Party Poker Blog

"Gambling is the future on the internet.
You can only look at so many dirty pictures."
Simon Noble

Why do I write this silly poker blog?
Bonus Code IGGY, damnit, on Party Poker.

How about another old-fashioned, rambling, Guinness-fueled UBER post tonight?

The one downside to the exponential popularity of poker blogs is that I drink far too much Guinness while digging through them, wondering what I'll write about. And damn, I'm already lit up wore out and I haven't even yet begun to pontificate. I may have a good post tonight, who knows. Maybe more tangential than good. Please humor me & thanks for reading.

I'm pretty pissed off that I just now got this excellent t-shirt for my vegan friend. I may have to schedule a lunch to get my money's worth.



Actually, it pains me to stay away from the tables tonight because I'm killing the 15.30 at Party Poker. If you are playing anywhere else, you are a stubborn fool. I'm still amazed at the terrible players - how long can this insanity continue? I know I'm running good when I haven't spent one second in Poker Tracker the last five days.

Sometimes I struggle with the grinding aspect of limit poker from a diminishing returns perspective. It takes so much damn time (Mike Caro: the more you play, the more you win!) that I often feel my time is better spent focusing on some big payout multi-table tournaments. My bankroll is more than sufficient to bang away at these and I've enjoyed success in the past - what's stopping me?

Perhaps it's a case of laziness. Beating the ring game at Party Poker is literally shooting fish in a barrel. My game has likely suffered these last ten months without the challenges you face in higher limit and tourney play. Stasis = death in poker.

But it's not easy. And what to do with your precious bankroll is likely the most important decision a poker player (even a poker-hobbyist) will ever make.

But hitting the big payoff is every poker players dream. The reality of grinding is quite a different scenario. Why not take a shot at a life-altering payday?

Here was a great quote from pro Dicky Horvath that I found appropriate.

"There's nothing suave to being a hustler. If you watch tape of the old World Series of Poker, you'll see magician shit. Doyle reading Johnny Chan's body language and folding a huge hand. Or Johnny sucking Eric Seidel into moving in when he had the nuts.

But that's not what I do. My gig is to be a drone. Some mindless ant worker. I have to play mechanically, not seductively. That's because I'm not there for a game. How I do on any one day doesn't mean shit. I'm playing in a year-long poker game. I can never get emotional. It's a total grind. There's no fun or variation in your play. You never act on a hunch. Everything is by the book. You're like a robot. Being smart or creative is actually a drawback. If you look at my poker log, you'll see that I have good days and bad days - good months and bad months. But in the end, as the number of hands increase, the variations really aren't that big.

But make no mistake, being a professional poker player is a job like any other. That's when you get in deep shit, when you start to look at it as work. After awhile you look at your poker log and start to see the hourly wage. It gets you thinking about how much time you're wasting doing other things. You start to think of life as a poker game. That movie costs me fifty bucks because I could have been playing instead.

That's when you're fucked."

It's sad that I identify with the above. But grinding is pretty close to how he describes it. Hell, when I play at the boat all I can think about is how much money it's costing me versus playing online. Bleh.

One last thought by Dicky:

"That's why guys like me who grind out winnings stick to limit poker. There's a huge difference. In limit there is very little flair or psychology. You play your cards by statistics and never do things on a hunch. No-Limit is all touch and guts. In limit if three people call your raise and you've got pocket aces, the flop comes king, 10, 4, you bet out and some guy raises and then he keeps betting, you just call him down to the river to see if he's got a set or maybe two pair, kings and tens. But in no-limit, you bet out with your aces and he raises your entire stack. What are you gonna do then? That's when business school looks really appealing. In limit hold em a mistake like calling that guy down is only gonna cost you 3 bets - mebbe $60, $100 in the worst scenario, but in no-limit, a fuckup like that could burn your entire buyin. You'll be in the poker hospital for months. Nope, to make a living like I do, you have to stick to good old boring limit hold'em. It's the only way to go."

Alas, nobody cares about The Grind. The WSOP coverage is killing me. I should be out there, damnit.

I've begun seriously studying Omaha8. If anyone wants to point me to any solid online info, please feel free. I'm re-reading Ray Zee and Ciaffone right now and gambling it up on the $100 PL tables for fun. I'll admit: I've always been a terrible, terrible Omaha player. I've never played the game for any meaningful stakes so I would typically play every hand. And lose. Hell, I'd have been better off gambling on the number of spots on a Dalmation.

If there is ONE video on the Internet you should watch this week, this is it.
Safe for work and pretty damn funny. Go watch.
Dog Safety

Damn, it's WSOP Championship week.
Allow me to post a few excellent resources for coverage.

The two obvious choices:
WSOP Blog by Pauly
WSOP Blog by Otis: WSOP Day 2 Wrap-Up!

And I was soooo damn happy to find Jesse May writing at CardPlayer.
Jesse rules.

Here's his excellent reports on the current WSOP.
Must-reads!!

Let Me In! (Last ditch efforts to qualify for the main event)

Give me Form: Gearing up for the 'Big One'

Staying Alive: luck versus skill in the first 3 heats of the WSOP

Can a Guy get a Drink?

And just for posterity, here's the link to the live log WSOP update page.

And here's the top level page for the articles being written by Jesse May, Nolan Dalla and BJ Nemeth.


-----

But for the umpteenth time I’m frustrated as can be. I’m frustrated that I can’t be sitting at home, and watching every hand played in the World Series of Poker. I’m angry that every hand is not recorded for posterity, that every hand played between the 6000 players isn’t dumped into the computer and analyzed seven ways. We need the data, poker needs that data, or else we’re all left sitting with a mystery to solve. The technology is there, but it’s not being used. And so what we have are the dark ages of poker.

-----

I've got to believe the WSOP will be broadcast live in the very near future.

Slight segue: I love this quote from yesterday.
Mike Matusow: "It makes it even more amazing that guys like Doyle can win tournaments. Fifteen hour days of poker. All I've got is about 6 hours of good poker in me. Then I start going downhill."

After being told that no additional days can be added to this event: "If two good players have $26 million in chips each, it's never going to end. If I make it that long, I might have to go back to drugs."

Just as long as you don't cry, Mike. There's bigger things in the world than a damn poker tournament, even the WSOP.

Cool. I just noticed that Wil posted his writeup of his WSOP experience. He was the number one guy I was rooting for, damnit.
careful with that stack, eugene

Check out the interview with Madeline and Stephanie Ungar;
Madeline and Stephanie Ungar - Part 1

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Johnny over at Poker Nation. He's blogging the event and has snagged some good interviews.

Dan over at Pokerati is tackling the Series, as well, and even stuck up some drunken mp3's. I found the Daniel Negreanu one to be purty funny.

Paul Phillips is writing about the WSOP for Slate. His article is called How I Got Banned for Life (for a Few Weeks). Paul's also commenting on players he recognizes from the top 150 chip stacks in his blog. Always a must read.

I ordered several gross of Adderall.
You should, too.

I've also enjoyed several of the articles written by amateurs over at Poker Trails.



Let's move along shall we?

For you, gentle reader, I dug up the original RGP post in which 2004 WSOP champ, Greg Raymer, asked for backers into the Big One. I actually talked to my wife afer he posted this. I seriously considered it. He always posted great Foxwood tourney reports/analysis on 2+2. I mean - he was one of my favorite freaking posters on there. I'm sure I'm not alone here.

From September 8, 2002:
Looking for Backers

Mr. Badger got into a pissing match at the end of the thread. Geezus, I miss the good old days.

BTW, I rewound the DVD when Raymer yelled "PRESTO!" after he won a big pot at the final table with them in 2004. Too damn funny and someday I want to shake his hand for doing so.

Hell, he reads this blog, too.
Good taste abounds.

You know what this post needs?

More cowbell.



Good question here. So what happens if a finalist has a heart attack at the WSOP before the final table starts?

Good answer - because it actually happened before.
WSOP event #4...heart attack

Yikes, I have so much stuff to post I don't even know where to start.

I saw this next post and it kind of explained why I'm beating the games so easily on Party Poker.


-----

still annoyed at Party display (all caps)
Author: Gamblor444

I wrote to Party asking if they could change my location display from ALL CAPS
to Normal Like This. This is what they sent -

This option has been removed by popular demand. All players' city will now be
visible in the parenthesis along with the screen name. We no longer have the
option to hide / make changes to the the location since most of the players want
to see where the other players are playing from.

I really dont get it, Im not asking to hide/change my location, just the
format. My friend and I made our accounts on the same day and his looks normal,
MINE LOOKS LIKE THIS. What gives?

-----

This is why Party is such a gold mine.
Thank you.

I liked this pseudo poem comparing 2+2 to RGP.

--------


for the most part

2+2 posters are arrogant

know it all assholes

and sklansky writes crap

like that tournament book

that is supposed to be advanced

and contains a system that the author admits

is worthless and will lose your shirt

20 bucks down the toilet


-----

Not bad tempo and pastiche, eh Fred?

RGP signal to noise ratio is getting even worse, something I wouldn't have thought possible. I feel bad for Daniel Neagreanu, actually, because there are some serious insane haters posting about him. Hell, last I checked, this thread had nearly 300 comments. Daniel even referenced it in his blog.

I hate to jump on the bandwagon bashing Negreanu, but...

And here's a classic summary of the current ugliness at RGP:

-----

Oh, questioning posters' sexuality and issuing personal challenges are just the beginning. There's so much more to this poker thing including attacking other posters' political views, advancing crackpot conspiracy theories, threatening to killfile moronic posters and pointing out even the pettiest of typos as if they were the most egregious insult one had ever read.

I hope Lee Jones will cover all this in WLLHE 4th Edition.

Level three thinking.

-----

My thinking exactly.

Here's a short amusing story from Howard Beale :

------

In today's 10-20 game the subject of loans to poker players, both paid and (mostly) unpaid came up when one of the guys at our table told us that when he came to play (at Casino Arizona) last week a player that he'd loaned money to 8 years ago, hadn't seen in 7, hardly recognized and didn't even know was in Arizona jumped out of his chair at the game he was in, came running up to him and said:

"I need a couple more weeks".

------

It's funny - having to deal with the weird money issues that poker players have to deal with. It's not that big of a deal to get an IM from FastEddie needing a couple grand on PokerStars because of a fat 30.60 game. I don't even think about it. It's just a casual fact of life now.

I guess that's one reason I wish I could get paid for this stupid blog. It takes up sooo damn much time and it literally costs me money now. Hell, maybe I _will_ set up a tip jar. I'll grovel even worse than I do now. Maybe I'll start selling text links, I dunno. At some point, it's diminishing returns or just deeply retarded behavior.

Don't answer that question. I already know the answer.

With all of the WSOP hoopla (despite dozens of big-media outlets covering the Series, I couldn't find one worthy link, outside of Pauly writing for FoxSports) and the creation of poker player celebrities, here was the devils advocate viewpoint:

Subject: Pro players receive too much attention
Author: OhioState95

This post is partially in response to the Negreanu stufff earlier, but is more about the poker community's obsession with professional players.

I think it's amazing that anyone cares about Negreanu, Duke, Lederer, or any of the other players. If I tried really hard, I still couldn't care less about their personal squabbles. I've read some of Negreanu's blog entries and I read his column in Card Player, and from those I think it's obvious that he is an incredibly egotistical little boy. In short, Lederer's comments about DN's need to shape his public perception seem right on the money.

We, the poker playing community, should relegate issues regarding the lives of the "pros" to where they belong: out of our consciousness. I think it's silly to idolize professional gamblers. I respect those who have achieved success and will listen to their advice on strategy, but I don't care AT ALL about their completely abnormal personal lives in Las Vegas.

I also think it's weird that so much attention is paid to all of these "classic" pros, but there is rarely anything nice said about Moneymaker and Raymer in these pages. They are the two "name players" I most admire because they were just like most of us... regular joes who played well and caught their big break. People like Varkoni, Moneymaker, Raymer, and even GambleAB (Aaron Bartley?) are more compelling stories, and I'm much more interested to hear from them on how they developed their game and what it's like to make that first big score than I am to read Negreanu tell yet another story about how great he is, on or off the poker table. I'm even more interested to hear from an online player who won one of the big weekly tournaments.

In short, I suggest we look to our own in the poker world for interesting poker-related stories rather than to the rarified air of Las Vegas eccentrics.

One of the downsides of RGP today is the vociferous debate about politics on a daily basis. Hell, I don't even like politics on a poker blog, much less message boards. Talk about your lowest common denominator.

But I'm gonna let this one slide. It was a real bloodbath of a thread.

Subject: OT: Can a liberal play great poker?
Author: John A. Fish

Can a liberal play great poker?

The surprising answer is an emphatic YES!

I will be providing a rigorous proof using the scientific method. But
before I do, I would like to make a comment to those who may be
considering a response. A few days ago I started a thread "Can a
liberal be bluffed." Unfortunately the thread degraded into political
trash talk. When I said that liberals tend to be stupid and gullible,
the operative word was "tend" but perhaps this was not clear. I never
meant to suggest that all liberals are gullible or stupid. My hope is
that we can keep this discussion about poker and not politics.

Hypothesis: Liberals play great poker.

Proof: Sklansky's fundamental theorem of poker states in essence that a
player makes a mistake if he plays differently than he would have played
if he could see his opponent's cards. In short, poker is all about
deception.

Liberals tend to be easily fooled. Therefore it would be reasonable to
conclude that they would be poor players. But that would be wrong.
Liberals also tend to be great at fooling others. When you are
deceived in poker you may lose the money you invested in the pot, but if
you can deceive the other players, you may win the WHOLE POT. This
gives the liberal a huge edge, perhaps as much as 4:1.

Add to that the fact that liberals tend to fool themselves. This can be
a great attribute for a poker player. If you believe that your 72o is
AA and play it that way, you are not going to be giving off any tells
that could give your bluff away.

Conclusion: Liberal make great poker players.

If you are a liberal please tell me if you concur. And please let's try
to keep this thread OT. Thanks.

J.A. Fish

Tanya had this to say about women and respect at the WSOP:

Want to talk Respect???
Author: Tanya AKA misst74

From PokerTrails:

"An interesting note--the women's restroom has been converted into... a men's
room. Why? Well, with 1,800 people and about 90% of them being men, it's tough
to get all of them in and out in a timely manor. I also might note that the real
men's room is a piece of #$* as only maybe half of the stalls/urinals work. So,
unfortunately the women of the tournament are having to walk a long distance to
the next restroom."


I told this to my husband, and he sarcastically said, "Now that's respect".

As a woman, I actually have no problem with this, but truth be told, I'd also
have no problem sharing the bathroom with men. Unisex bathrooms are common
overseas from what I told, there are stalls, what's the big deal???

Just thought the feminists out there (if there are any) would love this piece.

T

---

Everyone is tired of this but I'm posting it anyway.

Big name poker star in debt?
Author: TheProof (43081265@recpoker.com)

In Jay Lovinger's "Jackpot Jay" column for ESPN.com Page 2, he writes this
tidpit:

"Another fascinating topic of these off-the-record talkfests is the star who the
public believes is a no-worries millionaire, who is actually so deeply in debt
he can't even see the desert sky anymore. (The big rumor floating around the
WSOP from Day One was about the World Poker Tour supernova who is said to be $4
million in the red, despite TV winnings of millions during the past two
seasons.)"

Who is Lovinger referring to here? Gus Hansen would be an easy guess but does
anybody know for sure?

---------


Bodog is in fact run by a stock fraudster?
Author: Jeff Chuley


Ive played at bodog myself and thought things seemed a little fishy, and not
just the players. someone here posted a few days ago that the guy running bodog
was involved in some stock fraud and then i found this link on google quite
interesting. I guess the CEO Calvin Ayre was involved in bilking investors with
insider trading in vancouver a few years ago, check out this link. What a prick.

DISCIPLINED PERSONS LIST

-----

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To make things more exciting we've introduced this original concept to a 6 player Sit n Go tournament. Any player who wins 6 consecutive Rio Sit n Go tournaments, will walk away with $25,000. Not bad for just a $20 buy-in!

In addition, Noble Poker will also award a $300 prize to a player who finished in either 1st or 2nd place in six consecutive Rio Jackpot Sit N Go tournaments.

All you have to do to be eligible for this incredible $25,000 Jackpot Bonus is sit down and play at the special Rio table, already in the Noble Poker software.




-----

This next post gave me pause cause I've found it easier to tell people I work in advertising rather than play poker. Why? Strange looks....weird questions....raised eyebrows. Anyway, here's Ed's thoughts:

Subject: Do you admit to playing poker?
Author: Edward Hutchison


The question of poker's unsavory reputation has been the subject of
another thread which has meandered into a discussion of charitable
tournaments. To return to topic:

I just returned from a high school reunion in NY. It has been a long time
since I have seen most of my old chums, and in this time I have been a
factory worker, professor, legislator, psychotherapist, bank clerk,
author, and poker player. When people asked my wife, "What does Ed do?"
how often do you suppose she mentioned poker player?

When the other kids at school asked Jesse James' kids what their Daddy did
for a living they probably said he works in a bank. Yeah, that's true, he
robbed banks.

You can tell people you are a professional poker player and they look at
you as if you have said I am a professional degenerate. That's like the
smoker who says, "I am a considerate smoker," while everyone else wonders
just how one stinks in a considerate way.

We, who are in the know, understand that playing poker is not a sign
(necessarily, that is) of degeneracy. Poker, we say, is a game of skill
and strategy that people can win at. We are playing each other, not the
house, so we can win. "Sure," thinks the non-poker player, "a gambler who
wins. Ha!"

There was a time when I felt the need to set the world straight and
patiently explain such matters to whoever might listen. Funny, but as I
grow older, I have that urge much less often. So, if someone asks how I
spend my time, I've got to know them fairly well before I take the time to
explain I play poker. Unfortunately, it still seems to require an
explanation.


Edward Hutchison

---------


Subject: The Addicted Corporation's 12 Steps to Recovery (Texas Hold'em Style)
Author: Zidane Valor

I did this really quickly since I was bored and have time to kill. I hope you
enjoy it and I'm interested to hear any ideas or suggestions.

The Addicted Corporation's 12 Steps to Recovery (Texas Hold'em Style)

1. We admit that our corporation is powerless over its addiction to wealth &
power, and that our grand-children's quality of life and the planet's quality of
life are in danger.

Translation: "My entire bankroll is $300, and I'm playing in a game of $5/$10 No
Limit."

2. We no longer think of our corporation as a separate entity from ourselves.

Translation: "I'm beginning to see my friends and family in the paint cards."

3. We believe that our higher powers can restore us to health and sanity.

Translation: "I believe that the poker gods will allow me to always draw to two
outers."

4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory our actions in the name of
our corporation.

Translation: "I am beginning to see why I shouldn't call a re-re-raise with 69
off-suit just because I like the hand."

5. We admit to ourselves, to our employees, and the general public, the exact
nature of our wrongs.

Translation: "I'm taking my $300 bankroll to a game of $2/$4 No Limit."

6. We are entirely ready to remove all these defects of character.

Translation: "No more drawing to a gut-shot straight draw with Jc Tc in my hand
and a board of As Ah Ks Kh."

7. We humbly ask a Higher Power to help us remove our shortcomings.

Translation: "I will now only draw to eight or nine outers."

8. We have made a list of all employees and other consumers we have harmed, and
are willing to make amends to them all.

Translation: "I know every person that I've played poorly against. Mostly
because when I start to play, they all keep looking for my table."

9. We have made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to
do so would injure them or others.

Translation: "Now that I'm no longer drawing to two outers, I'm actually having
winning sessions."

10. We are continuing to take a personal inventory, and when we are wrong we
promptly admit it.

Translation: "I now fold every hand that I wouldn't stand with in blackjack."

11. We seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with
our higher powers, praying for the power to carry out our recovery.

Translation: "AND THE RIVER CARD IS..."

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we carry this
message to other corporations and intend to practice these principles in all our
affairs.

Translation: "Now it's time to play Omaha, Stud, and Razz."
-------

I originally thought this post was troll bait, but it turns out he was 100% serious. There's just too many damn nuts on RGP now.

--

Wealthy cheat victims wanted
Author: igotskillz com

If you have been cheated or want to help stop some of the online cheating
please respond to this.

We know that online cheating exists and this is what we need.
1: someone on the inside the poker sites who knows where they login from.
2: surveillance on the cheats
3: someone to bludgeon a cheat { me }
4: financing


Once identified we get proof that they do in fact cheat.
These cheats make 200,000 a year so once caught we relieve them of every
penny.

With their funds we pay expenses and make a profit.

I've had some response on this and unfortunately it's going slower than i
had hoped.

These people steal your money and mine. I want it back, how about you ? I
am open to any logical suggestions that you may have as far as how to do
this.

I know this
A: they have a lot of money
B: i can kill a man with one punch
C: if they initiate physical violence { a nudge, push or shove } i can
defend myself


We need cash and our first target


i have been offered the support of an OSU lineman so yes, we are getting
somewhere.
When a cheat is legally beaten to death his pals may wise up or even
confess and turn over what they stole.

Please email me in strictest confidence from igotskillz.com

At the present time i am only seeking interested parties. Someone who has
been hurt by cheats is reading this and hopefully you will take some
action. The world is full of scumbags and i want to do something about it.

thank you for your support

Insane.
Of course, someone posted his personal info 10 minutes later from a whois with this comment:


--

theres been a lot of crazy people that have come thru rgp over the years but you take the cake. an organization for beating people to a pulp. too funny.

--



There have been a bajillion threads on 2+2 about people "disturbed" by online poker playing aids like pokertracker and gametime, like it's somehow cheating or unethical.

Sigh.

I loved this response in one thread:

"One last thought - Once the sea of fish realize the kind of help we have been using what's the response going to be?"

Same as always, "I thought you had AK".

MS Sunshine

Some of you may enjoy this long thread entitled:
The final truth about down swings.

Alrighty then, that's it for now. I was going to wrap things up by pimping all these new blogs I have waiting in the wings, but my machine is giving me trouble.

Again, please consider signing up with a new site thru this humble poker blog. It gives me a reason to come on here and copy and paste for you.

I'm going to leave you with the "stupidist poker sayings" thread from RGP.
Best of. Such as it is.

Here are the nominees:

----

"Big blind special"

As if that player had anything to do with flopping huge in a un-raised
pot and having no one wonder why he was giving/taking so much action
through-out the hand. It's almost always said by someone as the big blind
rakes in the chips and, if not said out loud, I can hear them thinking it.

Howard Beale

---


Actually said to me many years ago in a low-stakes home game by a guy,
dead seriously, who was staring me down: "Are you bringing heat, or
are you wacking meat?"

-Howard Treesong

-

"THEY WERE SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTED"



--

"I was protecting my button"


---

looks like someone's got a case of the monday's...


---

"I think I'm beat" ...as they still call the all-in with A7o

--


I flopped the nut pair.

---

"I knew you had that."
"Really, why'd you call then?"
"For information."

--

"I had to protect my blind."

---

"Ship it!"

---

and last but sadly fitting:


"Check out my new poker blog."

----

And here's a fine trip report about playing at Doyle Brunson's table in the WSOP by venerable RGP poster, AlwaysAware.


----

Subject: Seat Open! My WSOP experience..............
Author: AlwaysAware@aol.com


Table 45 Seat 8

The rest of the players, starting in seat one:

Baard Dahl - in a monogrammed PokerStars shirt

PokerStars player that plays under Goldie18 (something)

Guy in a shirt that says Internet Texas Hold'em and a hat that says
Bluffing on the front and not bluffing on the back. After the first
break he is wearing one that says check on one side and raise on the
other.

Young kid

Gentleman with a superman shirt one

Doyle Brunson

Jill B - played online and made enough to play the World Series due to
being in car accident and laid up for 8 months.

Me

Jeff Calkins - Known to me through FARGO, Foxwoods, ATLARGE, etc

Josh Baurer

I like my table. Of all the pro's that could have been there, I think
Doyle is the best to be playing with. He isn't super aggressive and
will lay down hands, you just need to be mindful of when not to push
the envelope.

While waiting for the tournament to start there is a bit of bantering
and a lot of interest in Doyle. Writers, camera's, etc. I say to
Doyle, "So, on the first hand if 8 players are all in before you, do
you call?" He chuckles. The late Stuey Unger's daughter is introduced
to the audience and she announces shuffle up and deal at 11:30.

The blinds are 25/50

The first hand I play is on my BB. Doyle puts in small raise and I call
with KQ. The flop comes QJ8, I bet out and Doyle folds.

My second hand is my sb and it's limped to me so I complete with KT of
diamonds and we see a flop 6 handed. Flop comes K hight which I bet
out and take it.. Up 475.

I am quiet for an orbit and fold 22 utg. There is a 200 bet (and I
believe a reraise?) and 3 callers. The flop comes 2 QJ Bet raise and
third guy folds, first guy calls the raise. Turn is an 8 and there is a
bet, and then an all in and the hand is over. Pretty sure I am glad I
wasn't involved with 22. Smelled like a set of queens (as the flop had
two to the suit)

ATc limp. Flop is AQx and a bet gets me the money. Only the big blind
was in the hand.

I am in the sb and utg raises to 200. Jill calls. I raise to 600. utg
calls. The flop comes KKx and I bet 1200. utg raises it 1400 more.
Jill folds and I about to fold, but for some reason unknown to me I
call. I also make a comment that wouldn't be understood by the reader,
had to do with preflop chatter and it backfires on me, as a blank falls
on the turn and he bets out 3K. I am now done with the hand and he
says he was prepared to check the turn were it not for my comment. At
the time I really think he had AK. But after watching how aggressive
he was, I'm not so sure. If not AK I strongly believe he had a pair
and felt he could move me off of what he suspected to be Aces. I am
not prepare to go home yet. I really think I should have made a
smaller flop bet, as if there was a reraise I lose less chips. Talked
to a couple of tourney players who find the play fine, just unlucky. I
am now crippled, a third of my stack is gone - but plenty of time to
recover.

Very next hand I have 44 and limp. Baard Dahl raises to 400 and I
call. The flop isn't really that bad TT5 but I am not prepared to
battle and fold. Probably should have folded preflop if I'm not up to
trying to take the pot in a headsup situation with what isn't really a
dangerous flop.

A few hands later I have 66 and limp. The flop comes KT9 and it's
checked around. 6 on the turn and Baard bets 200. Folded to me and I
raise to 600. After a bit Baard calls and I don't like the
hollywooding, even though I have a set I am done with the hand unless
he makes a small bet on the river. The river is a blank and he checks
and I check behind him. I expect to QJ but don't and am surprised when
the pot is pushed to him. So, I stand up as I am also dealing with the
drink server and then I see he has 78 for small end of the str8. Right
read, though I put him on the high end not the low end of the straight.

I have 22 seat 4 raises to 175 and I fold.

A3 suited in late position comes with a small raise to 150 and I fold,
as does the rest of the table.

Not to proud of this play. AQc and I limp in late position. Why? Who
knows I am short and don't want to face a reraise. Seat Ten, my mimesis
Josh Baurer raises to 200 and I call. Yeah, I'm a stellar player.
Flop comes K high and he bets out and I fold.

Here is another awesome play on my part :-) 5s7s with 5 limpers
including me. Flop comes 2s3s6c Mid position bets 200 and 4 of us
call it. Turn is 8h and it's checked around. River is another 3 and
the action is 600 by the sb, seat four goes into the tank and finally
calls, the rest of us fold. SB shows JJ and takes it.

I have 99 and raise and take it.

End of level one, I have 5,550 in chips.

I head to the Ladies room only to find security there and a line of
men. Were I not wearing a PokerStars shirt I might have been taken out
in handcuffs :-) Since I was representing I didn't go over the line
but expressed my opinion clearly that it was unfair that the woman had
to hike a half mile because our bathroom was hijacked. I went to the
WSOP office, so they could correct the situation. On the next break we
were escorted to the employee's bathroom.

Level Two 50/100

It's blind against blind. Me and Jill. Again, I am a stellar player
:-) I have AcQs in the bb and don't raise her. But as you will see
that is not the worst part of this play. The flop is babies and
checked. The turn is K? She makes a small bet and I call. The river
is an ace and she checks and I check (because I don't think she will
pay me and she might have two pair or something) I turn my hand over
and Jeff asks inquisitively that I checked the nuts in last position?
I reply that I didn't, I only had a pair. Seems there were 4 clubs on
the board. hmmm.....

There will only be two blind vs blind confrontations with Jill, because
the table is keenly aware that the two woman are easy blinds marks and
if the 4 seat isn't raising the one seat is. Such easy marks that they
are raising early into other players, d'oh.

I am not getting hit with cards. I have an image of a tight can be
pushed around player. No one is fearing me. I have to adjust or die.
I have 68 and with multiple limpers I join the party. Seven of us see
a flop of T69, two spades. There is a bet from midposition of 350 and
three callers, since I am last to act I call. Turn is a 7 and it is
checked to me. I bet 1500 (there are still two spades out there) and
it is folded to "superman" who goes into the tank and agonizes.
Finally mucks and says it hurts to fold since he can't put me on an 8.
(of course he can't put me on an 8 :-) So, I say "Maybe I had two 8's"
He doesn't seem to buy it, but he can't seem to come up with a viable
hand either :-)

66 I limp and it's raised to 450. I call the 350 more, since there are
4 players in. K47. Seat 3 bets 1,200. Seat 4 makes it 3K and it
becomes a headsup battle. The turn is an Ace. Seat three checks and
Seat 4 beats 2K. Seat 3 now check raises to 4K and seat 4 goes all in.
Seat 3 calls and shows a set of 7's. Seat four shows KQ, yes, KQ and
the first player at our table busts at 2:40 PM

Very next hand our second player is busted. Again it's the three seat
that collects the spoils. It's KK vs AJ on a board of AKJ and all the
money goes in. Turn and river are no help to either and the set of K's
is now whistling Dixie.

Doyle limps on my blind on my blind. I raise to 400, because Doyle is
the only one I seem to get chips from. All I have to do is bet the
flop. The flop comes 345 with 2 hearts. I bet 250 and Doyle doesn't
buy into it and folds. I had A2.

AJ suited on the sb and Doyle raises to 400. I call. The flop is 475.
I check and Doyle bets 900, rainbow one spade. I am done. So much for
taking chips from Doyle :-)

Two new players are moved in one is wearing a True Poker shirt.

End of Level 2 I have 5150 in chips.

Blinds are now 100/200

KK I raise to 700. SB my mimesis calls. The flop comes A23, he checks
and I check. Check here is probably wrong. I should probably bet
something to see where I stand in the hand. Turn is a 6 (?) and he bets
1,000. On my forehead is written, I have a big hand, please try to
take it away from me. I am not convinced he called with Ax. I am
convinced that he called the raise, planning to take the hand away from
me. I choose to fold, not ready to die defending KK with an A on the
board. If I reraise, I am fairly sure he puts me in. So my only
option is to move in or fold. Could someone, please turn off the neon
light on my forehead????????????

I don't recall where this hand took place, because I didn't write it
down. But it is somewhat important to the next hand I am going to write
about, so I will put it here. It's the second of the two blind vs
blind hands with Jill. She completes I check with 89. The flop comes
892 and Jill bets 300. I raise to 800, she folds I show her the two
pair and she says she had a 9. Notice she is not defending top pair
once she gets played back at. She also hasn't taken many pots (maybe
two?) has paid off players twice when she "knew" better. She has been
short since the first round of the tournament.

It is limped around to me and I look down and see AA. Pot is 1000, so I
raise 1000. Everyone folds except the sb, Jill. She has a little over
5K in chips. I have 4,300 or there abouts. I think 1,000 is a
reasonable reraise with limper putting in 200. I thought about moving
in, but do I just want 800 (four other limpers and my 200) or do I want
to possible isolate and get a caller? I get a caller Jill. The flop
comes QJ4. She says "raise" (she means bet), and then can't decide
what to bet. She seems a bit flustered as she has a 5K chip and can't
easily throw chips in so she throws all of them in :-) She has never
committed all her chips before, she has only twice been the aggressor
in the hand. AQ is a possibility but since I have AA it's not as
likely as something like QJ or QQ or JJ, but then again she is getting
frustrated and top pair with top kicker is a possibility. I can't
really put her on QQ of JJ, because even though this is her first
tournament, she has played ring a lot on the 9 months she went through
3 surgeries. Why would she move all her chips in with a set of Q's or
J"s. Sure we are both short, and sure she is a bit wet behind the
ears, so I guess she could. But, how do I lay down AA when I only have
3K behind and this round will cost 1800 if I sit there and blind out?
I call. She shows me QJ and I don't improve or maybe I do, there might
have been another 4 on the turn, but it mattered not as the river was a
Q and she was full. It was captured on camera, who knows if he will get
through the cut.

The place is packed and it's hard to get from my former seat to the
outside. It's hard to believe how badly you just want to get the hell
out of there. After failing to get down the aisle I move the rope and
walk among the other tables and out the side door.

I sorta hope Jill makes it a long long way.

Joan

Link of the Day:
Stories to Make You Harding
Tonya Harding may be gone from the public eye, but the broad shouldered figure skating ruffian remains in our hearts. "There are 1461 fantasy stories and messages, and they're all about Tonya Harding."