Formerly a BLOG

2009

 

12-7

This date is one of great importance for our country, and for me personally. In 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked and the United States began the Second World War. Many lives were lost in the act of defending the freedom and lives that we hold so close to our hearts. Those that fought in those battles, and supported those soldiers, in the field and at home, are heroes to this nation. They have been named “The Greatest Generation”, and I would like to add my name to the list of those that feel the gratitude each day for their sacrifices. For me, this date holds even more meaning.

On that day, my father celebrated his birthday. By celebrating, I mean that he was already on his way to boot camp and off to fight along with the others that were defending our country. I lost my father a few years ago, and now I have today, Pearl Harbor Day, his birthday, to remind me of him even more vividly than the rest of the year. Today, more than most, I miss my father.

If you are reading this, and you have the opportunity, please do me, and yourself a huge favor; call your parents. Tell them that you’re thinking about them. Tell them you love them. And stay close to them. Once they are gone, you’ll always wish you had taken those chances more often.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD. I LOVE YOU. I MISS YOU.

 

11-23

WOW! Lots to talk about on the poker side of things. I’ll start with the last BSPL game of 2009. Going into the game, I was 10 points behind the leader with one game, and only 8 players left. This isn’t an impossible task, but it’s VERY close. When the leader went out, not nearly as early as I had hoped, it was time for me to turn it up a notch. I was playing well, but wasn’t exactly getting the cards I thought I would need to make up the points. After taking a couple bad beats that hurt but didn’t cripple, and my first bad read of the week, we went to heads up and an offer was made TO me to chop. I asked for a minute and did the math. We counted chips and I was behind by a couple grand so if we chop, I get second place points. That made up 9 of the 10 I needed to win the league. Not enough, I had to win the table to win the league. So we chopped the cash and played it for the points. Back and forth for a while, I built up to the chip lead and ended up getting my money in 80-20 favorite only to see a gut shot straight hit the river. Second place at the table, second place in the league. GG me.

Congrats to Chris for her league win. But you have to admit, I made it memorable.

Then we moved on to the Championship table. After totaling the points for the league, and all players getting chip stacks that were comparable to those points, we settled in for a long night. I played well, stealing when I could, and getting paid off at least a little each time I had the best of it. Then my second bad read of the night happened. I was in the highjack, and knew that the cut-off, button and BB were ready to fold. Knowing this, I took a shot at stealing the blinds with a raise holding 7-9 off. Not my normal move, but also not that far out of character for me when I’m on my game, and tonight I was on my game! I raise, c-o and button fold. SB looks and folds and I’m ready to pick up the pot. This is where my read was bad. The BB had NOT looked at her cards yet. Not sure why I had that feeling that she hated her hand before, but she looked at it for the first time, and mucked it face up, 7-5 off. WHEW! Dodged a small but important bullet. That made me tighten my concentration up and thanks to that misread, I read better the rest of the night than I ever have before. At one point, I actually thought to myself “This must be How Ivey feels ALL THE TIME!” It was amazing.

Once again, I was playing well. And this time, I decided to start trusting myself. If I had a read, I went with it. No more second guessing. This was never more evident than in the following hand. Blinds were at 200-400 and it folded to the button who thought for a minute, then raised to 2000. During that bet, a couple things led me to put him on A-K. The small blind considered for a minute (or seven), then mucked. I looked down at 2-4 of spades. This is usually an auto-fold situation, but because of my read, I took a moment. I asked to see wht he had behind and it was less than 10,000. So 2000 to call with implied odds of over 6 to 1, and no risk after the 2000 call. Not to mention, knocking out the player that bad beat me in the last BSPL game. (Revenge was NOT a factor) I made the call and saw the flop. 2-8-4. I liked it a LOT! Knowing I would have to fade runner-runner to lose, and also thinking that the c-bet was coming if I check, I did just that. I check, button shoves, snap-call and he looks disgusted. He shows A-K air and I show my 2 pair. Brick brick and I’m up in chips and we lose our first player.

From there I continued to play well, only losing a couple pots here and there but keeping pot control as my main concern.

                 Once again, I get to heads-up. This time the money is bigger, but the resulting chop isn’t that surprising. We chop the money and play for the trophy. After chipping away to get a small lead, I flop 2 pair holding K-9 on a K-J-9 board. I bet, get raised, and I shove. Small deliberation later and a call from Adam. He shows pocket jacks and I’m sitting pretty as a 90-10 favorite. Bigger favorite than the first game, same result. After turning a J a brick hits on the river and once again, I get bat beat out of a win. The final hand didn’t matter much, as it was a race to one pair. So I played some of the best poker in months, and still get ran down twice. It may sound like I’m bitter, but I’m actually thrilled with how I played. I know bad beats happen, and I take them without much reaction. Those two took me a couple minutes to shake, but I got past them pretty quick. Thanks to everybody that made this years BSPL one of the most memorable.

                 Off the felt, Ohio has finally voted to allow casinos into the state. Four will be built, one of which will be in Columbus, downtown near the Bluejackets arena. While I am happy about this, I am also concerned about how the media is slanting the coverage both on television and in the papers. Of course, that is to be expected when the same company owns both the newspaper and the largest of the television station in the area. The casinos have what they want, the chance to print money and create new opportunities here in Ohio. The people have what they want. The chance to try their luck without driving 2 to 4 hours to get to a state next to Ohio that allows casinos. And now the media has what they wanted too. More chances to complain and stir up controversy where there shouldn’t be any. Instead of looking at the positive impact that this WILL have on the local economy, they will instead drill into the heads of those non-thinking followers about drugs, crime, prostitution and domestic violence. In a couple years when they open the doors, the media will have some people convinced that it is because of the casinos that they just got a ticket for driving 97 in a 45 zone.

10-31-09

Happy Halloween!! And what more appropriate holiday could come at this time for me? I have had the scariest run of cards in the past month. At the WSOP-Circuit event this week I was as card dead as anybody could possibly get! I went 2 levels with NO pocket pairs and no card higher than a 6. I don’t even know how that’s possible! 80 minutes with no playable hands. During the entire tourney I had about 4 hands that were worth playing. Once I had 2-2 in a limped pot and flopped a set. Once I had A-Q in a raised pot and went all-in on a Q high board to chop with Eskimo Clark. Last hand before a break it folded to me in the SB and I saw an ace as I was short stacked and shoved on the BB who snapped called. I had A-8, he had A-9 and we chopped that one. First hand back from break I had A-A in a raised pot from the button. I shoved and got snap called by K-6 off suit. (WTF?) Obviously he flopped K-3-K and turned a 6. GG me!

So I’m hoping that my run bad is finally in the past and I can keep my head up and focus on the future.  I’m keeping this short this time. The final BSPL game is this coming Friday, followed by the championship table. So next week will have a lot more to talk about. Until then,

10-14-09

With the accelerated schedule that I have had to go with to make sure all of our BSPL games are completed, we needed to get 2 of the tourneys in on one night this month. As it turned out, that worked out better for me than I could have anticipated. After getting very low in chip early in both tourneys, I was able to grind my way back and take both of them using some what different styles during heads-up play. The first was more of a straight forward. Pretty close to even in chips for most of the match until I made a call and my paired 3 held up. And then grinding away in the second and making a strong comeback from about 4-1 chip deficit. It looks like I’ve finally found my game again, but is it too late? One more league tourney and I’ll let you know.

With the WSOP-ME final table just around the corner, I’ve been thinking about some of my earlier predictions. I’ve said that, in my opinion, Phil Ivey and James Akenhead are the two players to watch. Phil is coming in short stacked to the table, but not to the blinds. That doesn’t mean he’s going to sit back and wait to move up the pay-out ladder. He’s going to be playing to win and if any of the big stacks think they can bully him off a hand because the cash is better one spot higher, that’s going to end badly for them. I’m most interested in seeing the rest of the table’s faces if and when Phil doubles up that first time. I bet you’ll be able to see the pure dread on their faces as they realize that they are all playing for second place. However, even though I’m picking Ivey to win it all (along with the rest of the poker community), it would not surprise me in the least to see him make a quick exit. He’s not playing for second place, he’s going big, or going to the golf course.

As for James Akenhead, he doesn’t get the consideration or respect that he deserves. He’s a strong player that is showing staying power. He’s been at this for a while now and if anybody at that table overlooks him, he’ll make them pay. I look for him to build slowly, show a lot of patience, and pick his spots well. That’s what he does. No matter what happens, the only player at this time that I’m not rooting for will remain Jeff Shulman. He has turned this into his own personal protest against Harrahs and the WSOP. He doesn’t respect the bracelet, so it’s my opinion that he doesn’t deserve it. Go November 8!! Hit the rail Jeff!!

See you on the felt,

09-12-09

The past year and a half has been a time of change, unrest, and uncertainty in my life. I’ve been through many challenges, both personal and professional, and so far I’m still alive and kicking. The road behind me has been a reminder to me that life is always a challenge. I also know that the road ahead will be full of pitfalls as well as rewards for making it through these difficult days. There are more changes for me in the near future. One that will impact others, on a much smaller scale, as well as me. I will update everybody about that within the next month or so. In the meantime, when this blog isn’t updated as often as I have been able to do in the past, please bear with me. Change doesn’t always come easy for me.

After quite possibly my worst results ever at a BSPL night, I find myself looking at a tough hill to climb, but I’m NOT giving up yet! Congrats to Gilkey for a second straight win (even if it was a chop, jk) and get ready for a flurry of activity in the league games as they may be combined and will at least be accelerated within the next month if a couple things happen. Tourney at the CSC this Thursday if I’m in town and from there it’s all depending on outside influences.

Until I know more,

09-04-09

                 I have been a bit behind on this blog lately. For any of you that read this with any regularity, I apologize for that. I’ll try to be more consistent from here on, but I should warn you that I have a few things coming up that may slow me down again. I’m not going to talk about them until after they have come to conclusion. So for now, I’ll get back to the poker talk.

                 For a week or so, I tried to keep my focus on the online challenge that I’ve mentioned a few times here. If you are not familiar with it I’ll recap. I and a few others each started with $10 in an account for various online poker sites. The challenge started as a cash game only race to $1000. It started and stopped a few times, and as of right now, it’s on again. I recently took the bank roll I had of just under $50 and bounced it up to just over $200. All that in about 4 days. I’ve slacked off a little over the past week or so, but I will force myself to get back after it. According to the buzz I’m currently sitting in 2^nd place by about $100. Not an impossible task, but I still need to get grinding. The restrictions on game selection have been lifted. All games at all levels are now fair game. I’ve played quite a few sit-n-gos and had very good results. If it gets close, or I see that any of the others are within $100 of the goal and I’m still back more than $300, I’ll shove into a large tourney and roll the dice in a donkament for my challenge life.

                 As for the Alzheimer’s HORSE tourney after the BSPL game, it didn’t exactly go off the way it was supposed to. We ended up playing a smaller buy-in and only threw half the add-ons into the jug. We have now cracked the $400 mark, but we’re still far behind the goal. Oh well, maybe we’ll catch the right situation and pull it out of our,,,,,, uh,,,,, thin air?

That’s all I have for tonight. It’s been a long and stressful day and week for me. Hopefully I’ll be able to iron a few things out so I can talk about them here. Until then, thanks for the support. It’s easy to see who your friends are when things are going in the wrong direction.

07-30-09

UPDATE!!! The Alzheimer’s Association H.O.R.S.E. tourney will be held after the BSPL game on 8-14-09. Buy-in will be 40+10 with an optional 10 for double starting chips. This is the modified format so Hold ‘Em, Omaha High, Razz, Stud High, and Omaha 8 or better until heads up. Then it’s NLH the rest of the way. Hope you can make it. I’ll be sending an email out soon.

07-28-09

With the 2009 WSOP on hiatus until November, we have time to think about, talk about, fight about, who we think will do what during the final table. Two names that people will recognize are Jeff Shulman, and a “lesser known” player that seems to show up from time to time, Phil Ivey. A lot of people have already given the bracelet to Phil. I’m not quite in that group,,, yet. I do believe, as does most of the poker community that Phil Ivey is by far the best player on the planet right now, and has almost everything lined up in front of him to take this title. If he was a little deeper in chips I would already be putting his name on the list of ME winners. Last year, Kelly Kim came in as the short stack and blinded himself down until he was mathematically required to call, picked up KK in the BB and doubled once, and then folded his way up the money ladder one spot and getting himself another $250,000 or so. If you expect Phil Ivey to fold his way up to one or two more spots on the money list, you don’t know Phil. When he sits down, even though he’s sitting 8^th in chips, he still has more than 30 BB and can do some serious damage to the other players, not to mention they REALLY don’t want to give him more chips to work with. I would not be surprised to see Phil be the first one off the table, but I also would not be surprised to see him pick up that bracelet either. If he doubles up just once early, I’ll be looking at the faces of the other players as they think to themselves, “Oh S#!T!! We’re all playing for second.”

Jeff Shulman, as much as he deserves the respect for his accomplishments, might be the least talented player at the table. I’m not trying to cut him down, I just think he has been on a true heater and should be feeling like he’s on a free roll from here out. Also, he has come out and said that if he does win the bracelet, he would throw it away. Since then he’s backtracked a little, and is now deciding just how to dispose of it. I’m guessing that SpadeClub.com will find a way to get in on this one. So sorry Jeff, I’m NOT pulling for you. Just because you, as a CardPlayer Magazine executive, have a problem with the governing body of the WSOP, you still should show respect to the other players that work very hard to get where you have stumbled into.

One other named pro, for those that pay atteantion, is James Akenhead. Do NOT overlook him. He has talent, and he runs good. He’s probably my pick to get to heads up with Ivey right now. As long as Phil makes it to the first break. The two players I’m pulling for right now, and this IS subject to change by November, are obviously Phil and James. Now, I think we can work out a little pool for this, so if you’re interested in grabbing a player blind and throwing an “apple” or two into a bucket, let me know.

Until next time,

07-24-09

The other day, in one of my rare ventures into online poker, I wanted to see a few hands and take my mind off the headache I was experiencing. So I logged onto a popular online poker site that will remain nameless unless they decide to hand out some swag, and bought into an 18 player s-n-g. These usually take about an hour or so, and that was about the limit of my attention span that day. About fifteen minutes after I get started, a guy walks up to the door and tells me that they’re working on the utilities and the electric is going to be shut off for a couple hours. WHAT??? Are you kidding me? I don’t play online for about 3 months and 15 minutes after I start a tourney I’m going to lose power? This has to be a sign that I’m not SUPPOSED to play online, right? I ask him when it will shut down and he tells me it’ll go off in about 15 or 20 minutes. I say thanks for the info, and decide that if I’m going to get shut off from this tourney, I might as well do all I can to build a stack that might be able to take getting blinded down to the money. The tourney pays 4 spots and there are still 17 in, OUCH! I pick up a couple hands, play a couple weaker players off their hands and end up almost quadrupling up in the next 10 minutes. I know this isn’t enough to get through, and I keep the pressure on. Also, during those hands that I’m not involved in, I make some preparations for the power going out.

It isn’t just the fact that my laptop battery now lasts about as long as my daughter’s room stays clean, it’s also that when the power goes, so does the cable modem. However, I do still have a dial up account for some reason, and I grab a phone cord. We get down to 8 players, still have power, 7, still have power, 6,,,,, 5,,,,, BOOM!!! There it goes. One from the money and me with some chips, and none of that will matter. The other stacks are about half of mine, but they’re playing so tight that as soon as they see the “SITTING OUT” next to my name, they’re going to blind me off. I hit the dial up connection, pray my battery hold long enough to get past one more player and cross my fingers.

As the table comes back online, my fears have been realized and in the couple minutes I was away, I’ve lost about 3 rounds of blinds and antes. WOW! These guys sure know how to kick a guy when he’s down. Instead of just hitting the “I’M BACK” button, I just watch the cards I get. J-3, Q-5, 2-6. No reason to bother with these since every pot is getting raised. The BB hits me and I pick up A-Q. As usual, UTG pops it and the others fold. To his surprise, this time I go from “SITTING OUT” to RE-RAISE!! He pauses for about half a second before mucking at the speed of sound. SURPRISE! Next hand it folds to the SB who limps, and I pop it again. KILL POT! On my button the UTG raises, then there’s a shove so I let my 9-9 hit the muck. After a call the cards flip as A-K against Q-Q with the queens having big slick covered in chips. The board bricks out to the turn and the A on the river keeps the bubble alive. Will somebody just bust so I don’t waste my buy-in please!!!!

Similar hands play out and after 7 rivers save the all-in players, I finally get involved with the shorty and call his shove with my A-J and see his A-6. Of course, a 6 flops and I’m sure my battery will give out before the money. J on the turn, brick on the river and GG shorty. CASH! Now I’m ok with whatever happens. I hate the idea that I should be able to take these guys but probably won’t have a chance. Next hand, 2 all-ins and I pick up A-K. Tough decision in this spot, but for some reason I lay it down and see the AA vs KK fight play out to move me up the payout ladder one more spot. I bust the third place stack with a 8-8 vs. 5-5 and we’re heads up with my battery light flashing like crazy. First hand of heads-up I find KK and shove thinking I won’t get to see if I get called but the power holds, and so does my hand. As the river hits and my hand holds up for the win, the screen goes blank. I don’t even get to see the “Congratulations” pop up on the screen.

The most horrific situations and worst conditions and somehow I pull it off. This has to be a sign that I SHOULD play online more!! Well,,,,,, maybe.

07-19-09

The BSPL is going pretty well, even though I seem to be saving my best results for the second tourney each month, the one that doesn’t count. For the third month in a row, I’ve won the second tourney and had to settle for just getting cash and not as many points as I need. However, SWJ is playing her best poker right now so I don’t want it to sound like I’m taking anything away from her performance. Lat night I would have played MOST of the hands the same way even if the cards were face up. So I’m happy with how I’m playing, I just need to get my results to show that.

Off the felt, I watched part of the British Open this weekend and was in complete awe of Tom Watson. He played so well and was the perfect representative of a gentleman’s game that more should be said about him and his actions. When a shot didn’t quite go the way he intended, he took his lumps and moved on with grace and dignity. Not all the competitors can say that, including the headliner of most weeks, Tiger Woods. How many times did he slam a club into the ground or his golf bag after a miss-hit or a bad bounce? Tiger missing the cut was talked about as a horrible thing for golf, but I say it’s better for him NOT to play the weekend if he’s acting like a spoiled brat that needs a time out, and that’s just what he got. TIME OUT TIGER!!! Go sit in the corner of your billion dollar mansion and pout where we don’t have to watch! Thankfully, we have a TRUE GENTLEMAN and SPORTSMAN leading the way. Thank you Mr. Watson. I wish some of the players in the game of poker would take after your lead. When you experience a bad beat, losing your cool just makes you look like more of an ass than you might actually be. Show that you have class. Take your lumps, and move on to the next hand. Character is shown in the way you act when life doesn’t go well for you. Show your true character.

And for those of you that having a 59 year old leading a major on the final day just shows that the level of competition has dropped off, think again. Tom Watson may be 59, but he’s an in-shape 59 year old with skills. It’s not like he’s overweight, going blind, unaware old man. He’s 59. At one time maybe I would have thought that was old, but that was before I was closer to 50 than 20. To me, it shows that if you take care of yourself, keeping your body and MIND sharp, golf, like poker, is a game that you can play for a lifetime.

So thank you again Mr. Watson. For reminding us that even though people may get caught up in the flavor of the day that gets all the hype, there is more to golf than just one name. After all, Tiger may be the best in the world at this time, but he sure as hell didn’t invent the game.

07-17-09

SPOILER ALERT!!! WSOP INFO IN THIS BLOG

I know I usually save this for AFTER the BSPL so I can update points, but a lot has happened in the past couple days and I wanted to get it out. First off: congrats to Phil Ivey, Jeff Shulman, and the rest of the November Nine. And for Phil, AMAZING run this year! 2 bracelets and a M.E.F.T. is one of the most impressive accomplishments I can imagine. With all the excitement that will surround this final table, it can only be helped by the presence of the best living poker player (IMHO). Now let’s see if Harrahs takes this opportunity and does something with it instead of dropping the ball like they did last year. How about a little PUBLICITY!!??

Also in the past week, I have found a local card room that has 4 tourneys a week and cash games after. Granted, if you’re a limit player or a micro-stakes player this isn’t the cash game for you. 1-2 NL looks to be the only game that will get off with regularity. I’m going to attempt to swing some limit into the fray. I’ll let you know how that turns out. I haven’t been there enough to give a full review, so be looking for that in the next couple weeks.

And for my friend Kenna James, BIG props for taking down the Dream Team Poker event at the Rio. You played some amazing poker and deserved the title. The Cowboy is BACK!!!

And now, the 2009 WSOP is in the books,,,, mostly. Only nine players have a shot at ending their WSOP experience with the ME bracelet on their wrist. I’ll be making my pick in the next month or so, but OBV I’ll be leaning towards Ivey. I don’t think it’s +EV to ever bet against him on the felt.

And I NEVER want to forget Devo. He pulled a fourth out of the Venetian Deep Stack ME. STRONG play. And then he turns around and signs with UB, GG DEVO!!!

Until next time,

07-10-09

The last couple weeks since my return from Vegas, I have been taking a sabbatical from the felt. Some of the reasons for that are situational, but most of them are self imposed. After all those days, and the constant STT barrage I threw myself into, I just needed a break. It’s interesting to me that some of the best things I’ve done to improve my game have consisted of NOT playing at all. It gives me a chance to recharge the desire I have for the game. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder, in some cases. Now that I’ve been off the felt for a while, I’m craving the competition again. I miss most of the aspects of the battle. The people (most of them), the logic, the feel, even the tactile sensation of the cards and chips in my hands, are all missing for me right now. Prior to today, I was mostly ok with not playing. I had things to do, and still do, but I just didn’t miss the game. Today, I MISS THE GAME! I plan on hitting the tables as soon as possible. Tomorrow at the very latest I’ll be moving chips again.

For all of you that might be at my table in the next few weeks, be cautious. Because to paraphrase one of the most famous quotes in my lifetime; “I have a fever. And the only prescription is,,, more cowbell,,, I mean POKER!”

06-29-09

What a trip! Granted, the results could have been better, but for a week in Vegas, it still worked out ok. As usual, the satellites at the WSOP are a money factory. By far, they are the best EV anywhere during the year. When you can buy in to a STT for $175, and 90 minutes later have a $500 toke and be playing 3-handed for another $120 cash, then you just can’t justify NOT playing them as often as you can get a seat. I turned around my trip, paid for my flight, my hotel (granted it was almost ALL comped, thanks Rio), played 2 WSOP events, and all I paid was cab fair. I’ll second guess my decisions to play those events a few times over the next few months, but I’m thrilled with my decisions on the felt. Of the thousands of hands I played during my trip, I’d only like to have 3 of them back again. Sure I had results in other hands that went the wrong way for me, but my reads and decisions were dead on,,,, except in those 3.

Gotta love the World Series of Poker. I had planned on getting downtown to play in The Grand and the Binion’s Classic. I did make it into one of the events at Binion’s, but I only played cash at the Nugget. I just couldn’t walk away from the STTs at the Rio. I have already started working out some details for next year. I have talked to a backer and plan on spending most of the series out at the Rio next year. I’m working on my plan for my bankroll, my time away from the felt, and even the entertainment side of things while I’m there. Even if I don’t make it into one of the bracelet events, it WILL be a profitable trip.

As for the BSPL, our July game is being moved. When the schedule first came out, it didn’t look like a problem, but as with everything in life, things change. The voted aren’t all in yet, but it’s looking like a 2 week delay.

I want to take this last part and wish the best of luck to a couple of the guys still at the WSOP. KJ (Kenna James), Devo (Bryan Devonshire), and AJ (Andrew Jeffreys). I’d LOVE to see all three of you guys at that final table in November. For you and the others that I know and respect that are still at the series,,,,

 06-16-09

Sorry about the delay in posting BSPL results. I’ll have to do that when I get back after the 24th.

And they’re off!!! Each year about this time, I make the journey out to the happiest place on earth (I don’t care what Disney says), Las Vegas. It’s that magical time of year that brings thousands of participants out to the World Series of Poker. So it’s time for me to head west too. I’ll be at the Rio starting Tuesday, and staying for a week or so, depending on my results. I doubt I’ll be updating much until I return, but who knows. I’ll do what I can. I’m adding a WSOP page to the side menu. IF I can update, it will be added there.

This part was written after day one of event #2. BEFORE Ivey decided to wake up and play this year.

As for the rest of the series, I’m just interested in seeing it play out.= and rooting for Devo as always. I have resisted the chance to make prop bets on or against players winning bracelets, POY point bets, and many other options. However, that doesn’t stop me from forming opinions on performances. The boldest statement I have made is probably that Ivey will win at least one bracelet, and Bonomo will finish in the top 5 of POY points. No wagering involved,,,, as far as you know.

 As for my plans during this year’s series, those are still up in the air a bit. At the moment, my backer wants me to play in The Grand and Binion’s Classic. Not sure how many events but since the deal doesn’t include travel, it will come down to what I can scrape up for personal expenses.

 Until I return from the land of Lost Wages,

05-28-09

And they’re off!!! The WSOP has begun with one of the most anticipated events in the history of tournament poker. The $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event #2 will be memorable no matter how it shakes out. The field was sure to attract the best players thanks to the huge buy-in, and it did not disappoint when it comes to the marquee worthy entrants. From Doyle to Daniel to “Elky” and the Phils, this field is fully loaded. It contains so many tables that would be looked at like the line up of the 1927 Yankees.

Imagine looking to your left and seeing Meusel, and Gehrig. Then to ease your nerves you look right and see Babe Ruth. That’s the feeling you would have had at Table 58 when you’s see Huck Seed, Greg “FBT” Mueller and Doyle Brunson. Or maybe you’d feel better at Table 90 with Phil Laak, Erick Lindgren, and Ted Forrest. The field is obviously tough. I’m betting on Justin Bonomo, but hoping that Moneymaker has a good run, he really is a good guy that has gotten a bad run in the media.

As for the rest of the series, I’m just interested in seeing it play out.= and rooting for Devo as always. I have resisted the chance to make prop bets on or against players winning bracelets, POY point bets, and many other options. However, that doesn’t stop me from forming opinions on performances. The boldest statement I have made is probably that Ivey will win at least one bracelet, and Bonomo will finish in the top 5 of POY points. No wagering involved,,,, as far as you know.

As for my plans during this year’s series, those are still up in the air a bit. At the moment, my backer wants me to play in The Grand and Binion’s Classic. Not sure how many events but since the deal doesn’t include travel, it will come down to what I can scrape up for personal expenses. Maybe a week, maybe more, it just depends on air and accommodations at this point. If and when things get confirmed, I’ll make sure it gets posted here and on the calendar.

Other than that, I don’t have much to inform you of at the moment. I’ve been working on the books and trying to plan out my Vegas trip so poker talk just isn’t happening right now. I will have something for the next update after next week’s league game. Hopefully after a third straight high finish. So until next week:

05-09-09

Sorry for the delay in updates. Been a crazy month.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. No matter how many times I hear that phrase, I almost always find a new way to interpret it. In the poker world, looking down at rolled up kings, or seeing pocket aces, that’s a beautiful thing. And now that spring has finally hit the Ohio area, the greening of the grass and the filling out of the leaves on the trees against the sunny skies of the coming summer compared to the gloom and gray of the past season is a truly beautiful site to behold. Of course, with the upside to each case, there is a down side.

Not everybody knows how to handle that much beauty at once. It has been an increasing problem on the roads that the drivers that seem to be amazed by the beauty, and can’t stop gazing at the wonders or the start of spring, also stop watching where they’re driving, what they’re doing, and completely forget that there are other people in the world that are trusting them with the ability to pay attention to what they’re doing, and help everybody get from point A to point B alive and unharmed. For those people that can’t; put down the cell phone, refrain from staring at the duck flying to the pond, the dog walking it’s owner, gawk at the women that are finally able to wear less clothing, read the paper, eat a burrito, pass out fast food to the kids in the back seat, fix their eyeliner, tie their shoes, or even change out of work clothes into shorts (ok, maybe I did that once or twice) while driving, GET OFF THE ROAD!!! You’re only asking to hurt somebody else. If you want to kill yourself that way, more power to you, but stay away from me, my family, and my friends you MORONS!!!!!

Ok, I took a minute and I’m a little calmer now. Back to the beauty thing. At the tables, when you look down and see a HUGE hand a lot of people do the same thing as those previously mentioned “drivers”. They stop paying attention to the rest of the world, and start getting their money into the pot. Everybody has at one time done this very thing. Your hand is more than a little likely to be the best and you stop worrying about anybody else, relax, and start throwing chips into the middle. The problem with that, as with idiots on the road, is that there are other players at that table. Of course, the difference is, this time you WANT to hurt them. If you automatically start firing each time you have that lock hand, you’ll end up never getting any action and missing out on money that should have ended up in your stack.

If you stop paying attention to those other players, you might just miss a chance to maximize your return on each bet. There are many times that you may pick out that a player is weak, on tilt, or maybe feels very strong. Each of those situations will give you the opportunity to play a different way in order to extract the most from each player. The weaker ones, if they’re the only ones left to act, may need to be coaxed into playing that hand and catching up a little. The guy on tilt, if you raise him the right amount, may push his whole stack at you. The strong player, you can check raise him into the pot and possibly get him pot committed before he realizes it. Big misses come down to more than just AK seeing a flop of 358; they also come from missed ROI.

Beauty is a gift to all of us. The fact that we can appreciate it and marvel at it is one of the true wonders of the world. Just remember that with the ability to admire that beauty, comes a responsibility. Make sure that in the moment of taking in beauty, you don’t do harm to other,,, unless you can get their chips.

04-11-09

Contradictions are a common occurrence in poker, and in life. The simple fact that poker is less gambling and more skill is lost on most of society. This misconception is helped along with the fact that a lot of poker players that make it onto a televised final table will gamble on big hands, giving the producers the drama that they crave for the show. The idea that skill is the driving factor in the decisions made at the table by the best players is lost when the percentages show up on the screen as a 50% to 50% chance of a pro holding AK going up against a pocket pair of 44. The general public see this and are convinced that a “coin flip” is a gamble, so poker must be gambling. What most of those viewers don’t understand is the rest of the factors that must be considered when throwing chips into a pot without being a heavy favorite.

There are times when the money risked is an acceptable loss for the chance to eliminate a player. With one more player gone, moving up the prize money ladder can mean thousands to each player still in the game. Also when a player is so short stacked that the only reasonable action is to fold or commit their whole stack. If the blinds and antes are eating away a stack that will only last once more around the table, and an above average hand is found, it can be mathematically correct to get your money in as a slight underdog. Not that all players are dreaming about getting their money in with the worst hand, but sometimes it’s still the right decision if you’re playing to win. Poker players need to find a balance between the goal of getting the chips that are on the table with a total disregard for money.

Of course, that is an extreme example, but it still demonstrates that the gamble in poker is less gambling than most people may see. This is also true away from the felt. Many times in a day each person had risks to take that contradict their beliefs. The need to be safe and out of harm’s way is weighed against the need to speed to work so you’re not late, giving the chance to lose your job (safe 40% speed 60%). The desire to keep healthy eating habits goes up against the convenience of the fast food joint on the corner (healthy 30%, greasy burger 65%). The chance to get the woman of your dreams vs. losing the girl you’ve been with for the past six months (dream girl 28% girl you have 63%). Notice that the numbers don’t always, and very rarely, add up to 100%. This is due to the fact that maybe you’ve been late before, the traffic may stop you from speeding, the fast food joint might have a salad, the dream girl still hates you, and the girl you’re with finds out you’re still thinking about the dream girl and dumps your butt because of it.

Contradictions are very prevalent on and off the felt. It’s just pretty interesting to me that when questions are asked of situations, from how to play a hand to which girl to ask out, most people are expecting to hear an answer that is a clear black and white answer. There’s too much grey area to hope for that. I’m learning to embrace the contradiction in my life, even appreciate them. I hope everybody else can do the same.

I’m off the box now, until next time,

04-01-09

This past weekend I played my way into a 2k guaranteed tourney on an online site. With 414 runners, and 63 of them making into the money, I promptly went out 64th. Bubble me baby! For the most part, the tourney was an experience of frustration. Included in that was my K-K < A-8 (THAT crippled me late on the bubble) and the player on my right (same as A-8) going all-in for about 30 straight hands. I wish that was an exaggeration, but unfortunately for all at the table, it’s not. But no sour grapes. It was at least interesting. And a big THANKS to PokerNews for putting up the jack!

I have recently been in touch with some players that are interested in improving their game. Some to become the best they can be, and others that just want to improve their results in the home games they play on a regular basis. I am flattered by the fact that they respect my opinions and would like my assistance in their quest. AS those that know me would testify, there is no lack of confidence in my game. The fact that I’m being asked for my input adds to that confidence.

One player in particular plays mostly online. This does present a unique set of restraints on my ability to help him. The strength of my game has always been in live games where I can play more of a feel game. The math knowledge is there for me, but I most of the time I only use it as a fall back for those situations that are a really close decision. For me, online poker is mostly math, and only partially based on feel. The betting patterns are the only part of the game that I can pick up on. Granted that is a large part of every game and should be viewed as one of those important things to focus on during play.

I have taken a couple players into my confidence in the past. These were not really “coaching” sessions as much as strategy sessions. Discussing the way situations can be turned to the advantage of positions at the table other than the button, the use of c-betting on the turn instead of the flop, when chip stacks are no longer at a level that a standard raise is viable, etc. These are all issues that have many options and each option creates another set of situations that has many options that create situations,,, you get the point.

The hardest thing to get new players to realize is that there is never a time when one answer can apply to a given situation. You may think that if you’re down to 4BB in a tourney and the player on your right shoves, has you covered, and you pick up AA that you should call every time. What if you are on the bubble, there are already 3 players in the pot, and making the money gives you your rent money for the month? Not as easy as it sounded in the beginning is it? The only advice I plan on giving right now is that an keeping an open mind to every situation and learning to think through those situations is quite possibly the most important thing to work on in improving your poker game.

I’m off the box now, until next time,

02-17-09

The Alzheimer’s Association event helped add to the donation that will be made later this year, and overall was an evening of poker. How successful it was cannot be measured by the amount raised or the level of play. Unfortunately, not every player exhibited the best etiquette or grace. Most of the time, as the regular players in the BSPL will attest, the manners and flow of the game are at a pretty high standard. I am very proud to be part of a group of individuals that show respect to the other players and to the game. This wasn’t exactly the case on Friday, but it wasn’t a huge problem either. I hope all that were offended can allow the issue to pass and chalk it up to just  “one of those nights.” Other than the poor actions and attitude that we endured, the night was still a chance to have some fun and play the game that we love. I know this won’t be the last time that this type of behavior will show it’s face, as it wasn’t the first, but I hope we learn from it and allow ourselves to take advantage of the opportunity to grow not only at the tables, but in life. Ok, off the box.

And right onto another box. Mental note: When you want to complain about taking constant bad beats, either live or online, DO NOT celebrate when you turn around and hand out several during a single session. It amazes me how perspective can change for a player so quickly. I have taken my share of horrific beats, as I’m sure we all have. I do not like them and it’s little consolation that yes, I did get my money in good and just got unlucky. However, I do my very best to not complain about it. If the players giving those beats get a little confidence that they are playing well, even after hitting a 3 outer to win a pot, then in the long run, I’m sure the money will end up in front of me, and they’ll finish the game on the rail. I’ve been excited about putting beats on others, but not proud of it so there’s no reason that I should celebrate it. Getting my money in bad and getting lucky shows just how poorly I played the hand. There are exceptions to every rule, but in general, getting my money in bad is something I try NOT to accomplish with great regularity. And now, off box number two.

Until next time,

01-04-09

Another new year. A clean slate. A chance to leave the past in the past and look only to the present and the future. What a GREAT concept, don’t you think? Except that when we leave the past behind, and only focus on the “now” and the “yet to come”, we tend to stop learning from our past mistakes. Not only in poker, but in life. The past couple years I’ve been dealing with some personal demons. Almost every aspect of which I brought on myself. The only blame that can be placed, is on my shoulders. I hope to find closure on some of these issues in the beginning of this year. As for some other aspects of my life, I will still need to address them. I try not to burden others with my personal trials and problems, and in fact, I try not to talk about them at all. I’m only mentioning this here so those that wonder can know that I’m getting by, and see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for your support, and most of all, your friendship. Now to poker.

2009 will be a different type of year for me in the poker world. I have no idea about a tournament schedule, or if I’ll even make it to the WSOP this year (see paragraph above for explanation). I do, however, plan on playing in a few of the larger tournaments in the area including the WSOP-C events this coming fall. In addition, Wheeling Island has recently become a member casino for the USPT. Any that feel interest in becoming members of the USPT, please let me know so I can get you the best deal possible. The events that take place for the USPT at Wheeling have yet to be announced, so I’ll have to see how many of those I can actually make. I also plan on playing online a little more this coming year. The challenge that I mentioned towards the end of last year fell apart due to a few other factors (see paragraph above for explanation) and is on hold for the near future. I still plan on fulfilling that commitment, and when things start up again I’ll make sure to post about it here. I also hope to have a few cash fames in the BSP Room in 2009. The larger games in Ohio have mostly dried up, and I really miss using the different poker muscles that are needed in a cash game. Any interest, PLEASE contact me so I can get you on the cash game email list. I also have a couple goals (no, not resolutions) for my game this year. I can’t mention them here, in case you end up at my table.

So for now, I’ll wish all of you a Happy New Year! I wish nothing but the best for you all in this bright, opportunity filled, new year.

 2008

12-23-08

It’s almost Christmas and the 2008 BSPL is over. I just got back home from taking my daughter Christmas shopping for her mother, and the roads are icing up quickly. It’s amazing to me how much Christmas used to mean to me when I was younger compared to what it means to me now. I used to see this as a time of amazement and fascination. Now I see it as a chance for the retail outlets to start bleeding the world dry. Luckily for me, I still see a lot of the wonder of this time of year in my daughter’s eyes. Not the anticipation of opening a bunch of presents, but the hope for peace and kindness that the world is missing most of the time. It truly does make my heart feel “3 sizes too small” during the rest of the year when I see how she looks at life and the people she encounters.

Ok, on to the recap of the Final Table. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. The two largest stacks at the table missed the money completely, and the three shortest stacks going into the table swept the cash into their pockets. With good play and good cards, the time was right for Gilkey to get into the money before finally bowing out in third. The heads-up battle was hard fought, and eventually won when Adam’s 7-3 turned out to be greater than David’s K-9. Congrats to Adam and the other money winners.

The 2009 season looks to be a go after some careful deliberation. If you are interested, please let me know as soon as you can. The first league game is set for January 16th. The schedule will be posted soon (if it’s not already) hope to see you there.

MERRY CHRISTMAS from BSP!!!

 12-06-08

What a night!

Last night was the final league tourney of the 2008 season. Prior to the previous 2 tourneys, I had been behind the point leader, Mike M., by 27 points. I then proceeded to win 2 in a row, pushing me into the lead by a precarious 8 points. This made for one of the most entertaining tables in BSP history. As both Mike and I lost a large portion of our stacks early, it became a fight to survive, not to win. As a few players were knocked out, and our stacks were not improving, it became more interesting to see how each of us played our marginal hands. Neither of us were taking big risks, and it started to pay off. At 5 handed, we were still there, 4 handed, still there. This now became an amazing show of strategy on both our parts. We were close to even (closer than I thought, we’ll get to that in a minute) and had a large stack, Mike G., adding to the dynamic.

As all three of us played, it was clear to everybody that we were being very careful. I think Mike G. stole a couple hands as he exploited the fact that the only way Mike M. could take the league title was to get me out in third and he would still have to win it out right. This became a battle of timing. As our stacks were being dwindled down, and the blinds were going up, I woke up with A-K on the button and raised. Mike G. thought briefly, then folded. As Mike M. looked at his cards, it was clear he had a decision to make. It took him a couple minutes, but I think he put me on a small pair or total air. He pushed and I snap called. We counted down the money, and he had me covered by 200!! (Told you we were close!) We tabled the cards and I had him way behind with A-K > K-9. If the hands were reversed, I may have made the same move. I needed to have a big hand to call, and if I had thought about it, I may have laid it down, but as much as I wanted the league lead, I wanted to win just as much. The board bricked out and I had nearly taken the chip lead. A couple hands later and it was heads up between me and Mike G. It was an exciting final tourney for the league, and I was very happy to be a part of it.

The Heads-up Alzheimer's Tourney that started a few months ago finally had the second round. Mike and Mike played out to see Gilkey move into the finals. And Adam and myself  went to battle to see who would get the seat opposite of Mike G. It was a well played match with little to no mistakes made by wither of us, and the cards fell my way to let me get to the finals. Hoping to finish that up in 2 weeks either before or after the Championship Table.

I think this update has gone on long enough, so until the final table,,,

PLAY STRONG!

p.s.

The challenge has slowed due to unusual circumstances. I hope to get back on track in the next week or so. We are in talks now about amending the wager to better fit the situation. I will update on that when it becomes more clear.

 11-22-08

Challenge update

Only one day since the last update, so this one will be quick. I’m am currently in the midst of a challenge to turn no money into $1000 on Stars (yes, that’s why I noticed the “forward moving button” issue in the previous blog.) I am about 2 days into this, and have turned $0 into over $7. Not much, but I can now start taking larger shots, and have an increased ROI. So for those that are interested, I’ll try to update every couple days.

11-15-08

Congrats to Ivan Demidov and Peter Eastgate

Ok, I know I put the runner-up’s name first, but he WAS my pick before the table started, and I’m still thrilled with how well he played. The coverage that ESPN gave was good, but it really wasn’t representative of the reality that happened. There were hours of coverage that ended up on the cutting room floor that I thought was much more interesting than that which was shown on tv. Granted, it rarely made it to a flop, and I doubt the best hands played ever saw a river or a showdown. The dynamic at that table was amazing. The play by all of the players was way above what has been the norm in the past few years. There were a few mistakes, but it wasn’t always bad play, more just bad reads. There were also some amazing suck-outs. Through all of that, I was happy to see that, IMHO, the best two players at that table, that day, made it to heads-up.

On a side note, when they made it to heads-up, I found myself in a very difficult situation.  On the one hand, I had picked Ivan, and wanted him to win to vindicate my pick. On the other hand, I was pulling, and eventually rooting for Peter so he could take one of the feathers out of Hellmuth’s hat. Phil is no longer the youngest player to ever win the main event. THANK YOU PETER!!!!!

Now onto another topic. Online poker tournaments.

I recently got back into online poker, a little. I’ve played the big 2 , and discovered a fact that really bothers me. PokerStars uses the “forward moving button” which is used in most California card rooms. This means if the small blind is eliminated on a hand, the button is not considered dead, it moves to the next player. This allows the UTG player from the previous hand to become the small blind, and miss the big blind entirely! I see this as an unfair way to run a tournament, and by far against Tournament Director’s Association Rules. I emailed support when I noticed it, and they’re response, while prompt, polite, and well explained, was still not enough to validate the problem. I have every intention to post about this on a couple forums to see if others share my feelings. I urge all that read this to join the forums at PokerRoad.com and voice your opinion there also.

Until Friday (remember, 2 tourneys for points!)

11-07-08

The Finally Table!

After months of waiting, and an unprecedented delay, the final table of the WSOP Main Event is set to begin this Sunday. The “November Nine” have already received 9th place money ($900,670) and are coming back to slug it out for a first place prize of $9,119,338. Granted, this delay has given those final 9 players a chance to work out the best sponsorship deals they can, and given the main stream media a chance to get the word out about them. A chance to do the human interest stories that will bring a larger audience to the broadcast that happens this Tuesday. All this time, nearly 4 months, to get the names out to the public and create a “buzz” about this historic event. Only one problem; NOBODY TALKED ABOUT IT!! ESPN, in their (insert sarcastic tone here) infinite wisdom decided to not let anybody know who these players were until their scheduled broadcast showed them make the final table. Ok, I understand that you want to keep the suspense going a little, but why the huge delay if you’re not going to use that time to tell people about them? I know, I’ve talked about this before. Then, at the urging of a couple “not-to-be-named” pros, I gave it a chance to see what happened. Now that the time has come, and the publicity has only been for the past week or so, I feel vindicated that the opportunity has been wasted. 4 months of building the hype, creating stars, and whipping up the media circus just never happened. I’m disappointed in the approach, but even more let down by the complete waste to really help grow this game. And be honest, it’s taking a down swing this past couple years. The UIGEA along with the faltering economy has pulled a lot of money away from the tables.  Not to mention the juice being charged at all of these tournaments. Well, that’s an entirely different BLOG, maybe next time.

However, let’s just take what we are being given, and try to get as much enjoyment out of it as we can. The Final Table is here. Pick your winner, root them on, and when they come up just a little bit short of my pick (Ivan Demidov) lament for a short while, and enjoy the rest of the “nearly live” broadcast. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and Norman Chad will miss his plane and get replaced by,,,,, ANYBODY!

Until next time,

10-20-08

Laughlin Bound!

I’m leave for Laughlin today, and a week in the casinos. I’m ready to play, but I’ll miss home. It gets easier in some aspects to leave for a week or so at a time now that my daughter is older, but it still stings knowing that I’ll be more than 15 minutes away if she calls. Still, I’m trying to be realistic about things. She’s a “tween-ager” and doesn’t need/want to hang out with her parents as much right now. She’s finding her own level of independence that I’m both proud of, and saddened by at the same time. I guess I’ll always miss those times when she would curl up on my chest as I laid back in a chair and we fell asleep peacefully. Children really are a wondrous miracle. She is by far the very best thing that has ever happened to me. And the best legacy I could hope to leave behind when I’m gone.

Back to the felt. After my self-induced hell that was called by others the World Series of Poker Circuit Events, I’ve thought a lot about my game. Should I be playing more tournaments or cash games? Did the way I played some of my monster hands cause others to play me like I was weak? And I’ve only come to one conclusion so far. I played as well as possible, and just didn’t get the results that reflected the play. I can live with that. I’m not thrilled, but I can handle it,,,, now. (At the time, I wasn’t sure how to deal with it.) So I’m off to Laughlin to work more on my game, relax a little, and prepare for the long cold winter. The BSP games are still on for this year, but starting next year,,,, well,,,, let me just say that next year is up in the air. More so than it has been in the past. I still enjoy playing those games, so we’ll just have to cross our collective fingers and hope for a favorable outcome.

Also, there is still a chance that we’ll have a guest player next Sunday or Monday in the BSP room. Scott Long from Ante Up! Magazine will be in town and is trying to clear a little time in his schedule to make the trip to sit in on one of our games. Make sure that you’ve emailed me if you’re interested, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I know something more certain. I’ll be sending an email about the game one last time before I leave, but more than likely, I’ll have to set most of it up while I’m out of state.

Until I return,

10-14-08

Conflicting schedules.

Due to the amount of different things going on in everybody’s lives this past month, the league game has been delayed. Next month, we’ll play 2 games for points. It’s getting down to the wire, and I feel that we need to make every effort to allow for the games to be played by all the members. That being said, the players that made it to the October game should not be penalized. If fact, I feel they should be rewarded.  So each player will receive a bonus to their point total of the lowest place that could have been awarded at that game (13).  This will be added to the score of the October game after it’s completion.

As for the rest of my poker world, it’s been slow. The WSOP-C events were a horrible train wreck of bad beats and bad luck that I’d rather not mention too much of here. I’ll only say that losing with A-A, K-K, and Q-Q should have been enough, but losing with quad 10’s told me it was just not going to be my week. I’ll be making the trip to Laughlin on next Monday for about a week, and plan on meeting up with some friends in and from Vegas while I’m there. This is my last relaxation of the year, and maybe of my life. I plan on focusing on work for a while after I return, and have no idea where that may lead me.

Until next time,

09-22-08

Giving back. 

This past Saturday at the Marion County Fairgrounds, the Alzheimer’s Association held the annual Memory Walk to raise funds to help in the battle against this horrible disease. This is where/when all of the donations made throughout the year at our league games, and fund raising tourneys gets presented to the organization. This year, we took one more step and teamed up with a family team “The Wright Stuff” that walks and raises money in memory of their matriarch, Ella Wright. Ella lost her battle with Alzheimer’s, and it has become their goal, and the goal of BSP, to help others with the fight and eventual victory over the disease. With the contribution from BSP being combined with that of The Wright Stuff team, a contribution of just over $2000 was made. I am very proud of this accomplishment, but refuse to allow myself, or the rest of the BSP Crew, to rest. We are already underway with plans for raising another donation by next year’s walk, and I invite,,, no,, I CHALLENGE all of you to contribute at least $150 over the next 12 months ($12.50 a month) so we can not only eclipse our previous goal, but also work towards the 2009 goal that has been set at $2000 by BSP alone. I am committed to donating a percentage of my tourney wins this year, as well as the usual contributions that I have always made. Time to put this disease in it’s place, and it’s place, is in the history books.

GIVE TILL IT HURTS! (Then give a little more) 

09-16-08

Small victory for a big cause.

With the Memory Walk this Saturday, this past weekend was out last chance to get to the $1000 goal that I set last year. Thanks to all that came out for the HORSE Tourney, you helped us pass the goal by about $100, and with the addition of the donations made from sodas and others, we have hit $1200 for The Alzheimer's Association!!! I am VERY proud to say that this year’s charity drive was a huge success. All those that helped should take a minute to smile and feel good about making a contribution to fighting this horrible ailment. THANKS TO ALL!!!

On a side note, I finally had the chance to win a tourney that I hosted! After a marathon 7+ hours, I took down the HORSE tourney and the trophy. I’m very proud of this win. With the added pressure of dealing most of the way through, with the assistance of David Trout when we still had two tables running, I feel it was quite an accomplishment. The win paid for all my out of pocket, and the rest went to get the AAF up to the $1200 mark. I even had enough left over for a pie!!! I would like to take this chance to thank all that participated. We had a decent turnout, and I hope all had a good time. Starting out with 10k in chips allowed for a lot of play, and I hope everybody feels like they got their money’s worth of entertainment. We even added a couple more names to the Acorn Army roster. Always a good thing to have more players.

Even though the league game didn’t go well for me, I still have kept myself in position to strike for the title, and am in VERY good position for the Championship Table. With all of the things going on right now, I hope I’ll be able to focus more on the title in the next month or so. And a quick congrats to Chris who picked up her first BSP win. (see pic on the left)

Here in BSP country, we had a weekend of greats: A great Friday league game that saw a straight flush that barely got paid off. A great COLLAPSE in the COLLOSIUM that will have me wearing cardinal and gold during a WSOP event next year and doing pushups at some random time dictated by Devo (ugh). And a GREAT wind storm that did a LOT of damage to not only my neighborhood, but throughout the state. Power was out here for about 19 hours, some homes look to be without power for up to 5 days or more. The fence here was blown down, and the tree limbs will take a few days to clean up. I am, however, very aware of how lucky most of us were during this storm. A house just down the street here lost a huge tree, that landed on a truck and part of the next door house. Many other trees hit the ground and caused a lot of structural damage to homes, vehicles, and sadly, took a few lives. It puts things into perspective when, at the most inopportune times, you see what could’ve been, and what you still have. I was lucky. No one that I care about was hurt during this “life trial”. My daughter even had a little fun at the library when the lights went out. For those that were not as fortunate, my thoughts, and those of many others, are with you.

As for the immediate future, it’s out to clean up the property, and then preparing for a trip to Laughlin at the end of next month. Time to start grinding again. So until next time,

09-08-08

Fact or Fiction?

The rumors have been swirling for weeks now, and they seem to be attracting more and more validity. From my perspective, they cannot be ignored any longer. It looks like Bodog is finally going to pull the plug. After the UIGEA, and even a little before that, the US government has been going after Bodog a little harder than the other gaming sites. That could all be nothing more than my view, or it could be due to the arrogance that Bodog had shown early on in it’s marketing campaign. Either way, it looks like the final result will be the elimination of one more site that offers internet poker. If the government is trying to eliminate the ability for the citizens of this country to make wagers over the internet, then it’s really not making as much headway as it appears. Sure, Bodog has been around for a while, and has a trusted name in most circles. I even had money on that site for a while. The fact is, the US is trying to stop internet poker, not regulate it. By taking this stance, the government is passing on billions of tax dollars while we allow our economy to slip further and further into despair. Ok, that sounds REALLY dramatic. I’m not trying to be a voice of doom and gloom, I’m just taking this opportunity to let those that read this, and might have a couple bucks on Bodog, CASH OUT NOW!!

It may not happen, but when another site pulled out of the US, and eventually shut down completely, I lost a little bit then, and I’d rather not let anybody else go through that if it can be avoided. So to be safe, if you have funds on Bodog, the smart money say fold now, and cash out. It may not happen, but if it does, where do you want your money?

 09-02-08

Ok, I can vent a little now.

Recently I hosted a tourney in my home. Not really anything out of the ordinary, except that most of the players were people that I had never met before. How they came to my place is irrelevant. During this tourney, I was pleased to see just how novice most of them were. I, along with a couple other players from the BSP group, were having a pretty good run through the field when it happened. TILT hit me from out of nowhere. I usually don’t tilt, but this was something that I didn’t expect. Most players get tilted due to the game, the cards, or the play of others. Mine wasn’t caused by a bad beat, or even a poor read. It was comments that were made that were completely non-game related. In my opinion, they were also completely classless, rude, and immature. Then things got really bad. Here’s a free piece of advice; if you’re at somebody’s home that you have never met, and you don’t like the house, the room you’re playing in, or in general, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!!!! Then, if you happen to bring beverages with you, ask the best way to keep it cold. Most people that host, have a plan already. DO NOT place it in the refrigerator without at least asking the host, and if you decide to go ahead anyway, and you accidently break 2 or 3 bottles that are in there, TELL THE HOST!!! Don’t just ignore it, and hope it goes away. This was my experience. I usually have no problems with guests. This was defiantly the exception to that rule. I have never felt more disrespected in my life, and if you know me at all, that’s really saying something. I didn’t mention this to anybody until after all of the players had left, but I’m sure that I offended a couple people while I was fuming. I may have even lost a friend over this, but I’ve done all I can to try to fix that part of the situation. If you read this Doc, I am sorry. It took about a week before I could think about it with a clear head, and even now I still feel myself getting a little ticked off about the whole thing. More happened that night than I have talked about here, but those were the “high” lights. I have felt anger before, and will again. I have allowed it to shape my actions, but rarely. This was my latest, and I pray my last, TILT-filled, emotion led, night. It was NOT my idea of a good night. I just hope that I can fix the things that I have apparently damaged in the process of trying to deal with my emotions.

Off the box.

 08-31-08

Poker, Politics, and Pizza

Last week, I played two events at the Denny Crum Poker Open at the Horseshoe S.I., just outside Louisville. Two events worked out to one final table (7th place finish) and One unceremonious exit that will ever remind me that pocket Kings are a horrible hand to have in a tourney!!!! Ok,,, maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but losing 3 times with pocket kings in the first 3 levels is a horrible way to remember a tourney. In that one, I picked up KK on the first hand and shipped about 2/3 of my stack to the other end of the table to a guy playing A-10 to my large pre-flop raise, my C.B. after a 7 high flop, and then he shipped the rest of his stack on the A turn. I throw my hand away face up, he shows his and pulls the pot. The second time I picked up the cowboys, I had clawed my way back to an above average stack and watched a pair of queens re-raise my from the button with a shove. I called, he hit a Q on the flop, and then brick-brick. Most of my stack was now gone,, AGAIN!!! Next to last hand I again got it in with KK vs. QQ and got to wait until the river for the Q to hit. Completely crippled and down to 250 with the blinds at 200-400 and a 50 ante, I looked down at JJ on the next hand and shipped it. The button pushed, picked up the dead money, and we saw the board turn his J-10 into a straight  after I hit my set on the flop, and I was off to the cash games. The 1-2 NL game is pretty soft there, as long as you play quality hands, you should cash for a profit. No sour grapes this trip. I had some fun, made a little money, and added another final table to my experiences. All in all, good trip.

I didn’t watch much of the DNC, and that was by design. It helped that I was at a casino during it, but either way, I would have done my best to miss as much as possible. I have some strong opinions in the political arena, but I try to keep them to myself unless I get provoked. That being said, skip the next paragraph if you don’t want to hear about politics!

I’ve heard constant complaining about double standards, poor judgment, and public “spinning” of statements and ideals that have come from both sides of this years presidential race. For those of you who seem to take anything and everything you hear in the media and believe it because a talking head said it, WAKE UP!!! Both the Dems and the GOP are both full of $#%&!!!! If you think for a minute that everything you see on television is exact truth, quit watching now. Neither side is going to say the entire truth about their opponents, or themselves. The truth is that both sides have major flaws, and both sides have some great ideas that, if implemented, could do a lot of good in this country and throughout the world. The rest of the truth is that no matter which candidate wins, we still won’t be happy. Sure, you support one and he wins, you celebrate for a while, but a few months or a year down the road you start realizing that you guy was crooked too and lacks the backbone or intelligence or support on the hill to get done what was promised during the campaign. It happens every time with every president. The best part about all of it is that Americans are strong, resilient people and we’ll get through it. Together. Ok, stepping off the soap box.

Where I live now has a lot of benefits. It’s close to the city, but enough in the country that there’s room between me and the neighbors. There’s a pool in the back. I have a great room for my poker tables so they can be at the ready 24-7. I’m only 15 minutes away from my daughter if she EVER needs me. One call and 15 minutes later, and I’m by her side. Now the down side. To get a pizza delivered, I can only call one place. They have pretty good pie, but they also have some issues. My standard order (those that know me already have this information) is a pepperoni pie, extra sauce, light cheese. This is almost NEVER what I get. It’s usually light on the sauce, with extra cheese. Most people order that in this area of the country, and I understand. So I tailor my order to make it the most likely that I’ll get what I want. I’ll order extra sauce on the side and light cheese. This works about 30% of the time. As long as I know where I’m ordering, I usually know how to get what I want. Then there’s the reheat issue. I would almost prefer that NO place deliver to my house. That way, I can get a quality pie that, on those rare occasions that I don’t finish it in one sitting, would reheat well and at least provide me with a quick snack or even lunch the next day. However, the ONLY place that delivers to me, as good as it might be fresh, is completely horrid when warmed back up. How is this possible? It’s pizza. It’s not the most complicated dish in the world. No a lot there to react poorly to heat or time, right? I guess I just need to remember my circumstances, and get a Chef Boyardee to keep on hand. In fact, that sounds like lunch to me.

08-18-08

School starts already?

When I was still in school, I don’t remember the summers being so short. It seems like my daughter just got out a couple weeks ago, and already she’s preparing to resume hear education. I remember summers that felt like they would never end. Countless nights sleeping out in a tent in my, or a friend’s backyard and trying to stay awake the whole night to watch for UFO’s and shooting stars. Now, it’s become more of a matter of fact, my schedule is a little messed up for a couple months type of situation for kids. I know it’s a different world now, but the more I see of it, I don’t think it’s a better world.

For those who are, or were wanting to play in the H.O.R.S.E. tourney, it has been reset for next month. A few things came up that made it impossible to put together for this coming Saturday, so I’ll have to take a lot of the blame for the move. However, it looks like it might work out better for a few people that weren’t going to make it this weekend anyway. So who knows? Things do happen for a reason, at least most of the time.

Hope to see you there!!!!

08-04-08

Devo’s coming out party?

Those who know me realize that I consider a few of the pros as colleagues, if not friends. One of those pros that has been very genuine and courteous to me is Brian “Devo” Devonshire. He’s young (compared to me), has a great personality, and oh yeah, can play poker better than most of the stumps that get more camera time then he does. That all starts to change tonight as GSN will present the World Poker Tour stop in Reno that Devo was a large part of. Tonight at 9pm eastern, the poker world gets to see what some of us have been lucky enough to already experience; FULL BLOWN DEVO! Now regardless of your opinion of his play during this final table, and not knowing how the editing all went, I’ll be as surprised as everybody else, you should get to see a true character at the table that will entertain and enlighten you (much the way he usually lightens the wallets of those that play with him at the cash games).  I encourage every one to take time to see a future star in the industry take on the cameras, the live audience, the hosts, and the entire television viewing world for his first, and no way his last, televised final table.

Enjoy the show!!

07-16-08

During the weekend of the 25-26, there will be at least a couple games going on in the BSP Room. From 3-6 limit mixed, to 1-3 NLH, and a few tourneys. If you’re interested in playing, email me so I can secure your seat. The games will be spread depending on interest. Friday evening, there will be a $20 tourney, with a slightly different structure. This is the first time I know of that it will be tried, so let’s see how big of a mistake it might be. Starting stack of 5000, first break, after color up, additional 2500 for each player still in (you go broke, you’re done) second break, after color up, additional 2500 in chips for each player still in. That’s the end of the new chips. Not re-buys, ADDITIONAL chips. Might be fun, might be irritating, we can find out together.

Heads-up play will begin this weekend also. The cash games will be played from about 5:30 Friday until about 7:30 when the tourney will start. More than likely, pot-limit HE/O8B for the cash game. After the tourney, interest will dictate what plays.

Saturday afternoon, possibly $50 freeze-out. Again, limited seating so claim your seat ASAP.

H.O.R.S.E. is set for 8-23. More info on the way. $40 for the prize pool, $10 for The Alzheimer’s Association. Additional donations are always welcome.

Hope to see you there!

 07-10-08

NICE HAND SIR!!!!!!!!

Ok, earlier this week I was involved in a small stakes game with 4 other players. Not much going on other than a little trash talk and a whole lot of folding. Then I decided to “gamble”  a little by opening with Kd Jd in early position. I got the BB to call.

Flop = 9s Qd 10d. Not bad huh? BB leads out, I call.

Turn = Ac. Not happy with this, but I still have a big draw. BB bets out, and I call.

River = 10d. WOO F-ING HOO!!!!!!!! BB bets out, and I raise him and pray he has a boat or even better, rockets. He tanks for a while and finally calls. Again, this was a “micro-limit” short handed game and the total pot was about $40, but I still hit my ROYAL! Second one for me and as big of a thrill as making a  final table at the WSOP-C event last year. To commemorate the event, I grabbed the camera and snapped off a shot. I’ll update again after the BSP game on Friday, but I HAD to share this.

I have hands from the Vegas trip, but those will wait too.

06-30-08

Home again, with mixed feelings.

First off, I want to express my heart-felt sadness on the passing of John Bonetti. He was a true gentleman, and an admired poker player. My thoughts go out to his loved ones and friends.

My trip to Vegas during the WSOP this year has been an odd mix. I've had success in the satellites, prompting a small profit, and I had a great day at one of the events at The Grand series at the Golden Nugget that allowed me to cash for much less than I thought I would considering how well I was playing (but who hasn't ran into that?). Not to mention a couple events at the Binion's Classic that I felt went about as well as they could with all things considered. During the H.O.R.S.E. event, I played as well as I ever have, and just ran into a big case of the second-bests. I still feel very good about how I played, even though the result was less than favorable. The cash games were less of an issues this year, as I hit about even. The thing that struck me as the most odd, was how poorly the cash games at Binion's and the Nugget were set. The one that disappointed me most was when I decided to just kill a little time at the 1-2 NL game in Binion's. With a $100 MAX buy-in, you really have no shot at playing. The stacks are very short, and even if you build a decent size stack, you're still going to be running coin flips for the other stacks at the table. At least the Nugget didn't have that issue, but the seats there were few and far between. Once a player was in there, they stayed unless they went broke. I made enough there to help with the bills, but not enough to brag about.

Overall I had a great time, but didn't feel my results reflected how I played. I made some amazing calls and lay downs during my days there, and feel I'm playing at the top of my game right now. I'm hoping I can get over the results, and keep the feelings I have about how I'm playing. My always try to focus my thoughts to "Play decisions, not results", and that what I'm trying to do now. Luckily, I had the chance to talk to a few friends, and make a couple new ones. I railed Kenna and Devo briefly at different times, and talked to John S. for a while on a couple occasions, mostly talking about my daughter and his grandkids. He’s a real class act, and I wish him the best. I also want to send a heart felt congratulations out to a new friend, Andrew (AJ) Jeffreys for making the final table in the $2000 NLH event 23 this year at the WSOP. It was a real pleasure playing with him at the Grand, and he was on the bad end of one of the toughest hands I’ve ever played.

I’ll talk about some of the big hands (like the one against AJ) and big situations next blog. Now it’s time for me to readjust to Ohio, and get ready to refocus my energy. I need to make some life decisions. How far do I want to reach in poker, and what type of time frame, if any, do I intend on setting for myself. So it may or may not be a life change for me. I’m not sure where this road will take me, but it’s going to be  a lot of fun finding out!

Have a GREAT 4th of July!!!! BE SAFE!

Talk to you after the next BSP game.

06-16-08

3 days from VEGAS!!!

I don’t think I have ever felt this ready to play before. I know the structures, the pot counts, the value of each round, and I feel my reads are at the best they’ve been in a long time. So what’s the problem? I’M NOT THERE YET!!! I leave Thursday morning, and this will probably be the longest 3 days of my life. I’m less than a week from the tourney that I’ve been looking forward to more than any other that I’ve played in recent memory, the H.O.R.S.E. tourney at The Binion’s Classic, and I’m basically thinking about it non-stop. Pressure? Nah! GL me and let throw some cards.  I’ve also been verbally abused for not updating my blog enough. I’ll try to do better, but hey, I do have other things to do…… well,,,,,,, at least a few things,,,,,,,,,, ok, no excuse.  But during my trip, you’ll probably need to check the USPT forum. They have updated their site, and the NEW forum is up and running. I’m still going to post to the old one for now, so the links to it will still be active, at least for now. I’ll move stuff around, and update the links after I get back. For now, this one will do fine.

I’ll let you know if anything is changing on my tourney schedule before I leave, but if it changes, it will more than likely be after I get there. You know how it goes, some day's are just too nice to leave the pool, get up out of bed, or whatever.

Side note: Thanks to all of those that are taking part in the Heads-Up Tourney for The Alzheimer's Association.  I’ve already added the money to the jar, and we’re now at $850!! I’m hoping for another $150 to hit the $1000 mark, so if you want to help us reach the goal, don’t hesitate.

 06-07-08

THE BRACKETS ARE SET!!!! Get ready to pick your winners and follow trough the next couple months as the BSP League face off head-to-head in the first ever Alzheimer’s Association Benefit Heads-Up Tourney!! First, and maybe second, round will take place after the July BSP game. First 2 rounds are one and done. The finals are best of 3.

With each day my trip back to Vegas draws closer. I can hardly wait to get back out and be a part of it again this year. Even if I decide to skip the larger buy-ins this year, there’s just something about Vegas during the WSOP that makes the air that much more energizing. Not to mention that “Father” Sharkis will be out there to represent BSP also, this truly is turning into the Year of the Squirrel!.

The WSOP has kicked off in the exact manner that I thought it would, with well-known pros picking up some of the first bracelets and representing heavily at almost every final table so far. I’ve had a few conversations in the past months and have stated, and still stick by my thoughts, that the pros have made the adjustments to the larger amateur fields, and the momentum will be swinging back their way. This, along with the “thinning” of the players due to the UIGEA, and the addition of the $10k Championship Events, I have no doubt that the pros are back on the BEST of it side.

For now, it’s time to start filling out my Heads-Up brackets, and getting ready to pack for Vegas. I won’t be updating this blog while I’m there, but when I have time, I’ll be posting updates in the “TRIP REPORTS” thread  of the USPT Forum.  I’ll try to get one more in before I leave.

 Until then,

05-17-08

CONGRATS to “Father” Sharkis!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Taking down a satellite on his way to Vegas! I’m very proud (hope that doesn’t sound condescending)  of you Doc. We will have a few talks before you go, and maybe we’ll even end up out there at the same time. GREAT JOB!!!

05-14-08
Over the past couple weeks, the main topic of conversation in the poker world has been the decision by Harrahs to delay the final table of the WSOP main event until November. As you might imagine, there are many different opinions on this subject, so I asked myself, “Why not share mine?” Here it goes. Please indulge me on any of the points that I may have misunderstood, but the way that I have heard it explained, led me to this conclusion. 

The main reason this is going to happen is, as always, money. Nothing in this world happens unless somebody, somewhere can make a buck on it. The reasons I’ve been hearing that this idea has been based on are actually pretty good. This will give the 9 players at the final table an opportunity to negotiate better deals with the big guys for wearing a patch during the broadcast. This is valid. From talking to Devo, I know just how fast those deals usually get done, so I’m sure having more time can only be a good thing for the players.

 The thing that bothers me, mainly, is the justification coming from ESPN and Harrahs that having the delay will allow them (ESPN) to promote all 9 players and let them become more “household” names. Great idea, but they’re not going to tell you who those 9 people are until they make the final table DURING the broadcast. Not saying most people in the poker community won’t already know, we will. But if you want to get those names out to the “general” public so more people know about them, and can pick a player or two that they want to root for, you HAVE to promote them for the ENTIRE 3 months, not the 24 hours or so between the last broadcast and the “nearly live” final table. The so-called “general public” are only going to know these players from the ESPN shows, not other media outlets. The people that follow poker, and do check the poker sites online, would already know who these players are, so it won’t increase the viewers anyway. If you want to get more people to care about more of the players, then you HAVE to promote them for a longer period of time that 24 hours.

 I do believe that if you’re going to “complain” or “object” to an original idea, then you should also be willing to offer a suggestion to fix the issue that you see. So here goes. If the final table is going to be delayed for 3 months, and the players at that table won’t be know until the broadcast of the early stages of the main event, then instead of showing all of the prelim events first, show the earl stages of the main event, then show the other events while you do back stories on these players for 3 months, and build the hype. At least that way you actually do what you claim you’re trying to do: promote 9 players instead on one winner.

 Ok. This has been too long of an entry already. I’ll just say that no matter what happens, the main mission has already been accomplished. People are already talking about the WSOP main event. Even if they think it’s a bad idea, we’re still talking about it. I didn’t even go into the “interrupting the flow of the game” side of things. Even with the great analogy of playing the 7^th game of the world series of baseball until the 9^th inning, and then taking a break until right before spring training to see who wins. Maybe next time.

 Until then,

 05-12-08

WOW!! Brutal results on Friday for me. I am now even MORE behind the “Drop the lowest month from your point total” rule. :) Better results in the second tourney, but no points in that one, oh well. Next month I need to tighten up. ;)~

The big news in the poker world in the past week or so is the decision by Harrah’s to delay the final table of the main event at the WSOP until November. I’ve heard a lot of different thoughts on this, and have every intention to share mine with you. So buckle up, my next update (probably tomorrow) will take on the newest “innovation” in poker; the “Almost Live” Final Table.

Until then,

04-25-08                                                   CONGRATS DEVO!!!

A little late, but never the less. Congrats to “Friend of the Squirrel” Brian “DEVO” Devonshire on his amazing run at the WPT in Reno! Now the world will get to see his “award winning” personality on a nationally broadcast final table. And yesterday, Devo followed up that performance by running very deep in the WPT Championship at the Bellagio. Is the world ready for him? Doesn’t matter, “HERE COMES DEVO!”

As for the BSP world,  the 1-2 NLH game tonight has been shelved for now. Maybe in a week or so, but tonight won’t happen due to some last minute scheduling conflicts. If there’s interest in a game at ANY other time, let me know! I’m also looking at the weekend of 6-23 for the heads-up tourney. I’ll know more at the BSP league game on the 9th.

With the approaching of the Memorial Tournament, I’m also sure that a few games will be popping up during that week. Sometimes they get a little higher than most are comfortable with, but they can also be a lot of fun. As always, if you want on the call list, email me and I’ll make sure to keep you up to date.

I’m hoping to have a couple “surprise” games in the next month or so. And with the heads-up tourney, I’m also hoping to have another H.O.R.S.E. tourney for the Alzheimer’s Fund. We’re really close to the $1000 goal, and I’d love to push past it so we can make a better contribution at the Memory Walk.

This was a quick update, so I’ll have more soon,

04-18-08

Just a quick update. On 4-25 there will be a cash game. 1/2 NLH, 100 min 300 max and limited seats. If you are interested, click here and let me know. If / when the game fills, sorry, no more seats. I’m hoping to have the dealer taken care of, so all you need to do is play. 6pm start time, when there are at least 4 players, game is on. Everybody else that shows up can still sit if they have their seat reserved. Hope to hear from you soon.

04-15-08

HAPPY TAX DAY!!!

If you plan on having ANY of your income from poker, make sure you keep very accurate records. In  my opinion, you need to keep those records anyway so you can see where your game is compared to where you think your game is at without the information. It really is amazing when you record ACCURATLY how you play, where you play, and what your buy-in vs. cash ends up being at the end of the year. The only advice I would give other than record keeping, is to not look at the results until mid-year, or even at the end of the year. Remember, poker is about the long run, not the short haul.

If you’ve paid much attention to the league standings, you may have noticed that the players listed just got shorter by one. Due to circumstances beyond his control, one player needed to drop out and that has sent our pay outs from being set in stone, to a little up in the air. I’ll be talking to everybody about that at the next BSP game. I have a couple ideas, but it will have to be agreed upon, after all, this is OUR league.

Also, a quick note about the cash game we had last Friday after the tourney. I appreciate all the “tips” that were tossed my way for dealing. Those tips, along with the other donations went to the Alzheimer's Fund, which now stands at $750!!! Thanks to ALL that have helped us so far, and remember that we are closing in on the $1000 goal and I hope to blow that out of the water by the June game.

More to come in the coming weeks. A few other games are materializing, so if you’re a regular and want to play some 1-2 NLH, make sure you get your name on the call list.

Until nest time,

04-10-08

Those you read my last update, you know that I’m starting to right the things in my personal life that are distracting not only my game, but just need to be handled in order to find closure for not only myself, but the others involved. I thought that knowing this would allow me to start righting my game, and my life. After all, admitting that there is a problem is the first step, right? That may be so, but I also need to get a few things finalized before I can get my head right. That being said, onto the Circuit events this past week.

Not a stellar trip(s) for me. In the first tourney I played, a $300 that started us out with 2500 in chips, and 20 minute blinds, I played pretty well, and got up to just under 6000 by the 5th level. This may sound like a great situation, however with the aggressive nature of the structure, I was probably just under the average stack, or at least close to being in desperation mode. By the time you hit 200-400 with a 50 ante (6th level!!!) you are down to only having 3 bets. You open, get a call, bet the flop, get a call, and you’re all-in on the turn or river because you just don’t have enough left to make any other move. I still felt pretty good about my position because I was on a great table. I had a couple really good players there that knew how to make a lay down. Early on in the 2nd round, there was a UG raise, a mid-position re-raise, and I looked down at A-A and knew that if I could look like a rookie, I’d get the re-raiser to put all his chips in the middle. He was pretty solid and I wanted him to think I was new to the game so I came over the top of him and froze up to the best of my ability. The UG player mucked in a hurry and the villain went into the tank. He asked if I was over playing my A-K and I decided to start squirming a little and I was sure he was coming with J-J or Q-Q. He thought for about 5 minutes, which seemed like an hour, until he said that he remembered me from last year and was showing respect for me as he threw his Q-Q into the muck face up! What a GREAT lay down, but D@&%!!! This was a horrible outcome, but set me up with a license to steal for the next few rounds as I built my stack. After that, I was caught a few times having the second best hand, and watching a couple players check down a made runner-runner straight against my 2 pair. That was a bad result but I was still happy with my play. My final hand in that tourney was made for T.V.! I was short stacked, it folded to me in the SB and I woke up with A_K off. I pushed knowing that the BB was priced into calling with ATC. He called and turned over 9-9. I was ok with my chances. Flop hit A-9-A and as great as it was for me, I was still way behind. Turn hit me with a K and I jumped out to a HUGE lead! Then the most amazing thing happened, the case 9 hit on the river and sent me to the rail. Now I lost that hand, and it put me back into the pit faster than I wanted, but I was happy to out that way. If I go down, I go down in flames!!!

The second tourney was less spectacular, but went about the way. I had a great table, one player two to my left played any A or K to the turn just to see if he hit, and he usually did. One player that was tight enough to throw away bottom pair after the river if he didn’t make a set (OMG!) and the other players were mainly internet players that had no idea what tells were, or that they had TONS of them! If I had tried to count the number of times one of them over-acted to get a call, looked at their chips after seeing their hole cards or a perfect flop, I would never have realized that it was already 2008! Of course, players kept catching and I hit the rail early there also. Don’t get me wrong, I WANT those players at my table. In the long run, the money comes to me with those players. But that’s the pitfall of tournament poker. It’s NOT a long run, it’s a short hit. I was still happy with my play, and hit the cash games for a while to start getting my buy-ins back. While there, I found a new game that I have nearly fell in love with! 2-4-4-8 is not only a LOT of fun to play, but when you figure out how to play it, it can be VERY profitable. Not a huge limit game, but the money and fun factored together make it well worth checking out. I will defiantly be returning to that game again sometime soon!

Well, BSP game is tomorrow, so I’ll try to update again this coming weekend. Thanks for  putting up with my ramblings.

Until next time,

03-15-08

First thing first. Alzheimer's Association pot is now over $700!!! Thanks to all that have helped us get here, and let’s not stop yet. I still have the $1000 goal that I think we can obliterate. Thanks again for all of the help that is going towards getting rid of this horrible disease.

Now, onto the ramblings of a disoriented Squirrel:

Doyle Brunson has said that if your head isn’t right, you need to step away from the table for a while until you can play your best game. Right now, my head is not in the game. I have some things going on in my person life that are taking more of my thoughts than I had realized, until this last league game. I can handle getting 2-outed, somebody hitting runner-runner on me every now and then, even getting my money in with K-K vs. A-A. I’m probably never laying that hand down pre-flop anyway (ok, twice I’ve laid down kings pre-flop, and I was right both times to get away from them). But the fact that lately, I’ve been allowing myself to give into the lack of action and have been trying to get tricky when I don’t need to be, made me realize that I need to address my personal life before I get into the larger tourneys later this year. I may need to rant a little now and then, when that happens, please excuse the lack of details, and just don’t read the blog that post. I’ll warn you ahead of time when I’m just letting things out. I’ll get back to the mainly poker stuff soon, but if I don’t post for a while, now you know why.

Until my head is right,

03-08-08

I didn’t really plan on updating this blog until after the BSP game next Friday, but considering the weather around here, what else am I going to do? I can’t get out to see my little girl, so I might as well get a couple things off my chest. First of which is the WSOP-C in Indiana at the beginning of next month. Due to scheduling conflicts, it looks like I’ll be making two trip down (at least) for a couple events. The $300 event #4 and the one I’m looking forward to vindicating myself at, the $500 6-handed event #8. Those of you that know me, may remember my experience at the ‘06 WSOP when my “good buddy” Norm “F-ING” McDonald hit a runner-runner flush to all but take me out of the 6-handed event there. Am I bitter? Yep. No doubt. Why lie about that? EVERYBODY that heard that story knows that I want revenge, but this year isn’t about that. It’s about proving to myself that,,,, never mind. Let’s just say it’s about the money and leave it at that.

I’ve spent a little time in Wheeling at one of the new cards rooms there, and I must admit, it is VERY nice. However, always check into their schedule BEFORE you plan your trip. If they are attempting (yes, underline ATTEMPTING) to run a larger tournament while you are going to be there, change your trip! They have a LOT to learn about running satellites , especially for the WSOP. However, the BSP crew that was there did meet some very nice people, and have added to our player list thanks to the trip.

I may get to make a day trip to Wheeling this coming week, depends on the weather. I’d post and ask if anybody is interested in joining me, but it’ll be last minute (probably) and most of you have those job things that cut into your ability to just cut and run to a card room.  I’m hoping for Wednesday, but again, weather will decide for me.

I’ve been toying around with the Heads-Up tourney for a while now. I think it’ll end up hitting about the end of the month, maybe the 28th or 29th. Not much of a buy-in, I’m thinking $20+$5 for the A.A. I’d LOVE to hit the $1000 mark by the time I leave for the series in June. Any and all help making that a reality will be greatly appreciated.

And by the way, any interest in BSP swag should be directed to the Acorn Army. Golf shirts, golf towels, hats, etc. I have a few, and can get just about anything you want. I’m not putting that up on it’s own page, so if you’re interested, you gotta send an email.

Until Friday,

02-22-08

WOW! What a difference a couple days can make. Within 5 days of my last blog, I became a full time poker player. Not completely by my own choice, but nevertheless, I’m now a “pro” in the very technical sense. The timing was a little strange, both from my side and my former employer’s, but it will be for the best in the long run. I had only planned on staying there until June, so I need to move my timeline forward and make a few adjustments. As upsetting as this probably should be, it actually has been one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to me! I feel pretty lucky to be in a place in my life that is allowing me the opportunity to follow this dream. So,,, time to get to work.

This summer will bring more chances than I originally thought while I’m in Vegas.  Not only the WSOP, but also the Grand Poker Series at the Golden Nugget, and the Binion’s Poker Classic. All of these, among others, will be in full force while I’m there. Not sure how many events I’ll  take in, but the options are there. Before that, the WSOP-C events at Caesar's Indiana coming up at the beginning of April will be the next larger target for me. Any bets on The Master sitting at my table again this time?

Until then, I’m going to borrow a phrase from a friend of mine. “I’m going to enjoy the journey.” See you at the tables!

02-02-08

Two months down in the ‘08 league and things look pretty good so far. Only one no-show so far, and that was an unavoidable issue for Kevin. We wish his brother a safe move, and all the best. I’m very happy with the group of players we have this year. Everybody seems to want to get better, and that’s exactly what I was hoping for in the beginning of the year. With exactly 8 players, the payouts for the overall, and championship table will be very close to what I first thought. Overall points champion will have $550 buy-in at a WSOP-C event. Championship Table winner will have $550 buy-in at a WSOP-C event. Second place at the Championship table will get $200, and Third will get $100. Along with the WSOP-C buy-ins, the two players entering will also get a BSP golf shirt to wear while there (that’s where the last $40 goes in case you were wondering). Also will be a trophy for the Championship Table, and possibly the points winner (depending on how generous I’m feeling). That will also get posted on the league page.

As for the rest of my poker world at the moment, I’m starting to prepare for a busy year. Quite a few events this year, and a few goals to reach. The WSOP and The Grand Poker Series run at the same time, and I plan on playing both of those, just not sure on events at this time.

Before I close out for this week, I want to give a BSP CONGRATS to Marsha Waggoner, Barbara Enright, Susie Isaacs, and Linda Johnson on their induction into the Women's Poker Hall of Fame this past weekend. All are deserving additions to the lore, and history of this great game. Much of what poker has become is due to their perseverance and determination. Thank you all, and congratulations again.

Until next time,

 01-10-08

After considering a lot of the “off-the-felt” matters that are becoming part of my life, it looks like Event 39 on June 21st will be the Squirrel’s WSOP-08 debut (and maybe only appearance). There are a lot of factors that I didn’t expect to need to consider when starting to plan this out, and to be perfectly honest, I’m a little surprised that I’m going to fit any events in this year! There seems to be a lot on the calendar this year. While I’m out for the series, I’m also hoping to help organize a tourney at Binion’s for the USPT forum members that can make the trip. It’s been a topic of conversation, and we’ll have to cross our fingers and hope for the best at this point. Of course, first things first, the WSOP-Circuit events at Caesar’s Indiana are coming up in April. Not sure about which or how many of those events could be in my sights, but when it gets ironed out, I’ll post it here and on the calendar.

Now onto a more “introspective” issue. A friend of mine seems to go back and forth on occasion, struggling with the social ramifications of being a professional poker player. I’ve been giving this some thought the past few weeks, and here are the conclusions, and thoughts that I have come to on my own journey for reason.

A poker player does not make a contribution to humanity. This is a statement that I have heard for years. A doctor helps other improve their quality of life. A lawyer (work with me here) helps to uphold the order in which we rely on in our society. Farmers provide the very nourishment that we, as humans, need to survive. An engineer may help with the infrastructure of the nation. In almost every occupation, there is a social benefit to the whole, and then there are poker players. Socially, we are at times inaccessible at best. Most of us (myself included) have proven that our relationship skills are lacking and leave MUCH to be desired. I personally have inflicted pain and suffering into the lives of many that I care about and love. Is this because I play poker? I don’t think so. But the traits that cause me to be “bad” at relationships, allow me to be a better poker player. Not being more open and forthcoming with others, knowing when the right time may be to get what I want due to the odds and the attitude of others. I may be horrible at giving others what they want or need out of a relationship, but does that make me a “not contributor” when it comes to society? The answer to that is one that only I need to think about. I know many doctors, farmers, lawyers, police officers, and others that are in professions that are considered a “social and humanitarian aspect of our culture”, and to be honest, I like those people a lot less than I do most of the poker players that I’ve encounter throughout the years. The poker players that I know are, in general, kinder and more giving to others than most other people that I know. They are also more cautious about who they trust and are very good judges of character. Do we make mistakes? Of course we do. But my point is this: When you are trying to decide if you are making a social or humanitarian contribution to society, don’t forget that the best you can be for the world, is to be a good person. Your profession does not, or at least SHOULD not define who and what you are in life. I am happy to be the person that I am. I do my best to not hurt others and at the end of each day, I can look at myself in the mirror and know that I’ve done my best to be the best person I can be. Is there a way I could make the human race better by having another profession? Maybe. But I’m not so full of myself to think that because I choose to not be a doctor, that there are lives that will be lost. My choice of profession will NEVER define who I am. I like me. Even if there are facets of my personality that are flawed, who I am is a reflection of the life that I have lived, the people that I have met, and the choices that I have made. Every mistake I’ve made, has helped make me the person that I am. And I am thankful for my life. Not everybody may like the man I am, but they don’t have to be me. I can live with my decisions. Nobody else will ever have to do that.

OK. I’m off the soapbox. Let’s play some cards!!

2007

10-24-07

All right, the time is here! I’m off to the WSOP-C on Thursday and if anything, I’m more calm now than I have ever been prior to a tourney. No fear, excitement, anxiety, or anything. At the moment, I’m trying to decide if I’m either very confident, or starting to get cocky. Ok, I’m relatively sure it’s not being cocky. I guess I’ll have to figure it out at the table on Friday.

I’d like to take a minute to congratulate Mike Miles for making his first start in a WSOP-C event on Sunday (PLO-NLH). Mike cracked the top 50, and learned a lot from the experience. Not to mention, he represented BSP too!!! Way to go Mike! And yes, on his last hand he got it all in with the best and got bad beat by a chip hog that was catching like crazy, and should NOT have been in the hand in the first place. Just FYI, Q-4 is NOT a calling hand no matter WHAT your position is!!!

I’ll have an update after I get back from the tourney, and if time allows, I’ll post an update in the USPT forum from my room after the tourney wraps. Max Shapiro (pokerpages.com) told me that they’ve been playing out the events same day, so it could be pretty late/early before I get out of there. Gonna have to play it by ear for now. As for the main event next Wednesday, still up in the air.

Right now, time to finish packing and rest my eyes a bit. Play it strong!!!

09-17-07

Thanks to all that took part, whether in person or by just donating, in the Alzheimer’s Event. We’ve now raised $145, and that total will continue to grow throughout the year as we have other events. The games went off without a hitch, and I hope all had a wonderful time. As it stands now, the running total will be posted on the front page and I’m hoping we can get at least $1000 by the time the “Memory Walk” takes place early next year.

As for the rest of this month, new days are now posted for the Cash/Tourney nights and I hope a few can attend. Starting after the WSOP-C, a monthly 2-4 or 3-6 game will be taking place. No rake. No fees. 100% legal. No tipping, no food or beverage sales. If you want to eat, bring it. If you want to drink, BYOB. More on that to come.

As far as the online wager, it’s looking VERY bad for The Squirrel. I now have to rely on player points, winning a seat into a larger tourney, and placing in the money. Not the easiest task, but I have yet to give up. Updates will happen as soon as I have them, since the action is now set in stone.

Until next time.

 09-09-07

WOW! Another Non-eventful month for the Squirrel? Not so fast Moose!! I have a challenge in front of me in the world of online poker. I started with $5 seed money, and I now have the unenviable task of turning that $5 (which was quickly up to about $8 and then just as fast down to $2.18) into $100 prior to leaving for the WSOP-Circuit events at the end of October. I’m getting 10 to 1, and taking just about any action that I find at the moment with those odds.  If you want a piece, hit the contacts on the front page and let me know. I will NOT update the progress until at least after 10-14 due to action that could take place as it goes along. The only other stipulation I have been given is that I have to put 10% of my roll in play each day, play until I either lose that buy-in or one hour, even if I hit the $100 mark early, I still have to put 10% in play until the day before I leave for my first event, which will be either the 21st or the 26th, depending on scheduling.  This will require me to be a winning player on almost a DAILY basis for the next month. As you all know, that goes against the beliefs of playing for the long-term results. The short run can kill! Now I have to decide if I will play a very conservative style, or play my game. How will this turn out? The best way to find out is to get a piece of the action! More to come...

I have also found a “card club” in Columbus that seems to be the closest thing to legit as you’ll be able to find in Ohio. It’s called the Gemini Club, and after I do a little more research, I’ll let you know my full opinions on the club. I don’t want to endorse or condemn it until I investigate a little more.

On a side note, I realize most of it has already been determined, but since I don’t know the results yet, I’m wishing the “Luck ‘o the Squirrel” to Jean-Robert Bellande. Not the biggest name or most liked (ok, some people just hate the guy) in the poker world, but he’s actually giving me a chance to prove a point that I’ve been trying to defend for the past few years: “A poker player has an advantage in a game that takes place in a social setting and relies on playing the people IS the game, not part of the game.”

Will he win? Guess we’ll just have to watch to find out. But even if he doesn’t win, I’m betting he does very well. Don’t let me down Bobby!!!

One last push for the Alzheimer’s Event. Anybody that wants to donate but can’t play, please let me know. If it’s a check, make it out to the Alzheimer’s Foundation. This is a charity that may not get a lot of mainstream exposure, but it’s still close to my heart, and a few people that are near and dear to me. Please help if you can. The total will be kept running until next year’s “MEMORY WALK” when it will be given in total to the foundation. No rush on donating, but every bit helps.

Next month it’s off to the WSOP-C! Not sure how it’ll all play out, but I can’t wait to take another shot at a ring.  Looks like we might end up with a couple players from the BSP League in this series. I’ll make sure to update on everybody’s results later.

Until next time;

08-20-07

Ok, I’ve had it with NLH cash games in Ohio! Too many donks, too much dead money, and too many bad beats to go around! The level of play around Columbus the past couple weeks has been brutal to witness, and even more harsh to experience. Granted, I would NEVER want people to play any better while I’m at the table, but seriously!!! Calling a pot sized bet on the turn with pocket 2’s to a board that reads K-J-9-5r??? WTF! Of course you know the rest of the story already. After I flopped top 2 pair, bet it strong on the flop, and the turn, the 2 hits on the river and all of a sudden, I got “out played again, SUCKER!” 

If that was an isolated occurrence, I could handle it better. But in the past week or two, I’ve seen pots that nearly hit (and have on a couple occasions) 4 digits go across the felt to a 2 or maybe 3 outer on the river when they should’ve either not been in the hand to begin with, or gotten away from a crush on the flop or turn. Sour grapes? Whining? Poor sport? Call it whatever you want. I call it VENTING. If you don’t want to hear it, don’t read this.

Sure bad beats are part of the game. And I’m trying to think of it as getting them out of the way now, before the bigger money comes to town for The Little Brown Jug next month. Not an easy task today, but at least I have a little time to get my mind right.

So be prepared next month during the Jug. I’m sure that a few games could materialize, just not sure of the stakes or location. Last year it went from 4-8 LH, jumped to 1-2 NLH, then up to 2-5 NLH, and eventually made it to 5-10 NLH and 20-40 LH. I have no idea if that will happen again this year, but depending on who shows up, and how the horses are running in Delaware, it might just get juicy again. Anybody that might be interested, let me know. The BSP Poker Room might have a couple of the games, but those details won’t be available for a few weeks.

Until next time;

Play Strong and Protect Your NUTZ!!

And don’t forget that next month is the annual Alzheimer’s Event! Help us make a HUGE contribution to the