comments regarding the BBT. I am on quite the heater the last three weeks. May it please continue!

Here is an updated guide to Vegas planning for 2009. You can't beat the deals this year. The following can also be read at FTP's Blogger from the Rail.

Whether you are a Vegas virgin considering your first trip to Sin City or a grizzled WSOP veteran preparing for yet another six to seven-week slough at the Rio you should find some useful information in my guide to planning your trip to Vegas and the WSOP.

Below are some helpful hints that I hope will enable you to save time and/or money as you make your Vegas planning for June and July. This is the best year since I’ve been regularly traveling in the summer for the WSOP for vacation discounts in Vegas.

Keep checking back here at Full Tilt Poker’s Bloggers from the Rail in the coming weeks in the run-up to the granddaddy of poker tournaments as I bring you a series of articles highlighting the ins and outs of summer in Vegas, from WSOP orientation, to the must see sights, and the other tournaments in town you may want to consider during your stay.

Flights

Step one is deciding on how to get there. For most of us that means airlines. Reports are that average airfares are down 10 to 20 percent from last summer, thanks to the slumping economy and dropping gas prices. A quick look through the various online travel sites proves that theory out as many cross country flights can be had on many summer days for as low as $200-$250 round trip to Vegas.

There are ways to save even more on airfare. First, go to Southwest.com and download its Ding program. This will allow you to view Southwest’s daily specials for the departure cities of your choosing. For example, from my home airport of Birmingham, Southwest’s roundtrip fares to Vegas generally run $250-$300 with fees included, but occasionally on Ding those same fares drop to around $200 for the same flights.

The other recommendation I have is to bookmark the site AirfareWatchdog.com. You can search a city and find some really good daily or weekly deals that pop up from time to time, or view the top 50 cheap fares on any given day. Sign up with your email and get daily alerts from the site. In recent months, users got wind of a ridiculous $14 fare on Jet Blue from New York to San Francisco so this site could be well worth your time.

Rooms

Never have I seen room rates in Vegas this cheap. It truly is a bonanza on lodging there this summer as rates are down 30 percent or more at many properties. I found a ridiculous deal through Orbitz in which I paid less than $300 to stay on three and four-star Harrah’s owned mid-Strip properties for 11 nights in June and July.

Here is that deal: You can use the promo code 4ODWR75 to get $75 off a four-night weekday stay (Sunday through Thursday or Monday through Friday). This is some collaboration between Orbitz and Office Depot. In addition, on Orbitz there is a separate promotion at Harrah’s properties that allows you to receive a fourth night free with a three-night stay. I booked the Flamingo June 22-June 26 for $57 and Bally’s June 29-July 3 for $88 using the combined promotions. I sandwiched the Imperial Palace in between with no weekend discount for $152 for three nights. Total: $297.

Deals like this can be found by scouring popular travel discussion forums. I found this deal while looking at the popular 2 + 2 poker forums. (The poster had used the Office Depot promo to book the El Cortez for $12 for four nights.) Try these sites to find deals that may pop up over the next couple of months: LasVegasAdvisor.com, CheapoVegas.com, FatWallet.com and SlickDeals.net.

Another thing to consider before booking your room is the hotel’s location and your transportation situation. If you plan to rent a car then location within a few miles of Rio and the Strip is fine. If you plan to taxi it, then staying any farther than mid-Strip can be cost prohibitive. If you stay at the Rio you are obviously set for travel to the WSOP. The same is true for the Gold Coast, which is next door, and the Palms, which is about a quarter mile west of the Rio on Flamingo.

Cheaper rates for rooms can be found Downtown, but other than the Golden Nugget most properties are of the two-star variety. Also, aside from the Nugget and Binion’s (both of which are running nice summer poker tournament series – more about that in a future article), there are no other good poker rooms Downtown so you will often be traveling to the Rio or the Strip for the juicy poker action. If you rent a car this isn’t much of an issue, but is a major consideration if you are not.

Transportation

You have several options for getting around: taxis, rental cars, buses and hoofing it (NOT recommended, unless in moderation). Let’s look at each in turn.

If you come into town with a fat roll then you can probably afford cabs around town. From much of the Strip to the Rio will cost you around $10-$12 one way. From Downtown to the Rio is about $15-$20. If you plan a lengthy stay the fares will certainly add up.

Alternatively, you can rent a car. Rates are rather reasonable in Las Vegas, as an economy car will only set you back about $25-$30 a day, and having a car will give you a ton of freedom in exploring all parts of the city and beyond. I highly recommend this option.

A third choice is taking the city buses. Fares on the Deuce, the double decker buses that run up and down the Strip and to Downtown are $3 for one ride. A daily pass is available for $7, as is a three-day pass for $15. You can also use these buses to ride from the Strip to the Rio. There are two major negatives to bus travel: one, you have to hoof it to the bus stops, which might be a fair hike, and two, travel by bus is very slow. It can take more than an hour to get from Downtown to the Rio by riding a bus to Caesars Palace, getting off and walking around the corner to the Flamingo stop to get on a second bus to the Rio, for example.

I should also note that there is a free shuttle bus that Harrah’s runs from its namesake Harrah’s casino on the Strip to the Rio and back, which is a viable and obviously very cheap option to travel between the Strip and the Rio. At Harrah’s you board the bus at the bottom of the parking garage and at the Rio you board just outside the buffet entrance, which is to the left from the front of the casino.

Lastly, we have hoofing it. Vegas in the summer is not a pleasant time to spend walking around in the sun as the thermostat pretty well stays above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime and above 90 degrees at night. Granted, the lack of humidity makes conditions more comfortable than they would be at the same temperatures in my neck of the woods in Alabama, but you still feel like your ears and nose are baking in an oven. The distance from Caesars Palace to the Rio may look deceptively shorter than it is – it’s about a mile in reality. I’ve walked it a couple of times during the day and night and I wouldn’t recommend either. At day you bake as the sun shines off the sidewalk and asphalt and at night you worry you’re likely to get robbed as the walk is pretty isolated (because people have enough sense not to try it!) If you plan to do some casino hopping on foot pace yourself by frequently stopping into the highly air conditioned properties on the Strip and hydrate yourself often.

TJ'S BBT Player of the Week(s) and Mookie win

2009-05-07T08:50:00.005-05:00

I realized I did not give out an award for last week as I prepared to decide who would get it this week (an easy decision it turns out). There were no clear dominant players in Week 9, the last seven-day stretch of April. Unless I am overlooking names on my results sheet I am the only player to make two final tables, finishing eighth in Skills and fourth in the Mookie. Given that I was trying to protect my monthly points lead also yields extra brownie points, like it did Queens Up the last week of March. Therefore, I once again give the award to myself for Week 9, going back to back.

It was not a three-peat, however, as a new dominant force emerged in May. Qrs1 (who apparently is CK's ringer. By the way, CK's real name is Xxxxxx Yyyyyy) finished in the top 10 three times in Week 10, winning the Riverchasers on Monday and almost repeating in the Mookie last night. For this fiery start to May, qrs1 is TJ's BBT Player of the Week for Week 10.

My week turned out almost as good. I managed a third in the Brit Blogger and somehow pulled out the win in the Mookie last night. I won at least two key races, one a sick one with A-K versus Q-Q on a board of 2s-Q-4s-9-Ts when we got it all-in preflop. Qrs1 was domainating the final table before jimdniacc doubled through him and then I gathered most of the chips (my short-term memory does not enable me to remember the hands). When jim and I got HU I had about a 2-to-1 chip lead. On the final hand, he raised and I called with A-6. After a flop of 8-A-8 I check-raised all-in. He thought and called with A-2 and I thought a chop was imminent. When the turn and river came 5-4 I was wondering why I got the whole pot and noticed that by some miracle my kicker played.

If qrs1 had won last night it wouldn't even be a race for May so thank me for keeping it competitive. ;) I figure when the standings are updated qrs1 will have a little shy of 300 points, with me about 50 points behind. I'll have to make every tourney count if I am going to go back to back as I should miss at least three events this month.

Calling all Vegas bloggers Part 2

2009-05-05T08:40:00.004-05:00

Instead of adding to the existing post that will continue to sink further to the bottom of the blog I will just keep making a new one as we discuss summer travel plans. Here are travel schedules as I know them:

CEMfromMD 6/11-6/14
Shabazz Jenkins 6/17-6/22
lightning36 6/18-6/24 (tentative)
Me 6/22-7/3
QueensUp 6/25-7/1

And among those in Vegas for the duration of the WSOP include: LJ, Al, Otis, Pauly, Dan M., CK, F-Train, Change100...

The third week of June appears to be a sweet spot for meetups. Thoughts? Places? Dates?

Be sure to take advantage of the deal listed below here and extend your stay if you can.

If you're going to Vegas you absolutely NEED to read this

2009-05-05T07:37:00.003-05:00

Now there are deals and then there are DEALS. I was wandering the 2 + 2 forums Sunday afternoon during the Brit Blogger tournament and ran across a post on cheap WSOP accommodations. But boy I did not realize how cheap.

The guy who wrote the post booked a room during the week at the El Cortez for four nights, paying a grand total of $12. Of course, not everyone enjoys a hotel the caliber of that downtown clunker so I did a little research. It turns out the $75 off your stay promotional code the guy listed can be applied to most Vegas properties. In addition, it seems that all Harrah's properties have a deal on Orbitz where you can book three nights during the week and get a fourth for free.

Here is what I booked:
Flamingo: Monday, June 22-Friday, June 26 -- COST $57
Imperial Palace: Friday, June 26-Monday, June 29 -- COST $152 (no discounts for the weekend, but still a heck of a price for a mid-Strip property)
Bally's: Monday, 29-Friday, July 3 -- COST $88

In total that's 11 nights on mid-Strip properties of three and four-star quality for a grand total of $297!

The promo code is 4ODWR75 and is some deal with Orbitz and Office Depot. It's good from June through part of August so is valid during the week for the duration of the WSOP. If you haven't made your WSOP travel plans or have the ability to change them I would certainly recommend you take advantage of this one as it could be the best discounts in Vegas you will ever see.

Calling all Vegas traveling bloggers!

2009-05-03T14:29:00.002-05:00

Please use the comments under this post to post your travel dates and plans. Let's discuss our schedules so we can plan a get-together during our time in Vegas this summer...

I still haven't set my exact plan, but I'm looking in the time frame of the last week of June and first of July, probably going and coming sometime between Father's Day and Indpendence Day.

To Vegas or not to Vegas? (P.S. Give Al some love)

2009-04-30T08:20:00.002-05:00

Thanks again to all last night with the kind comments on my April POTM win, which brings me to the point of this post...

For most of this year I have been thinking that this would be the first WSOP I would miss since I started going in 2004. Of course, I've said that the last two years, but in 2007 I got last minute work for PokerWorks and last summer was a combination of winning blogger prizes, getting work for that slave driver Dan Michalski over at Pokerati and also winning the FullTilt Poker writing contest. But this was going to be the year I did not go.

Then while on my California vacation (of which I STILL haven't posted pics or a trip report) I got an email from a major poker media website that will remain nameless that made it sound like I had a high-paying job waiting for me in Vegas at the WSOP if I wanted it. Well I jumped at that and when I got back to Alabama I called the guy. Turns out I was only in the running for the job. Well long story short I did not get it.

So Vegas was out. I had mixed feelings about the deal because it would have required me to be there during the entire seven-week Series, which is a heck of a long time to be away from your wife and your home. Granted with the money I would have made I could have flown Amy out there a couple of times maybe, but it's not the same. It also would have required me to back out of a planned mission trip with our church to Nicaragua, where we are going to help build a house for a poor family. I was feeling kind of guilty about possibly backing out of this trip. The combination of those factors made me fairly indifferent about not getting the WSOP gig.

But as I resigned myself to missing the bright lights of Sin City, I still secretly hoped to go out for a week or two to experience the standard poker euphoria that takes place at the Rio each and every summer, as well as hang with friends at the hooker bar and the Gold Coast bowling center. Thanks to Full Tilt Poker and Al Can't Hang it looks like that's going to happen. I still have to decide when to go, and for now I'm looking at late June-early July for that.

This brings me to the second point of the post. If you haven't been over to Al's site in the last few days go have a read and show him some love. The lovable lug of a man spends countless hours tabluating point totals and arranging these prizes with Full Tilt, and we bloggers in general don't show him nearly enough support for his efforts. The slumping attendance in the last month doesn't exactly put on a good face for us either.

I think Al was right on the money with this comment:

I suggest everyone come out to enjoy the time and free stuff while you have the chance, you know the money train is going to stop sooner or later.

So go thank Al for putting all this stuff together every chance you get, and please come out in May and play some blogger events before FTP decides they are no longer worth their time...

WSOP Conference Call

2009-04-29T16:51:00.002-05:00

It’s now less than four weeks away.

The 40th annual World Series of Poker will begin on May 26, with 57 bracelets events on the schedule this year. In preparation for the granddaddy of poker tournaments, WSOP officials held their annual conference call with members of the poker media on Tuesday afternoon. Here are some of the highlights of that session:

WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack mentioned three events that are either new or revamped in honor of the 40th anniversary. Most of you may already be aware of the $40,000 No-Limit Hold’em event planned for May 28. This four-day event “will bring out the best players in the world and produce a final table for the ages,” Pollack said. What you may not have heard about is the Champions Invitational to be held on May 31. This event will bring together past main event champions “who will play for bragging rights as the champion of champions.” The winner will receive two sweet prizes – a restored 1970 Chevrolet Corvette and a newly created commemorative trophy called the Binion Cup in honor of the family that started the WSOP. Jack Binion will be on hand to present the trophy to the winner. The third thing Pollack mentioned was the revamped Gaming Life Expo, which will now be known as PokerPalooza and will feature more interactive games and exhibits. This is “our version of NBA’s Jam Session or the NFL Experience,” Pollack said.

The “November Nine” will be back. This year’s championship weekend will be expanded – play from nine players in the main event down to two will take place on Saturday, Nov. 7, and heads-up play for the championship will be on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The final will again receive same day primetime ESPN coverage.

He also said that the Poker Hall of Fame selection process has been tweaked on this its 30th anniversary. The public will be able to submit nominations online at worldseriesofpoker.com from May 28 to July 2. During the main event the top 10 list of nominees will be announced. This list will be sent to the HOF committee, who will review the list and determine if any additions or deletions are needed. In September, the final ballot will be sent to 16 living hall of famers (out of 37 so enshrined) and select media representatives. Anyone who receives at least 75 percent of the vote will be inducted into the Hall at the main event final table in November, a process similar to the Baseball Hall of Fame. “The selection process is not only sensible, but open in a way it has never been before,” Pollack said.

Another aspect receiving a tweak is the bracelet presentation ceremonies. Pollack said that many players receive their bracelets “under the cover of darkness” after winning an event in the wee hours of the morning. Now there will be a bracelet presentation ceremony every day at 2 p.m. in the Amazon ballroom. “The World Series of Poker gold bracelet is poker’s crown jewel and for some time I’ve felt that every bracelet, not just the main event bracelet, deserves a special ceremony,” he said.

The code of player conduct will now be conducted into the official rules and WSOP staff will now maintain a written log of all penalties issued to a player during the WSOP and will use that log to better enforce the rules. “The intent here is simple – work to better ensure that the tournament floor is a civil, comfortable and courteous environment for all players, better manage those players who break the rules of engagement or fail to conduct themselves appropriately and further protect the competitive integrity of the WSOP,” Pollack said. This log will not be available for the public or the media to view, much as police investigations are not public record, said Tournament Director Jack Effel.

Effel said that the opening weekend $1,000 NLHE “Economic Stimulus” event as WSOP officials are dubbing it is expected to be the largest non-main event tournament in the WSOP’s history. The four-day event will have two starting days and pre-registration is already creeping into the four digits, he said. “We’re expecting a sellout weekend.”

He also highlighted the $2,500 Deuce to Seven No-Limit Triple Draw event, which has traditionally only been offered at a $10,000 buy in. “We felt that this was a very important game to the tradition of the World Series of Poker. We want to continue that tradition so we’re offering an entry level event at $2,500,” Effel said. There will also be a $2,500 eight-game Mixed Event in the same vein.

While there are no rebuy events this year, many tournaments will have add-on chips, including all Pot-Limit Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo Split events. Players can add-on their chips between hands during the add-on period and will receive any unused add-on chips after the add-on period is over. Can I write the word add-on one more time? Yes I can.

Effel talked vaguely about an overhaul of the payouts for tournaments, without giving many specifics. He said a professor at Washington & Lee University, as well as poker pros Barry Greenstein and Howard Lederer were involved in the discussion. He said more information will be forthcoming as the payouts are worked out.

This year also brings the addition of a one-hand penalty for some offenses. Levels of discipline now include: verbal warning, one-hand penalty, one round, two rounds, three rounds, four rounds and disqualification.

The 2009 WSOP has a high retention rate of dealers despite a tougher audition process. “We had a very extensive audition process. If they weren’t able to deal Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo Split, Pot-Limit Omaha and Deuce to Seven Triple Draw they didn’t get in this year. What we’re looking for are the diverse dealers, the experienced dealers who can deal all the games, not just No-Limit Hold’em, which will provide a better experience for the players and in turn we will have a better tournament because of that,” Effel said. Along those lines, he said that the floor staff will go through a rigorous four-day training session prior to the start of the WSOP in which they will go over al the rules and will act out possible scenarios that could occur on the tables.

Table capacity has been expanded to 306, with some shuffling around. The Amazon ballroom will continue to be the main gaming floor and will now have two final table areas, Effel said. Brasilia will be used again, but this time the full room is available so there will be 95 tables in here in 2009, up from 65 in 2008. The Miranda room will have 56 tables. The single-table satellites are now located in Brasilia. “Last year we had 23 tables allotted for satellites. This year we’re going to have 48 and possibly more if the demand is there. The cage will be bigger. There will be more offerings,” Effel said. Single-table satellite schedules are available online at worldseriesofpoker.com.

Doug White form ESPN said the network will focus on the main event this year. ESPN plans to air six hours of bracelet events and increase main event coverage up to 24 hours, with 2 to 2.5 hours of the final table in November planned. “We feel that the main event is what viewers are looking for for poker programming. It helps us cover the unfolding drama of the World Series of Poker,” he said. Bracelet coverage is expected to include the $50,000 HORSE event, as well as the Champions Invitational (technically cup coverage, but who worries about such semantics?)

Future champion!

TJ'S BBT Player of the Week

2009-04-29T08:28:00.002-05:00

It should come as no surprise that I had to give the award to myself for last week. I won the Big Game and finished third in both Riverchaers and Skillz razz to give myself a nice points lead going into the final week of the month.

That lead has evaporated some since then. In last week's Mookie I cruelly lost a race against top competitor ElSnarfGrande with 9-9 versus A-Q when the board ran out J-T-8-7-9. ElSnarfGrande went on to make the final seven when the lights went out later in the evening. He was back at it this Monday, finishing fifth in the Riverchasers event. In this one I was at one time the chipleader, but self-destructed to a degree (I think this is the third event in BBT4 that at one time I was the chipleader yet failed to make even the points).

CracknKK, with a stack of about 15K, raised to 720. I decided to flat call in the SB with A-K. Schaubs popped it to about 2,100 of his 11K stack and cracknKK folded. Thinking this could be a squeeze I re-raised all-in for about 6K total. Schaubs insta-called with A-A. If I had re-raised preflop I could have folded to an all-in push by Schaubs behind me. Oh well. This was a spot (with 19 players left and 13 making the points) where I definitely should not have gambled as my overall equity for the month greatly increases by just making the points. Despite my advocacy of consistent point gathering I have definitely been willing to gamble it up more in BBT4, if my two times directly on the points bubble is any indication.

After Monday my points lead over the now second-place ElSnarfGrande was now down to 80, but fortunes turned Tuesday night. Other than winning the thing, I couldn't have asked for a better result in the Skillz stud/8 event. I finished eighth while only Shabazz Jenkins made the points among my closest competitors for the monthly points race, finishing in 12th. If my math is correct, and believe me it's often wrong, only SJ and ESG are capable of overtaking me in tonight's final event of the month, The Mookie. A first or second by either would be required (and I'm not sure if second place would provide enought points for victory) as I figure to have a 130 point lead or so. Good luck to my honorable foes tonight. If one of you sneaks up and beat me I will only be getting my just desserts as I beat both twoblackaces and JDSchellnut last year on the last or next-to-last event of the months I won.

Crisis of confidence is over!

2009-04-22T08:48:00.003-05:00

I have to admit after struggling in March I wasn't feeling too good about my BBT game. I fired up the laptop each Sunday through Wednesday night not really feeling like I was going to have success in that day's BBT event. I ran a little bad and I played a little bad. I called turn all-in check raises with one overpair in hold'em, chased bad draws in stud and then got sucked out on when I was actually on my game.

But hope springs eternal, especially as a new month begins and the leaderboard slate is wiped clean for the next BBT prize. The month started OK for me, but the last two weeks have been better than I could have expected. In the eight BBT events of the last two weeks I have one win, one second, and after last night's Skillz razz tournament, three thirds. The sick run has boosted me to about 588 points to give me a nearly 200 point lead over Shabazz Jenkins on the monthly leaderboard and leaves me about 35 points shy of QueensUp in the now tight race for the overall leaderboard.

I should also note that Amy has been incredibly supportive of my efforts in the BBT. I did not mean to imply in my last post that she was not, only that I may not have been the best husband I could be while focusing on BBT3 last year. In fact, last night before nodding off, she prediced a top five finish for me. She told me this morning after I revealed my result that she really thought I would finish third, but didn't want to say so for fear of possibly offending me by implying that I would not win!

Last night I didn't get involved in a lot of big hands. It seemed like most of the time when I raised on third street and was called my opponent caught a brick on fourth and folded. Three notable hands I remember was once when I started with A236 against Champ Sampson and caught TTT. That hand cripped me. I more than tripled up in one spot against NewinNov and two other opponents (one of whom was shortstacked) when I started with A27, got it all-in and made a 6542A. My bad luck against Champ was made up for against tilt away when he started with something like A235 and caught 333. That built my stack up to around 45K, but then I had no luck when we got down to four players. And the bring ins...oh the bring ins. I don't think I have had nearly this many in any stud game I've played. I think Champ and I pretty much got to open 75% of the pots at our table between us.

So now we have five more events to go in April and I'm feeling good about my game. Bring on The Mookie.

Where have all the cowboys gone?

2009-04-21T09:54:00.002-05:00

BBT4 started with all the excitement and anticipation you would expect, with dozens of poker players/bloggers eager to battle in competition against one another for fantastic bonus prizes. Now, slightly more than halfway through, attendance numbers have dwindled...dramatically. The Mookie is still getting close to 70 players (although down from 100 or more before) while the other three weekly events generally get less than 50 and often less than 40.

I'm perplexed, if not really complaining. You would think with the freebies one could win for a small investment (weekly buy-ins in non-Big Game weeks total less than $55) folks would be flocking to BBT events. Instead they are disappearing. Of course, that just makes the going easier for us vying for the prizes. Your chances of winning a monthly leaderboard $2,000 bonus dramatically increases if there are 30 regulars rather than 60.

Granted, not everyone has the free time I've got so I can understand the time constraints. This can be especially stressful on a marriage. I know Amy felt I didn't focus enough on her last year, but a combination of me trying better time allocation in the evenings and the realization of the potential pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (remember I scooped up $3,750 in bonuses in BBT3) is making BBT4 easier for us as a couple.

There have also been a lot of people who have captured their TOC seat and gone into hibernation until June. Again, if you don't have the time to dedicate to 60 events over three months I can understand your position.

But I would think more people would be competing for the monthly prizes. Thoughts on why they are not? Where have the cowboys gone?

TJ'S BBT Player of the Week

2009-04-20T16:00:00.002-05:00

Better late than never, right? As tempting as it was to give the award to myself:

Tuscaloosa Johnny: "Here's the award for the Player of the Week for Week 7."
Tuscaloosa Johnny: "Why thank you. I knew I would get it."
Tuscaloosa Johnny: "It was well deserved. You are the best BBT player...ever."
Tuscaloosa Johnny: "I know."

After some reflection I gave hoyazo his second Player of the Week award for BBT4. The linchpin was winning The Mookie, which has the largest fields each week. For the week, hoyazo final tabled two events, with a ninth in Riverchasers included. I had a second and a third, but personally docked myself for not pulling out a win and imploding in the Mookie after leading with about 50 players left and managing to finish about 35th. Congrats on a nice week hoyazo.

After not pulling out a win in Week 7, I made up for it with an absolute luckbox victory in the Blogger Big Game yesterday. Never before have I won a tournament in which I so deserved to lose. To wit:

My flopped two pair > Closer's turned flush
Heads Up my K7 > QueensUp's KQ
Heads Up my A9 > QueensUp's AJ

There were another one or two wins as a 3 to 1 dog mixed in there. Any complaints I had about running bad in BBT4 were more than made up for with the good fortune I had on Sunday. QueensUp and I split the money so the victory was about a +$630 uptick. If you're going to run good in the BBT4, aside from the TOC the Blogger Big Game is the best event in which to do it.

Also notable is the win puts me slightly ahead of Shabazz Jenkins for the monthly leaderboard $2K bonus. The race remains very tight with seven events remaining so another handful of final tables will be on my wish list for the next two weeks.

Big news for the Kampises

2009-04-17T07:56:00.002-05:00

I'll try to post the Player of the Week this afternoon, but first comes the bigger news.

A week ago Amy came home and took a certain kind of test. On Monday we went to the doctor and it was further confirmed. Yes, we're having a baby!

The due date is December 15 and we've got a lot to do to get ready for him or her. I am excited/scared/elated beyond words.

SCOOP action

2009-04-13T16:23:00.001-05:00

By the way I'm spending this Monday afternoon live blogging the smallish $109 SCOOP main event for PS. The action has been fast and furious in the first hour of Day 2 play, with already half of the 26 starters eliminated. Follow in here.

Close one

2009-04-13T15:18:00.002-05:00

Just missed in the Sunday Brit Blogger tournament Easter afternoon. Prior to yesterday I had had no luck in this event, but I hung around for awhile, making the final table as the short stack and caught some hands. I misread a bet by Julkeus four-handed as being weak when it was strong, doubling him up and crippling myself. After that I managed to win an all-in or two and won the blinds uncontested to get back in contention. In the end it was Julkeus versus myself in a back-and-forth battle that lasted close to an hour. The short stack kept doubling up until I finally succumbed. Julkeus got his TOC seat so congrats to my very worthy heads-up adversary.

It's amazing to me that after 26 events there has been no repeat winner yet because there honestly aren't that many people who play day in and day out. I sure could have used the extra 70 or so points I would have received for first yesterday in the April points race. Maybe this month I can be in contention instead of a dead duck in the last week.

TJ'S BBT Player of the Week

2009-04-13T15:11:00.002-05:00

I was a little slow with the BBT this time. I've been busy working on the PokerStars SCOOP events for their blog and then this was Easter weekend, of course. So as we go into Week 7 of the BBT4 here is the award for Week 6.

It was a pretty each choice to pick Shabazz Jenkins. He finished runner-up in the Brit Blogger tournament and third in the Mookie to grab a nice early lead in the Player of the Month contest. For his efforts, Shabazz Jenkins is the Week 6 Player of the Week.

TJ'S BBT Player of the Week

2009-04-03T00:51:00.003-05:00

Well, doing the player of the week graphic was easy enough this week. All I had to do was change the week number from 4 to 5.

1QueensUp1 knew what he needed to do to win the points race for March and he came in and did it. He didn't quite get there after finishing eighth in the Brit Blogger game, but did pull to a small lead after finishing fourth in Riverchasers. He topped that off by pulling away with an 11th-place finish in the Skillz stud, making Wednesday night's Mookie relatively sweat free, as only a few opponents could catch him. In many ways, 1QueensUp1's run reminds me of my own March run last year with the late come from behind victory. For his efforts, 1QueensUp1 is the first two-time winner of TJ's Player of the Week award in BBT4 and as we all know that is worth much more then $1,500.

Congrats to 1QueensUp1 and some bad news

2009-04-01T06:56:00.003-05:00

A well-deserved $1,500 seat is headed to him for the month of March. He tore through the field with eight final tables (and almost another last night in Sutd) and made the points 11 times in 18 tries. What a finish.

I didn't come close to replicating the magic of last March. Last night was a dandy. I caught the deck early and rocketed to the top of the leaderboard and then proceeded to start with fantastic draws only to miss. For example, I started four to a flush three times toward the end of my night and missed all three, two of those times with either gutshot or open-ended straight draws to go with the flush draws. I went from tournament leader to 36th in a heartbeat.

You may have seen how deeply Harrah's was discounting its rooms this summer for the WSOP. Visitation to Vegas is down drastically this year with the weak economy. Now the unbelievable has happened -- Harrah's has announced it is canceling the WSOP. Officials said they can't expect to recoup the cost of hosting the event because of the expected downturn in poker players coming to town. You can read more details of the sad news here.

TJ'S BBT Player of the Week

2009-03-26T12:40:00.003-05:00

No easy choice this week, but I decided to go with 1QueensUp1 because of his third-place finish in Monday's Riverchasers and his sixth-place showing in Tuesday's Skillz. Those high finishes give him some crucial points going into the final three tournaments of the month. Although the standings weren't updated Wednesday, I believe 1QueensUp1's finish in the Skillz temporarily boosted him to the top of the leaderboard before 125Will's 11th place finish last night in the Mookie. 1QueensUp1 just finished out of the points in the Mookie himself. For his strong showing in Week 4, 1QueensUp1 is TJ's BBT Player of the Week.

New Web Poll

2009-03-26T09:24:00.001-05:00

Check the lower part of the sidebar for a new poll regarding summer tournaments in Las Vegas. Tell me which ones you like the best.

Player of the Week award coming soon. Tough decision this week.

BBT3 POW...Will I get to award it to myself for Week 4?

2009-03-24T11:13:00.006-05:00

I was gone to California all last week. We flew into San Francisco on Monday, drove a car down the Pacific Coast Highway to Los Angeles and flew home Saturday. (Trip report coming soon.) Therefore, I didn't have a chance to record all of the results for Week 3 of the BBT. However, after looking at the leaderboard and talking with bloggers, it's obvious the Player of the Week has to be 125Will. He managed a win and a runner-up finish to rocket to the top of the leaderboard with 615.2 points. Congrats on an awesome week 125Will.

As for me I was pretty much ready to pack it in for the month of March in the BBT, but I decided to play this week because 1) I might as well try to take as many chances as possible to win my TOC seat, 2) there is still the overall leaderboard for the series to consider, and 3) the competition is always fun. Good decision me:

Donk_TuckFard and I had a protracted heads-up battle lasting more than half an hour. Twice I had him all-in with two overs against two unders and twice he hit his hands. He finally caught up almost to even, but I grinded him back down and finally won when my A-9 held up against his A-6. It feels good to lock up the TOC seat and main event freeroll (which I may be playing in Vegas...more to come when I know for sure) and this win should boost me into the Top 10 on the monthly leaderboard. My chance at the top is still very remote, but with five more events in the month I still have a shot. Both months I won last year were come from behind victories, although not from as far behind as this year.

TJ'S BBT Player of the Week

2009-03-13T06:52:00.005-05:00

It was a tough call this week, but after studying the leaderboards for each event this week I decided to go with smokkee. He made the points (and at least the final two tables) in three out of the four events with a runner-up finish in the Brit Blogger Game to just miss out on locking up a TOC seat. The week's performance should put him in the top 10 on the monthly leaderboard, with a decent shot at winning the $1,500 package.

I had a pretty rough week myself. Sunday was a non-starter. I both played pretty bad and ran into bad play myself. There was one hand where I called a raise with 3-3 for 3x the blind (I think we were playing 60-180). The flop was 7-2-7 and the preflop raiser checked. I bet 270 and he called. The turn was a 2 (or maybe the flop was 2-7-2 and the turn was a 7, I can't remember). We both checked. The river was a queen, he bet 470 and I made a crying call. He showed Q-K. Who can count the ways the hand was played poorly by both of us? His check-call on the flop? My check on the turn? My call on the river? (And possibly his bet on the river?). So nothing happened for me in Riverchasers.

In Skillz, I at least made the points, but it could have been a more productive evening for me. I was confident in my PLO skillz, but my A-A-8-4 couldn't out run K-K-9-2 all-in preflop (you can't do much better than getting it in as a 2-to-1 favorite in PLO) and I finished 12th. I have yet to make a final table in BBT4. In the Mookie I bubbled the points, finishing in 29th.

I was just happy I got to play all of the events this week since I had planned to be in Tunica for most of the week. However, I got some freelance work dropped in my lap and had to head home Tuesday to start cranking it out because it's due at the end of the month and vacation pleasures await starting Monday...

TJ'S BBT Player of the Week

2009-03-05T08:28:00.006-06:00

The first week's winner should be no surprise although midweek I would have picked a different player. I had my eye on lightning36 at first after his hot start, but in the end hoyazo dominated the first week of BBT4.

Hoy played four events this week and managed to make the points in all of them. He final tabled the Big Game on Sunday, earning $690, or as he noted paying for the rest of his BBT4 entries. Hoy led the field with 250.8 points going into Wednesday and finished 25th out of 105 runners in The Mookie, which should put him over 300 for the first week and extend his early lead for the month of March $1,500 seat. Congratulations hoyazo on a great Week 1.

I was semi-happy with my 13th place finish last night. When consistency is key I always feel good about making both the points and the money in a BBT event. Nothing particularly interesting happened for most of the event for me. After we got down in the 20-25 players left range Bone Daddy shoved into me with 9-10 from the SB and I insta called with A-K. The flop brought a pair of 9s and he doubled through (and eventually won the event, so congrats to Bone Daddy). Two hands later I shoved Kc-4c into the aces of OMGItsPokerFool and managed to make both a straight and a flush to double back up. "Instant rebate," Bone Daddy called it.

My demise came a short while later on an insane hand. I had about 16K with blinds at 500-1K and raised to 3K from mid-position with Q-Q. I got called in four spots! First, the big stack behind called, then the 2,700 short stack on the button went all-in. Both the blinds followed into the pot. After a flop of 8-9-J rainbow the prudent move seemed to be to shove, which was followed by two all-in shoves behind me. I was up against 8-8 and 9-9. Why couldn't the flop have been 8-9-Q? I still had six outs, but the turn and river came 5-5. I don't remember who the beneficiary of the hand was, but they won a 80K+ pot, which had to be the biggest of the night up to that point.

Overall, it was a good first week for me as I made the points 3 out of 5 tournaments and should be in the neighborhood of the top 10 after the first week. I so far have avoided the curse that seems to have befallen my closest competition in the March and overall leaderboard standings last year -- namely lucko and TBA -- who have had no luck in the first week of March 2009. I suspect next week will be a different story.

I hope to play 3 of the 4 events next week. I will definitely miss the Brit game on Sunday because I am working stats for the SIAC conference tournament finals in Birmingham and then driving to Tunica to play some in the Spring Poker Classic. I should be able to play Monday-Wednesday unless I go deep in the Omaha 8 tournament I plan to play on Tuesday afternoon. Otherwise, you don't suppose they'd let me bring my laptop to the poker table, would you?

Bukisa

2009-03-04T16:37:00.002-06:00

I recently joined this content and networking site called Bukisa where I have begun posting a lot of the articles I've written over the years dealing with strategy (be sure to check those out and harangue me for those!), WSOP and Vegas planning and more. I'll be posting additional links to articles as I upload them, but if you are bored and want to check any out follow the link above. If you are interested in joining Bukisa follow this link.

Quote of the Day for Lostday and a little revisionist history

2009-03-04T13:37:00.002-06:00

That's right, this day of the week is no longer called Wednesday. I have redubbed it Lostday as it is the day that features the best television program ever. If you are a fan, you should be reading this site. I admit I haven't been keeping up with the posts on this fan site this year, but Amy is hooked on it...and you will be too if you check it out.

Last month for the March issue of Rounder I interviewed Gavin Smith, Tom McEvoy and Chad Brown. The latest of the three had an interesting quote comparing poker to acting, which as you probably know is in his background.

“In acting you look at Mickey Rourke, for instance. Here’s a guy who was forgotten about, had some drug problems, whatever, and a director really wants him for the role, gives him a script. He didn’t win Best Actor, but everyone thought he should have won Best Actor. That one role, that one body of work, has changed his life. For the next at least two years, his everyday life is going to be changed because of that one role. In poker it’s the same thing. Whoever wins the NBC Heads-Up Championship their life won’t be exactly the same as it was prior to that. That’s how winning one major event can change your life in a good way. That’s an exciting thing for every poker player when they go into a major event with the dream of knowing that it’s realistic to see themselves in first place.”

So much for my theory that I would fare better in the non-NLHE events of the BBT. Last night was my worst finish so far, something like 58th out of however many there were...72 or 73? There were a share of players who were catching who had no clue what they were doing -- in one hand I raised with (3)AA and was called by (K)TJ and managed to brick off completely, not improving my high and missing a low, while he caught two pair, kings and tens. Pretty rotten luck there in Stud Hi/Lo. I also made some sketchy plays myself so I can't complain too vocally.

Not sure if you have heard, but supposedly Sports Illustrated is re-releasing the Sportsman of the Year cover featuring Michael Phelps. Here is a sneak peak:

BBT4 leaderboard up

2009-03-03T17:03:00.004-06:00

Al has set up the BBT4 leaderboard page here. I've yet to cash, but have made the points twice (an unfortunate trend that happened a lot last year). I now lurk in 14th place, with an eye on moving up the ladder. I think I will look forward to the Skillz game each Tuesday as I probably have more experience in the non-NLHE games than most of the competition...or at least I have been busted by Matusow in WSOP HORSE for whatever that may be worth.

I will try to refrain from any shooting bloggers in a barrel comments this spring, although that little controversy certainly drew some traffic over here. So far in the first week I would have to say that the competition has been strong in the BBT. I haven't noticed many of the players I targeted as particularly week during BBT3 (and no, I will not name any names).

By the way, I think for fun I will give out a BBT Player of the Week award each week after the events are complete on Wednesday, just because I can -- and want your eyes on my blog each week. I will try not to give any to myself unless I just so wonderfully deserve it, lol, but if I do it definitely won't be on Week 1. I have a certain player in mind already unless someone does something special the last two days of BBT4 Week 1. Tune back Thursday to see who BBT Player of the Week for Week 1 is.

Meanwhile, see you kids in Stud 8 tonight...

Best college newspaper movie review

2009-03-02T08:41:00.003-06:00

I just happened to pick up a copy of The Crimson White, the campus newspaper at UA, last week and read a review of the new and revamped Friday the 13th. The columnist, Ryan Mazer, wrote his review of the flick in haiku. Here's part of it:

Friday the 13th
Its most inspired idea
Was its release date

Most of the film's cast
Is dead by the end credits
We're not so lucky

It's a chore to watch
The only task more grueling --
Writing its review

And we're off...

2009-03-02T07:58:00.003-06:00

Three months of marriage straining tournament action has begun with the start of BBT4. The two events Sunday were a donkfest for me, getting unlucky on a standard play in the Brit blogger game, catching a miracle when I played bad against Waffles and then getting crippled by a donk call late in the Big Game.

I pushed with about 1K from UTG with A-K in the Brit game and was called by A-J. Obviously the river brought a jack and I was out about 43rd or so.

Early in the Big Game I donked out on Waffles, who is now playing under the alias Maniac57. Someone raised from MP and I called with T-T on the button. Waffles called in the SB. The flop brought 7-9-3 (I think), raiser checked and I bet 300. Waffles check raises to 900 and I call with a slight inclination to fold the turn. The turn was the 6, and did not complete any flushes. He led out for something like 2K. Not sure why, but I called. River brought an 8, also putting three diamonds on the board. Waffles pushed for his last 1,500 and I called with my straight. He showed K-K and I won the donk out of the night award.

Of course, I did not hear the end of it, but Waffles wasn't too bad. Even apologized for calling me an idiot (or whatever he called me, not sure what it was). I explained to him that calling him on the turn was actually a sign of respect. If I thought he was a standard player I would have never called the turn, but since I thought he could be making a play I went with my hand. A bad decision turned good, as it turned out.

I rarely sustain my luck, however. After not having many hands or being involved in any big pots the rest of the way I was blinded and anted down to 6,500 when I pushed from UTG with A-K. Sound familiar? Hoy called in the small blind with T-J and random unknown player called in the big blind for all 6K of his chips with....K-3? The board ran out 5-8-Q-K-3 and I was crippled. Busted shortly afterwards in 14th.

If I won that pot I would have been up to 20K in chips and near the top 5 with a chance to win. I never had much luck in the Big Game last year, either. I made the points once or twice, but never cashed -- and this is the one you definitely want to go deep in.

However, making the points on the first day is at least a decent start. Consistency in these events will give you a chance at the monthly and overall crowns. I pointed about half the events I played last year, and I figure as long as you are still in it with three quarters of the field gone you can catch a hand or two and be in a position to win it.

Interestingly enough poker for me in 2009 has started similarly to last year. I fared well in Mississippi in January both years, including a good cash in a tournament (althought last year's was a lot better -- $4,000 to $1,200) followed by a month in the red in February. If the BBT continues that trend I'll be happy with the results.

Battle of the Bloggers 4 is coming soon

2009-02-20T11:25:00.003-06:00

If you haven't been to Al's site head over RIGHT NOW to get the skinny on BBT4. I don't know about you guys, but I've been highly anticipating this event. If I could come even remotely close to duplicating my success in BBT3 I will be very happy. Looks like the fields may be bigger this time and the schedule now runs Sunday-Wednesday each week. I was hoping it might be less time intensive this year, but one the flip side the more events we get to play the less the variance on the monthly leaderboards. My only gripe is that the overall points leader for the three months will not receive a main event seat, which I had hoped would change this time. Minor gripe, though, and kudos to Al for setting up another fantastic event for us.

Otherwise it's been a mediocre month of poker for in February. I had no luck in FTOPS and have played little since. When I have a few weeks in the red I tend to take a break from the game to lick my wounds, so to speak. I agree with those who say it doesn't do you any good to put in a lot of hours at poker if they are "bad" hours where you are not playing at your best.

WSOP Schedule released

2009-01-26T16:26:00.002-06:00

Well, I lied. Harrah's released the 2009 WSOP sched today, a week before it was anticipated. Here are the details:

Schedule Announced for 40th Annual World Series of Poker® at the Rio® All-Suite Hotel & Casino

World’s Longest-Running, Largest and Most Prestigious Poker Tournament Set to Run From May 26 - July 15, 2009

LAS VEGAS (January 26, 2009) – The 40th annual World Series of Poker® (WSOP®) -- a set of poker tournaments open to anyone 21 years of age or older -- will commence Wednesday, May 27 with the first of 57 gold bracelet events, and the next day a special $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament will commemorate the gaming industry’s most illustrious event.

The annual poker extravaganza, which dates back to 1970, is televised exclusively on ESPN from the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and consists of a comprehensive slate of the game’s most popular variations.

The 40th annual WSOP will conclude with the $10,000 buy-in World Championship No-Limit Hold‘em Main Event which begins play Friday, July 3, 2009 and reaches its final table (nine players) on July 15, 2009, at which time play will be halted. The famed tournament’s culmination will be held with the “November Nine” from November 7-10, 2009, before a live audience with special primetime coverage from ESPN.

The landmark WSOP comes on the heels of a record year in 2008, when the WSOP generated the most entries ever (58,720) from the most countries ever (124) that competed for the largest prize pool ever ($180,774,427) while awarding 55 championship gold bracelets, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize.

Among the highlights of the 2009 schedule:
• 57 gold bracelet events over 50 days.

• A “stimulus special” $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament on the opening weekend, May 30-31, 2009, which is anticipated to draw the largest-ever live tournament field outside the Main Event and offer a prize pool approaching $5,000,000.

• 10 “World Championship” $10,000 buy-in events (“World Championship” refers to tournaments with a buy-in of $10,000 in each of the various disciplines of poker).

• The third annual $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. tournament, with an enhanced gold bracelet and the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy awarded to the winner.

• A one-time commemorative gold bracelet event, a $40,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament to help mark the 40th annual WSOP on Thursday, May 28, 2009.

• Seven open $1500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournaments, the most popular events in poker.

• The 3rd annual Ante Up For Africa $5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em celebrity and charity tournament on Thursday, July 2, 2009, (the day before the Main Event begins) featuring the opportunity for anyone age 21 or older to enter and be seated at the same table as A-list celebrities and top poker pros.

• The Ladies Only No-Limit Hold’em World Championship on Sunday, June 7, 2009, featuring a $1,000 buy-in and helping to raise awareness for the Nevada Cancer Institute, the official community relations partner of the World Series of Poker.

• The Seniors Only No-Limit Hold’em World Championship on Monday, June 22, 2009 for all poker enthusiasts 50 years of age or older.

• The return of the “November Nine” where the nine finalists of the Main Event (July 3-15) return to the Rio on November 7-10, 2009 to vie for the multi-million dollar prize and the title of 2009 World Champion of Poker in front of a live audience with special primetime coverage on ESPN.

"Whether you play poker around the kitchen table or consider yourself a professional, you will find a comfortable seat at the 2009 World Series of Poker," said Jeffrey Pollack, commissioner of the World Series of Poker. "This year's schedule offers more variety than ever before and we look forward to welcoming players from around the world to the Rio for our 40th annual extravaganza this summer."

The famed Amazon Room in the Rio Convention Center once again will serve as the center of the poker universe this summer, featuring the same highly popular blueprint as last year.

Gold bracelet tournaments will begin at 12 noon or 5 PM Pacific Time each day, with a maximum of 10-one hour levels being played for the noon starts, while the 5 PM events will play a maximum of 8 one-hour levels. For those fortunate enough to advance past the first day, re-starts for noon bracelet events will begin at 2 PM, and 5 PM tournaments will restart at 3 PM with a maximum of 10 levels being played each day until a champion is crowned.

Pre-registration for the 2009 WSOP will begin in late February on-site at the Main Cage of the Rio in Las Vegas and online through www.worldseriesofpoker.com. Players will be encouraged to register through a streamlined online process in advance of coming to Las Vegas to avoid being shutout of their favorite events. Any foreign entrants who wire transfer monies will receive the exchange rate into U.S. dollars at the time of the wire transfer, thus locking in their exchange rate in advance.

Wed, May 27th
12:00 PM
2-Day Event Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em (Event 1)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $500

Thu, May 28th
12:00 PM
4-Day Event 40th Annual No-Limit Holdem (Event 2)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $40,000

Fri, May 29th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (Event 3)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Sat, May 30th
12:00 PM
4-Day Event No-Limit Hold'em (Event 4)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,000

Mon, Jun 1st
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Pot-Limit Omaha (Event 5)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Mon, Jun 1st
5:00 PM
3-Day Event World Championship Seven Card Stud (Event 6)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $10,000

Tue, Jun 2nd
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold’em (Event 7)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Tue, Jun 2nd
5:00 PM
3-Day Event 2-7 Draw Lowbal (Event 8)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500

Wed, Jun 3rd
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold’em / Six Handed (Event 9)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Wed, Jun 3rd
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Pot-Limit Holdem/Omaha (Event 10)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500

Thu, Jun 4th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold’em (Event 11)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,000

Thu, Jun 4th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event World Championship Mixed Event (Event 12)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $10,000

Fri, Jun 5th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold’em (Event 13)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500

Fri, Jun 5th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Limit Hold'em / Six Handed (Event 14)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500

Sat, Jun 6th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold’em (Event 15)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $5,000

Sat, Jun 6th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Seven Card Stud (Event 16)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Sun, Jun 7th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Ladies No-Limit Hold’em World Championship (Event 17)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,000

Sun, Jun 7th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (Event 18)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $10,000

Mon, Jun 8th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed (Event 19)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500

Tue, Jun 9th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Pot-Limit Hold'em (Event 20)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Tue, Jun 9th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event H.O.R.S.E. (Event 21)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $3,000

Wed, Jun 10th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold'em Shootout (1,000 player max) (Event 22)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Wed, Jun 10th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event World Championship 2-7 Draw Lowball (Event 23)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $10,000

Thu, Jun 11th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold’em (Event 24)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Thu, Jun 11th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better (Event 25)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500

Fri, Jun 12th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Limit Hold’em (Event 26)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Fri, Jun 12th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-low Split-8 or Better (Event 27)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $5,000

Sat, Jun 13th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold’em (Event 28)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Sat, Jun 13th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event World Championship Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em (Event 29)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $10,000

Sun, Jun 14th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Pot-Limit Omaha (Event 30)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500

Sun, Jun 14th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event H.O.R.S.E. (Event 31)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Mon, Jun 15th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold’em (Event 32)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,000

Mon, Jun 15th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event World Championship Limit Hold'em (Event 33)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $10,000

Tue, Jun 16th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold’em (Event 34)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Wed, Jun 17th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Pot-Limit Omaha (Event 35)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $5,000

Thu, Jun 18th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold’em (Event 36)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,000

Thu, Jun 18th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event World Championship Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (Event 37)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $10,000

Fri, Jun 19th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Limit Hold’em (Event 38)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,000

Sat, Jun 20th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold’em (Event 39)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Sat, Jun 20th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event World Championship Pot-Limit Omaha (Event 40)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $10,000

Sun, Jun 21st
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold'em Shootout (1,000 player max) (Event 41)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $5,000

Sun, Jun 21st
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Mixed Event (Event 42)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500

Mon, Jun 22nd
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Seniors No-Limit Hold’em World Championship (Event 43)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,000

Mon, Jun 22nd
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Seven Card Razz (Event 44)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500

Tue, Jun 23rd
12:00 PM
3-Day Event World Championship Pot-Limit Hold'em (Event 45)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $10,000

Tue, Jun 23rd
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (Event 46)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500

Wed, Jun 24th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Mixed Hold'em (Limit/No-Limit) (Event 47)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500

Thu, Jun 25th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-low Split-8 or Better (Event 48)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Fri, Jun 26th
12:00 PM
5-Day Event World Championship H.O.R.S.E. (Event 49)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $50,000

Fri, Jun 26th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Limit Hold’em Shootout (1,000 player max) (Event 50)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Sat, Jun 27th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold’em (Event 51)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Sun, Jun 28th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event Triple Chance No-Limit Hold’em (Event 52)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $3,000

Sun, Jun 28th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better (Event 53)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Mon, Jun 29th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold’em (Event 54)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $1,500

Mon, Jun 29th
5:00 PM
3-Day Event 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball (Limit) (Event 55)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $2,500

Tue, Jun 30th
12:00 PM
3-Day Event No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed (Event 56)
No Rebuy/Add-ons $5,000

Thu, Jul 2nd
2:00 PM
1-Day Event Ante Up For Africa Charity
No Rebuy/Add-ons $5,000

Fri, Jul 3rd
12:00 PM
13-Day Event World Championship No-Limit Texas Hold'em (Event 57)
No Rebuy/Add-ons
July 3,2009 12:00 PM Day 1A (3,000 players)
July 4,2009 12:00 PM Day 1B (3,000 players)
July 5,2009 12:00 PM Day 1C (3,000 players)
July 6,2009 12:00 PM Day 1D (3,000 players)
July 7,2009 12:00 PM Day 2A
July 8,2009 12:00 PM Day 2B
July 9,2009 12:00 PM Media Event
July 10,2009 12:00 PM Day 3
July 11,2009 12:00 PM Day 4
July 12,2009 12:00 PM Day 5
July 13,2009 12:00 PM Day 6
July 14,2009 12:00 PM Day 7
November 7-10,2009 TBD FINAL TABLE

$10,000

Satellites Schedule

All of our Mega and Single-Table Satellites will begin on May 26th, 2009
Mega Satellite Schedule:
$330 Mega Satellites Sunday - Thursday at 3 PM.
$550 Mega Satellites Friday - Sunday at 3 PM.
$550 Mega Satellites Sunday - Thursday at 8 PM.
$1060 Mega Satellites Friday & Saturday at 8 PM.

Mega Satellite Days July 1 - 5:
$550 Buy-In Mega Satellites at 10 AM and 4 PM.
$1060 Buy-In Mega Satellites at 1 PM and 8 PM.

Turbo Mega Satellite July 6:
$1060 Turbo Mega Satellite at 8AM

$40k No-Limit Hold'em Mega Satellite Days May 26-27:
$1570 Mega Satellites at 6 PM.

$50k H.O.R.S.E. Mega Satellite Days June 22-25:
$2250 Mega Satellites at 6 PM.

Nightly Tournaments From May 26 - July 14:
$340 Buy-In No-Limit Hold'em tournaments nightly at 7 PM.
$200 Buy-In No-Limit Holdem tournaments nightly at 11pm

World Series of Poker news

2009-01-21T11:59:00.002-06:00

I had typed most of a recap for the last of the Biloxi trip before my internet went dead in the Beau's media room so I haven't gotten it up yet. Overall, it was a good trip, both from a poker playing and poker writing standpoint. I'll share the stories in the next couple of days.

But for now let me share some juicy WSOP gossip. Here are some bullet points of info from an inside source about the scheduling for this summer:

* The schedule is likely to be released on Feb. 1.

* The dates will be about the same as in 2008, so from June through mid to late July again.

* Rebuy events are not completely dead. There had been discussion of cutting them out of the WSOP completely, but at least the $1K with rebuys NLHE event will remain. That event continues to have strong support to stay.

* Badugi is not on the schedule, BUT there was strong support for it. My inside source expects it to be on the schedule in 2010.

If any of these statement are proven incorrect in a couple of weeks, I will kill my Deep Throat and find a better one.

At the Beau

2009-01-15T17:06:00.003-06:00

As Amy keeps reminding me, I have been lax in my blog postings of late so I will try to do better in 2009. I've spent the better part of two weeks at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi for the newly named Southern Poker Championship. They've had a WPT tournament event down here before in 2006, but then it was called the Gulf Coast Poker Championship.

As you probably know, the big January tournament in Mississippi used to be the World Poker Open in Tunica. A brief history of that event for the unenlightened (and if I get any of this wrong pleae write to correct me)-- it was started as the Jack Binion World Poker Open close to a decade ago back when the Binions still owned all of the Horseshoe casinos. Since it was discovered that the convention area of the Horseshoe was not over water (and thus illegal for gaming activities according to Mississippi law) the Horseshoe partnered with the Gold Strike to jointly hold the WPO. So you would see players in tournaments split between the Gold Strike ballroom and poker room and the Horseshoe poker room and gaming area in the back of the casino and shuffling back and forth as fields were condensed. At some point a few years ago the rights to the WPO were obtained by the Gold Strike and the entire tournament moved over there.

After Harrah's purchased the Grand Casino and started holding its World Series of Poker Circuit events there in January (in effect piggybacking on the popularity of the WPO), MGM-Mirage (the current owners of both the Gold Strike and the Beau Rivage) decided to move its signature WPT event to Biloxi and name it the Southern Poker Championship. The WPO is now relegated to second-tier status in October with a $5,000 main event, which is interesting because when it was begun the WPO was one of the must attend events in the country in a time when there weren't a lot of big tournaments.

The move seems to have drawn more poker's A-listers to the scene. The fact that the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure just took place in the Bahamas and Biloxi is an easy plane ride from there has probably helped the cause too. Some of the notables here include Barry Greenstein, Ted Forrest, Layne Flack, Vanessa Rousso, Chad Brown, Scott Clements, Robert Williamson, Clonie Gowen, Hoyt Corkins, Tiffany Michelle, Brandon Cantu, David Pham...you get the idea. Tougher field than one might have expected.

I've been running around the last few days trying to get some work done for the next issue. I have interviewed Hevad Khan and Matt Graham (winner of a LHE Shootout WSOP bracelet in 2008 and a $5K event at the Five Diamond last month) for profiles, did the Ask Hoyt with you know who and gotten numbers for future interviews with Brown, Gavin Smith, Clements and Ted Lawson. I did, however, find time to get some poker playing in and took third in the nightly $200 second chance tournament on Tuesday for a $1,040 or so profit. That tournament was won by Ut Nguyen, younger brother of Men. I may have busted him earlier in the final table, but didn't want to gamble. As I like to say, you love to be the one putting in the third bet, but you sure hate to be the one calling it for most of your chips.

I broke this trip into two parts, the first one being last Tuesday through Saturday to mostly play poker before coming home to see Amy for a couple of days and then the second leg being this Tuesday through Sunday to mostly work on the magazine. The first leg was also profitable, with a profit of nearly $400. I stuck to satellites and 10-20 Omaha Hi-Lo for the most part. I did OK on sats this trip, going 2 for 8 (remember that these are two winner affairs so 1 out of 5 would be average), and did better in O8, winning $830 in one lengthy session, before giving up $500 the next day. I didn't play much NLHE because as I think I've mentioned before I hate playing games with the time charge instead of the standard rake structure because I feel I am penalized for playing TAG poker. Case in point, the one session of $1-$2 NLHE I did play I took two small pots, but paid $24 in rake for two hours of time. So that likely cost me $15-$20 in extra rake.

Saying goodbye to 2008 and a good morning to 2009

2009-01-06T08:58:00.005-06:00

I am back from being MIA. Over the past month I was first busy putting together articles for The Season, a special pub by Crimson Tide Sports Marketing documenting 'Bama's 12-0 regular season (they certainly fell flat at the end there, didn't they?). After finishing that I spent the next week getting all of my stuff done for the January issue of Rounder. And by then it was Christmas time.

Hope you kids got everything you wanted from Santa.

If you're like me, you're eager to get the new year off to a good start. I am still in that gray area between full-time job hunting and seeking more freelance work/playing better, winning more at poker (all options that seem more difficult than they should be). Jobs are tough to come by these days...good ones, anyway. But so is freelance work.

I recently tallied my poker earnings for 2008 and I came out a little better than I thought, but they were still in the low five figures. You may recall that earlier in the year I had a goal of winning in the neighborhood of $25K to $30K from poker, but I ended up about half of that. It's funny how poker comes in streaks and spurts. Last year, I was up close to $5K after the first WEEK of 2008 after winning my share of satellites my first day in Tunica for the World Poker Open and then taking down a big daily tournament at the next-door Horseshoe the following day. Although most of the rest of the year was slow I did finish well by winning a small $11+R PLO tournament on PokerStars in mid-December for nearly $1K.

Now I'm off again, headed to the Beau Rivage in Biloxi this afternoon for the Southern Poker Championship, which is now the January World Poker Tour event in Mississippi. I'm going down for a few days, mainly to play, and then headed back to Tuscaloosa for the weekend. Then it's back down there for a week mostly to cover things for Rounder.

Roll Tide!

2008-12-03T08:27:00.002-06:00

What a season it's been for my beloved Crimson Tide, but can it continue against Florida in the SEC Championship on Saturday? This is Bama's toughest game of the season by far (including a possible national championship game if they beat Florida) so it may take some magic for it to happen. Of course, I recall a certain unbeatable Miami team taking on Bama in the 1993 Sugar Bowl as a two touchdown favorite. Remember how that turned out? Alabama 34 Miami 13.

Someone put together a nice season highlight compilation video on You Tube. Here it is if you care to watch:

I have slowed down my poker playing here at the end of the year for a number of reasons. For one, I had a bad month of November and when I run bad I just kind of chill out and take a break from the game. I haven't played in town in two weeks and have played little online, as well. I have been jumping back into those little $1-$2 NL CAP games on FTP a bit this week, but my luck has continued to be terrible.

I'm also focusing more on building up my freelance writing, including expanding beyond poker. I got a fortuitous phone call from an old boss last week who recently moved back to Tuscaloosa to start a new media company. Check out Yellow Hammer Media here. I'm doing four articles for a special publication we're working on to come out in a couple of weeks.

After that I'll be busy cranking out articles for the January issue of Rounder. Hoping to interview Peter Eastgate, Kenna James and Jonathan Little for the next round of profiles.

The week after that is Christmas so serious poker playing may have to wait until January when I head down to Biloxi for a week or two for the Southern Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage.

Poker miscellany

2008-11-24T06:57:00.002-06:00

This has been a slow month for me poker playing wise. It started out cold and hasn't gotten any better so I've taken it easy and have played very little poker this month. I look forward to the holidays and then will gear up for the first Southern Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi where I will be in January with Rounder both writing and playing (and hitting those satellites hard I assure you!)

I may make a quick trip to New Orleans during their Winter Bayou whatchmacallit in a couple of weeks, but it will be only to sightsee with my wife and not to play.

We've got a pretty good issue of Rounder coming out in December. I profiled Tiffany Michelle, Victor Ramdin and Gavin Griffin this month. I've always liked Victor the few times I've met him. Just seems like a super nice guy. I met and got Gavin's number at the media meet and greet at the Palms this summer. Actually, I met his girlfriend Kristen first and she took me over to him. Both are good folks. She seems very sweet and the work both of them did (especially Gavin with the pink hair dye job) to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research was exemplary. I haven't met Tiffany Michelle in person; just talked to her after being given her number by my editor Evert to contact her for a profile. Here is one interesting Tiffany tidbit you may not know: she considers her most interesting role as a dead patient on an episode of ER when she was 18.

Here is what she had to say: “It was pretty awesome to have Noah Wyle on top of me trying to revive me and have blood come pouring out of my mouth. Those are the things about acting that are so outside of everyday life that make it a lot of fun.”

You meet too many bad people in the world of poker so it's good to see the success of these three, all of whom seem deserving of good fortune in the game (despite a certain UB controversy we've all read and heard about).

Over at Al Can Hang's Full Tilt Poker Blogger from the Rail blog you can see a post I sent him around the time of the WSOP final table looking at other WSOP promotions/gimmicks over the years and how well they worked. I had fun putting that one together.

B.J. McBrayer

2008-11-18T08:00:00.002-06:00

I definitely need to give a shout out to B.J. McBrayer. He's a local guy in Tuscaloosa who's about 25 or 26 who I've played a lot of poker with over the last few years. Everyone always knew B.J. was a good player and lately he's finally truly broken through on the tournament circuit. He finished runner-up to Clonie Gowen in the main event of the World Poker Open and followed that by chopping the main event of the IP Poker Classic in Biloxi three ways. His cashes over the last month total about $120,000. B.J.'s a good guy. I can't say anything bad about him (aside from that stupid Yankees cap he wears) so I certainly root for his success. I suspect you will see his name in tournament reports many times in the years to come.

An enjoyable World Poker Open

2008-10-27T11:23:00.002-05:00

The World Poker Open at the Gold Strike in Tunica will never come close to reaching the status it once had. Consider these factors:

* When the WPO first started it was one of the few major events held each year. It was an event that everyone came to, even though back then the final was only a $5,000 buy-in (which returned to form this October). Now you have two $10K events a month, and considering that there is nothing to do in Tunica but play poker, this is not going to be a must see stop on the tournament trail.

* Up until this January, Harrah's had been running its WSOP Circuit in January almost concurrently with the WPO. I know many poker players liked having two options across town (across cotton patches might be a more apt description). If they didn't want to play the event that day at the Gold Strike they could go to the Grand Casino (now rebranded Harrah's) for a circuit event. Now with the WPO in October that advantage does not exist. It will be interesting to see the attendance numbers at the circuit event next January-February.

* The World Poker Tour cut the WPO from its schedule and the Gulf Coast Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage, the sister property of the Gold Strike, is the WPT stop in Mississippi in January. MGM Mirage's flagship tournament is now on the coast so if players are looking for the most action and chance for TV time the Beau is now the place to go.

Despite all of these factors turnout was still pretty good at the WPO this month. The schedule has been trimmed and most of the events have smaller buy-ins, which may actually appeal more to the more recreational tournament player near Tunica. The WPO is becoming more and more like other regional tournaments that don't attract the big shots of poker, but is the stomping grounds for the great Southern players like Timothy "T.K." Miles, Matt "Cub" Culberson and Tim Hebert.

Personally, I prefer to see a slate of $300 and $500 events rather than a bunch of $1,000 and $1,500 events. I can't afford to play the big ones, but I can buy into or satellite into the smaller events. This was a relatively short trip for me as I went Sunday through Friday of last week.

I stuck to satellites mostly as planned and did well cashing in 6 of 14. I like the format set up by Ken Lambert, who runs poker operations at both the Gold Strike and Beau Rivage for MGM Mirage. The $125 buy-in sats have two winners with each receiving 5 $100 buy-in chips and $50 cash. I like having two equal winners rather than one person receiving all of the dough (of course even one winner sats usually have a chop somewhere in there) since you never feel to far out of it as long as you have chips. I think my profit in the sats was a little over $1,000. Unfortunately, I didn't do well otherwise and left Tunica with about a $400 profit. The bright moment was the trip was cashing in the $300 Omaha Hi-Lo tournament. My 16th place finish was a bit disappointing, however, since when we got into the money with 18 players I had about an average stack but couldn't win a hand the rest of the way.

Trouble on The Plains

2008-10-16T08:25:00.002-05:00

Not to gloat in Auburn's troubles, but things are really getting bad over there. For instance...

MacGyver: The College Years

2008-10-10T08:25:00.003-05:00

MacGyver was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid so when I ran across these videos online some time back I got a kick out of them. MacGyver: The College Years is a sporadic series of videos posted on YouTube paroding the international superspy and gadget master during his younger days at Phoenix University. The first one was posted in February 2007 and the fourth, and as of now last one, was posted this April. The videos are hit and miss, with a mix of funny moments and stupid ones. The second episode is my favorite (though I don't get the maniacal evil laughter at the end from our young anti-hero). Take a look for youselves:

We're #2!....and WPO

2008-10-06T07:55:00.002-05:00

Perhaps it's a bit late to be gloating over the Georgia win (especially after the mediocre performance against Kentucky this past Saturday), but I haven't posted in a couple of weeks so now is my time to brag on the 'Bama boys.

Are we back? Time will tell, but 6-0 is a heck of a way to start the season. One might argue our only true test so far has been Georgia, but with Tennessee and Auburn looking very weak at this point in the season we could be 12-0 and headed to the SEC Championship game if we can win in Baton Rogue. Fingers firmly crossed.

As for me, I did not get that job at the university I was hopeful about so I'm still on the hunt. Since I'm likely to still lack full-time employment later this month I plan to head to Tunica for the World Poker Open for a week. This event may not quite be as lustrious as it used to be (no longer a WPT event, dumped to a new month to get it out of the way of the Beau's WPT event in January), but it's still where I cut my poker tournament teeth, so to speak. I'll be up there with Rounder mag, pressing flesh and playing some poker. The poker playing has been very mediocre for me lately so perhaps the change of scenery will yield a change in luck.

WCOOP is over

2008-09-23T11:36:00.002-05:00

I've been very busy the last few weeks blogging the WCOOP for PokerStars. It had originally been my intention to play in a few events, but when Brad contacted me about working it I couldn't pass that up. So I've spent the last 16 or 17 days watching three or four online tables at a time and reporting on the outcomes of the thousands of deals. All told, I worked 122.5 hours in that span. So as you can see I didn't have a lot of free time.

I can't describe to you how envious I was watching the final five players working out a deal last night.

"Oh you guys want more? I'll take $1.3 million instead of $1.6 million."

"I want to be guaranteed $800K so I have a chance to win $1 million." (They played for $200K and the bracelet.)

These aren't direct quotes, but they give you a general gist of the conversation. Can you imagine being in their shoes?

The interesting thing is that the guy who won (ckingusc) got less money than the guy who finished in second (liberace) due to the deal that was made with five left. I think the winner got $1.26 million or so and the second place guy got $1.3 million or so.

I have played little poker lately due to the time constrints. I've got about 600W$ I built up for WCOOP that I will apply to the PCA satellites. A tip to the Bahamas in January would be very nice and is a good goal to shoot for.

Meanwhile, I am still waiting to hear whether or not I get the job I interviewed for at UA. That would be a good one for me.

Olympics, college football and fall TV

2008-08-29T08:05:00.002-05:00

Amy always asks why I never blog anymore. I just haven't had much to say. That's a good reason. Right?

I'm having Olympic withdrawls this week. Since Seoul 1988 I've been a very avid viewer of the Games, and with NBC airing them on its multiple networks this year I was glued to the set most of the day. The Beijing games brought back memories of 2004. I had just gotten my monstrosity of an HD TV right before the Athens games and I remember that we didn't even get NBC in HD and they had to add a special channel, and even that channel showed the games in HD a day after they had aired on the regular NBC network. HD viewing has certainly changed in four years.

I am so ready for college football now. Definitely my favorite sporting season. I was like a kid on Christmas catching some of the South Carolina vs. North Carolina St. game last night on ESPN. Bama takes on Clemson in the Georgia Dome on Saturday night. Oh boy. This is the best season opener we've had since we traveled to Pasadena to take on UCLA in 2000. That was the year we were ranked third in the preseason and won three games all season. I have higher expectations for this year.

And lastly for this TV junkie it's almost fall TV time. Prison Break (a fourth season, really?) starts Monday and the new 90210 premieres on Tuesday. 90210 you ask, really? I have to try it for the nostalgic value, especially with some of the old cast returning. I was hooked on that show as a teenager. Probably I'll watch it once and never turn it on again...

Vegas, WCOOP and overlays

2008-08-14T08:31:00.003-05:00

Sorry I have been away for so long. Amy keeps asking me every day when I am going to post again and I just haven't been in the mood to write anything. So today I'll finally get back on the horse and write something. First, some Vegas afterthoughts in easy to read bullet form:

Lengthy trips to Vegas may be out for me in the future unless the work is really good. As a married man planning on starting a family of more than two soon I won't be keen on being away for long periods anymore. As much as I love Vegas I am also starting to get a little tired of it. It's definitely getting to be a "been there, done that" feeling.
Conversely, I still didn't feel like I had time to do all I wanted to do, even being there for more than three weeks. Never made it to an Area 51s game, didn't play as many tournaments as I wanted, didn't see enough new stuff. I guess there's just too much to do in Vegas. I'm also one of those people who never feels like he gets enough done on any given day. "There's never enough time" if you know what I mean.
Railing Iggy definitely brought back wonderful memories of my only WSOP main event appearance in 2006. And he even busted on Day 3 in the money as I did.
No celebrity encounters this year. I had hoped to say hello to James Woods since I got to interview him by phone for Rounder in the spring, but I never saw him. First summer since 2005 in which I didn't talk to Norm McDonald. Saw Jason Alexander walking past the hooker bar one night. Didn't even see Shannon Elizabeth, who "stalked" me in '06.
The Golden Nugget pool is awesome. Amy and I partook one day while we stayed there. Tried the water slide once through the shark tank. Neat.
The best part of going to Vegas these days, I think, is meeting old friends again. It's great to be able to hang out with Otis, Iggy, Pauly, Kristin, Jason, Dan, Jen, Gary, etc. etc., whether bowling, drinking or both. (And even more fun to own them at bowling!)
Very disappointing trip financially. Lost at poker, and the contacts I made networking out there are only slowly starting to pan out, which leads me into the good news...

I'll be live blogging much of the World Championship of Online Poker for PokerStars, starting Sept. 5 and continuing through Sept. 22. Otis has put me down on the schedule for nearly every day and the shifts will be seven hours. I don't know all of the details of the "how" of it all, but I believe the format will be similar to what the "Site that Shall Not Be Named" on my blog does at the World Series of Poker. I'm ecstatic about the work as the pay is good and could lead to more blogging for PokerStars down the road. Many thanks to my man Otis.

Many thanks also to Al, who is doing a fine job with the Full Tilt Poker "Poker From the Rail" Blog. He has created a Blogger from the Rail corner in which he posts about bloggers on the web and allows us to do some guest posts. If you scroll down a bit you'll see my guest post from last week in which I talk about my WSOP main event favorite Dennis Phillips. I hope to do many more guest posts here in the future.

Since I'll be blogging the WCOOP that means I won't be playing much in it. I have played some FTOPS events, but have had no results. I busted about halfway through the first event, the $215 NLHE. I had terrible luck and tilty play in the $215 Stud and was one of the first ones out. I most recently went out a little more than halfway through the $215 LHE. And that tournament leads me to the conclusion of this post -- a discussion on overlays.

I'd love your feedback on this one. Perhaps you will call me "idiot" and "moron" like the players at my FTOPS LHE table did this week. Here's the setup: The event had a guaranteed prize pool of $200,000, but there were only 932 players in the event so the prize pool did not climb above the guaranteed $200,000 mark.

Here's where semantics may come in. Someone started talking about why he played just because of the overlay and I said that there wasn't really an overlay. I think it really depends on what the definition of overlay is. If you define overlay as the number of entrants not meeting the guaranteed prize pool, then yes, it was an overlay. I define overlay as "free" money where the host site is actually contributing to the prize pool to make up a shortfall. That was not the case here. (This is discounting the bustout bounties, which would make the FTOPS LHE event an overlay in my mind. We argued whether or not this was an overlay based solely on the number of entrants.)

The math is pretty simple. The cost of entry was $200 + $16, or $216. Based on 932 players, the money contributed for both prize pool and rake was $201,312, so FTP made $1,312 in rake and did not have to contribute money for a guaranteed prize pool shortfall. (Again, they did lose money based on bustout bounties, but that was not part of the argument.) For arguing that it wasn't a "true" overlay in that we did not get "free" money I was called all sorts of names. I said it shouldn't have been called an overlay, but a tournament with reduced rake. (Discounting bustout bounties, each player paid about $1.40 in fees.) What do you think?

Introducing my new blog...

2008-07-30T08:21:00.000-05:00

While I procrastinate on blogging on Vegas afterthoughts I've managed to start a new blog with another one soon forthcoming. I figure why put all of my eggs in one basket? I hope in starting new blogs and writing on other non-poker related topics I am able to find new sources of revenue from more freelance writing and/or advertising.

That being said, my first new blog is called Press Start and focuses on video games. Specifically, I'm covering remakes of the old classics and the new releases of the old classics on the current consoles' download services, with some thoughts on the new stuff thrown in as well. I feel that there is still sufficient interest in the older games, but they get the short shrift from the more popular video gaming websites. For example, IGN and Gamespot miss many potential reviews of the Wii's Virtual Console, PS3 and Xbox Live Arcade releases. (Gamespot went months without reviewing a single VC release on the Wii.)

So please visit my new blog and feel free to give your input.

The second new blog is coming soon and will probably be of even more interest to the general population...

Site of the Week

2008-07-28T07:19:00.002-05:00

Now occasionally as a blog owner you get queries from people asking if you'll review their site. More times than not these sites aren't worth reading, but I've recently been looking at a site I feel is worth your time. The site is called Poker Intensity and features a variable cornucopia of info on online poker. What struck me first about the site is that it doesn't shill for scum like Absolute Poker; in fact, the owners of the site recommend that you DO NOT play there. There is event a black list of sites to avoid. Instead, you get honest reviews of other preferred sites like PokerStars, where I plan to win a WCOOP tournament in the next couple of months.

Poker Intensity also features some recent and relevant poker news articles (hey, maybe I can write for them), online deposit methods, guides for new players and perhaps the coolest feature is a poker odds calculator that lets you input the odds of winning hands from hold'em to Omaha hi-lo to razz.

If you get bored of poker, the site also has a sister link to a horse betting site if that's your thing. That site also has info on sportsbooks and bingo. Gamble it up.

Overall, I recommend checking out the site. You can probably find something on there to interest you.

Life after Vegas

2008-07-23T13:34:00.002-05:00

I've been on blogger vacation the last week. Posting has been a very low priority since my return from Vegas as I've been trying to catch up on other things. The first thing I did on my first morning back was mow my jungle. Nearly four weeks without cutting your yard in an Alabama summer tends to yield high grass. Where I come from we call it hay.

I still have plenty of yardwork to do, but it's been reaching triple digits on the thermostat around here and that's pretty brutal in the land of high humidity. So I've been cleaning up the house and such, and spending time with Amy.

I didn't have a profitable trip to Vegas from the poker playing standpoint, but I hope some of the networking I did will lead to more freelance writing opportunities. That remains to be seen as the weeks pass. Meanwhile, I am on the job hunt and there are a couple of good ones at UA I wouldn't mind getting. If that happens I've probably made my last lengthy World Series of Poker trip, but that's alright. I now suffer from burnout.

I'm gearing up for FTOPS and WCOOP now. A nice score in one of the events in those series would do wonders for my bankroll and state of mind. My initial $39 investment in my first WCOOP satellite has now yielded $725 in W dollars in less than a week so maybe I can keep that going. I've got some WSOP wrapup thoughts I never posted on any of the sites I have been blogging for so maybe I'll get to that soon.