Last night was the championship poker tourney at Oaklawn that I qualified for last month and I could not be happier with how I played. The key hand happened fairly early on, at my first table, when I made a nearly impossible laydown that kept me from going broke. I had pocket kings and made a standard pre-flop raise and got two callers--a short stack who was playing pretty conservatively, and an Ernest Hemingway lookalike who had already amassed a ton of chips and seemed to be playing a little strangely but getting very lucky. The flop was queen high rainbow, and I was out of position. I led out with an amount just big enough that I figured the shortie would raise all-in if he had hit anything, and that's exactly what he did. I knew I had him beat. Knew it. He either had something like pocket tens or jacks, or a pair of queens with a decent kicker. So he shoved, just like I hoped. Then Hemingway flat called. Hmm. I didn't see this coming, and I smelled a rat. I could not for the life of me figure out what he had here, but it just didn't feel right. I knew that an all-in over the top by me would get a call, and I really didn't want that. Add in the chance of the short stack also having a shot to draw out on me, and suddenly I didn't like my chances. So I mucked it.
The short stack had made queens, just like I thought, so I had him crushed. But Hemingway had flat called with Ace-Jack. He had a gutshot, a backdoor flush draw, and one over card, and he called a huge flop bet. Really?!? The turn was an ace, he rivered his flush, and had I stuck around I definitely would have been out of the tournament. It was a very unconventional fold, but it was early enough that I knew I could find a better spot to put my tournament life on the line. It turns out I would end up seeing Hemingway again at the final table.
I could never really get anything going. I was just clawing to keep my stack viable, stealing the blinds here and there. It was a really soft field, but the combination of my cards and my stack just didn't give me too many chances to get super creative. I got pocket aces in late position once, and after several limpers I popped it up to five times the big blind, just hoping to thin the field a little. From the looks I got you would have thought I stood up and took a dump on the table. Everyone folded. It was a very friendly kind of crowd, and everyone just wanted to see flops.
I think I was 9th out of nine in chips at the final table at one point, with Hemingway and another player that I knew from my qualifying round each holding almost ten times as many chips as me. Thus, I was ecstatic when the talk about making a deal happened when we were seven handed. The talk seemed legit enough that I folded a king-queen that I normally would have pushed with...which became painful when the hand would have made me quad kings. Finally, six handed, the deal was agreed on, throwing some cash to places 4-6 instead of just the top three. I kept playing solidly, chipping up with all-ins a couple of times before getting knocked out with pocket eights against a big stack's ace-jack, which made two pair. I was thrilled with how I played, honestly. I've gotten so much better the last few years and it felt great to see so many reads turn out right, and to recognize plays that I made that worked that I would not have had the skill or experience to pull off even a couple of years ago. It would have been nice if my eights held up, because then I would have been a real threat to get to the top three and probably heads up, but hey, that's poker. It was a fun tourney, I made some cash, and it felt good to play well.
Showing posts with label Poker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poker. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Monday, February 01, 2010
The List - #119 completed
119. Visit the Oaklawn poker room.
This wasn't a hugely noteworthy list item, but I put it on there because they recently updated their poker room and it would be my first time trying out the PokerPro electronic tables. Oaklawn is a horse racing track with gaming, located an hour away in Hot Springs. Last week I left in the afternoon and went to check it out and I was pleasantly surprised with everything.
First off, I was trepidatious about the quality of the place to start with. This was based on nothing, really, just the overall idea that a casino located at a track in remote Arkansas had the potential to be pretty janky. It really wasn't. I didn't spend much time on the floor, but it was on par with non-Vegas casinos I've seen in Tunica and other somewhat small cities. The poker room had seven PokerPro tables and I was really impressed with how they work. They are completely automated and computerized, with every step of the game being run on the touch screen, from buy-in to cash out. You deposit funds at the casino's cashier and after that everything can be done at the table. I found the interface to be quite user friendly, which is good, since this is clearly the direction poker will head in the future. Purists will cling to cards and chips, but eventually it is going to be difficult to argue with the prospects of faster games, lower casino overhead due to no dealers, and lower player costs without having to tip.
I played $1-$2 No Limit for a while and then entered a qualifying tournament that Oaklawn was running--40 players, with the top four getting paid and the top three advancing to a freeroll in February that will include 30 players vying for $5,000 in payouts to the top three. The quality of the opponents was all over the place--some solid younger guys, some old timers, and some drunks that had clearly been betting on the ponies all day. I played my pretty standard game and managed to cash in third place, meaning I've got a seat in the big freeroll in a few weeks. I look forward to coming back with a shot to take down a nice chunk of change.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Protege
Okay, it's been over a week since the Protege qualifier and it took me just about that long to get over it. I actually kept a running diary of semi-meaningful hands but it's too painful to rehash the whole thing so instead, you get the short version of how I got knocked out. I know that bad beat poker stories are now officially in the top three in the category of "Most Annoying/Boring Stories That People Always Insist on Telling," right up there with tales about their fantasy teams and "listen to this dream I had last night."
But anyway...
We're at the final table. I'm pretty short stacked and pick up pocket aces in the big blind. My goal here is to eventually get it all in against one person, so that I'll be the favorite no matter what. Blinds are 150-300 and two guys limp in. I raise to 1300, first limper calls, second folds. Perfect. I'm short enough that I'm pushing on the flop no matter what but I feel very confident when it comes 4-6-6. The guy has a decent stack and calls my all in with...wait for it...7-8 off-suit. 7-8? He cold-calls a thousand chip raise with 7-8, then calls on that flop with no pair, no nothing. NATURALLY, like a punch in the face, a five comes on the turn, giving him a miracle gutshot straight. And just like that, my dreams of jet setting around the world on the high stakes circuit with Daniel Negreanu go down in flames. BRUTAL. Absolutely brutal.
But anyway...
We're at the final table. I'm pretty short stacked and pick up pocket aces in the big blind. My goal here is to eventually get it all in against one person, so that I'll be the favorite no matter what. Blinds are 150-300 and two guys limp in. I raise to 1300, first limper calls, second folds. Perfect. I'm short enough that I'm pushing on the flop no matter what but I feel very confident when it comes 4-6-6. The guy has a decent stack and calls my all in with...wait for it...7-8 off-suit. 7-8? He cold-calls a thousand chip raise with 7-8, then calls on that flop with no pair, no nothing. NATURALLY, like a punch in the face, a five comes on the turn, giving him a miracle gutshot straight. And just like that, my dreams of jet setting around the world on the high stakes circuit with Daniel Negreanu go down in flames. BRUTAL. Absolutely brutal.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Poker update
I haven't written a poker update in a while and I actually have a few (relatively) interesting things to report, so here goes:
A couple of weeks ago, I came in 3rd in a NLHE tourney with 45 players. That is a strange and new field size for me, as usually I'll either play in a big MTT (multi table tourney) with at least a couple hundred people, or a sit and go (SNG) with somewhere from 5-10. This was technically a SNG, meaning it started as soon as 45 people signed up. I don't remember too many specific hands from this one; I just played solid poker throughout and managed to do pretty well.
A day or two later I tried out another new endeavour on the virtual felt: a HORSE tournament. HORSE is a fixed limit form of poker that rotates amongst five different games: Hold 'Em, Omaha High/Low, Razz (lowball), Seven card stud, and Seven card stud high/low, eight or better (Eight being where the "E" comes from). The WSOP added a new HORSE event this year with a $50,000 buy-in and the true pros and poker aficionados consider it the best test of a player's skill because of the variety of games. I've played some HORSE on-line at Full Tilt and I've done well before in some cheap SNGs but this was my first shot at a big field. 198 players signed up and my strategy was simply to play tight and see how things would go. In the past, I've noted that many players in these tourneys are surprisingly bad at several of the games, usually the Stud varieties (note: Razz is simply seven card stud but with the lowest five cards winning). I am by no means a stud expert but I've worked at it enough that I don't consider it too much of a weakness in a tourney like this. I've also gotten pretty decent at Razz after some practice.
Anyway, the tourney went well. I lasted into the money and eventually the final table. The blinds got very high at this point--big enough that players often found themselves all-in when playing any given hand. I managed to keep grinding away and I got to heads-up during a Hold 'Em round. My opponent had a huge cheap lead on me, more than a two-to-one margin, after he knocked out the 3rd and 4th place finishers. I managed to draw nearly even on a lucky suckout, catching a three-outer on the river. After that, I just dominated the guy. The Hold 'Em round soon ended and it only took a few hands of Omaha for me to pull out the victory. This was the first MTT I've won in a while and it felt great, especially pulling one out in my first try at HORSE.
My luck didn't carrry over to my first home game in quite some time. On a weekend trip to Memphis, Dad and Casey put together a small game with a few of their guys up there. We each threw in $10 and played a quick NLHE tourney. I tried to play tight but it's tough to stay too disciplined in such an event. I lost a decent amount of my stack with A-J, then got knocked out when a K-10 caught up to my A-10. It's probably better this way though--at least the Memphis guys won't have me pegged for a ringer and I should be invited back to their game. Despite the loss, it was a lot of fun and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next Memphis game.
The last interesting tourney was this past Saturday night. Daniel Negreanu sponsors an event called "The Protege" in which he tutors one lucky person for a few months and stakes the winner into $40,000 worth of major poker tourneys. The first winner of "The Protege," Brian Fidler, came in 2nd place in just his second event after meeting with Daniel and won over $200,000. Negreanu is now preparing for a second Protege competition and he has a variety of ways that people can win a seat at the Protege Final Table of ten. I am a charter member of his message board at Full Contact Poker and as such I was given some freeroll shots at qualifying tournaments. On Saturday night, I made the top five and advanced to the next leg. To spare the details, the set up is this: on this coming Friday night, I'm in a tournament with 18 people. The winner gets a seat at The Protege Final Table, which just so happens to be taking place in the Bahamas in December. So that would be pretty cool. It will be tough, as all of the players qualified as I did, so they should have some game. But we'll see how it goes.
A couple of weeks ago, I came in 3rd in a NLHE tourney with 45 players. That is a strange and new field size for me, as usually I'll either play in a big MTT (multi table tourney) with at least a couple hundred people, or a sit and go (SNG) with somewhere from 5-10. This was technically a SNG, meaning it started as soon as 45 people signed up. I don't remember too many specific hands from this one; I just played solid poker throughout and managed to do pretty well.
A day or two later I tried out another new endeavour on the virtual felt: a HORSE tournament. HORSE is a fixed limit form of poker that rotates amongst five different games: Hold 'Em, Omaha High/Low, Razz (lowball), Seven card stud, and Seven card stud high/low, eight or better (Eight being where the "E" comes from). The WSOP added a new HORSE event this year with a $50,000 buy-in and the true pros and poker aficionados consider it the best test of a player's skill because of the variety of games. I've played some HORSE on-line at Full Tilt and I've done well before in some cheap SNGs but this was my first shot at a big field. 198 players signed up and my strategy was simply to play tight and see how things would go. In the past, I've noted that many players in these tourneys are surprisingly bad at several of the games, usually the Stud varieties (note: Razz is simply seven card stud but with the lowest five cards winning). I am by no means a stud expert but I've worked at it enough that I don't consider it too much of a weakness in a tourney like this. I've also gotten pretty decent at Razz after some practice.
Anyway, the tourney went well. I lasted into the money and eventually the final table. The blinds got very high at this point--big enough that players often found themselves all-in when playing any given hand. I managed to keep grinding away and I got to heads-up during a Hold 'Em round. My opponent had a huge cheap lead on me, more than a two-to-one margin, after he knocked out the 3rd and 4th place finishers. I managed to draw nearly even on a lucky suckout, catching a three-outer on the river. After that, I just dominated the guy. The Hold 'Em round soon ended and it only took a few hands of Omaha for me to pull out the victory. This was the first MTT I've won in a while and it felt great, especially pulling one out in my first try at HORSE.
My luck didn't carrry over to my first home game in quite some time. On a weekend trip to Memphis, Dad and Casey put together a small game with a few of their guys up there. We each threw in $10 and played a quick NLHE tourney. I tried to play tight but it's tough to stay too disciplined in such an event. I lost a decent amount of my stack with A-J, then got knocked out when a K-10 caught up to my A-10. It's probably better this way though--at least the Memphis guys won't have me pegged for a ringer and I should be invited back to their game. Despite the loss, it was a lot of fun and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next Memphis game.
The last interesting tourney was this past Saturday night. Daniel Negreanu sponsors an event called "The Protege" in which he tutors one lucky person for a few months and stakes the winner into $40,000 worth of major poker tourneys. The first winner of "The Protege," Brian Fidler, came in 2nd place in just his second event after meeting with Daniel and won over $200,000. Negreanu is now preparing for a second Protege competition and he has a variety of ways that people can win a seat at the Protege Final Table of ten. I am a charter member of his message board at Full Contact Poker and as such I was given some freeroll shots at qualifying tournaments. On Saturday night, I made the top five and advanced to the next leg. To spare the details, the set up is this: on this coming Friday night, I'm in a tournament with 18 people. The winner gets a seat at The Protege Final Table, which just so happens to be taking place in the Bahamas in December. So that would be pretty cool. It will be tough, as all of the players qualified as I did, so they should have some game. But we'll see how it goes.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Ten Random Things That Annoy Me
Ten Random Things That Annoy Me
People away from home who insist on telling you what time it is “their time.” This is especially obnoxious somewhere such as Las Vegas, where time—in any time zone—has almost no meaning. “I need to go to bed. It’s 4 AM my time.” No, it’s 1 AM and you’re in Vegas for god’s sake. Live a little!
ESPN’s coverage of whatever negative sports story du jour they decide to harp on.
Zayra from “Rock Star: Supernova.” Man, is she awful.
People that quantify their effort with some number exceeding 100%. I know that “giving 110%” has become the new cliché that represents actually giving something your all. But now we get people saying they gave “150%.” Really? You tried as hard as you absolutely could at something, plus half as hard as that?
Anderson Cooper.
The chip leader at the WSOP, who says he is considering dumping his chips because he’d rather come in 2nd place because he “doesn’t want to be famous.” How someone with this attitude ever actually amassed such a chip lead is beyond me.
“Treasure Hunters” on NBC. I tried to give this show a chance but I just couldn’t do it. It was awful.
“Don’t Pass” craps players.
Drivers that hang out in the passing lane when you are right behind them and it is clear that if they would just get over, you would quickly pass them, and everyone could just get on with their lives.
Sarah Jessica Parker.
People away from home who insist on telling you what time it is “their time.” This is especially obnoxious somewhere such as Las Vegas, where time—in any time zone—has almost no meaning. “I need to go to bed. It’s 4 AM my time.” No, it’s 1 AM and you’re in Vegas for god’s sake. Live a little!
ESPN’s coverage of whatever negative sports story du jour they decide to harp on.
Zayra from “Rock Star: Supernova.” Man, is she awful.
People that quantify their effort with some number exceeding 100%. I know that “giving 110%” has become the new cliché that represents actually giving something your all. But now we get people saying they gave “150%.” Really? You tried as hard as you absolutely could at something, plus half as hard as that?
Anderson Cooper.
The chip leader at the WSOP, who says he is considering dumping his chips because he’d rather come in 2nd place because he “doesn’t want to be famous.” How someone with this attitude ever actually amassed such a chip lead is beyond me.
“Treasure Hunters” on NBC. I tried to give this show a chance but I just couldn’t do it. It was awful.
“Don’t Pass” craps players.
Drivers that hang out in the passing lane when you are right behind them and it is clear that if they would just get over, you would quickly pass them, and everyone could just get on with their lives.
Sarah Jessica Parker.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Poker & Golf...two losing stories
Poker Stars is hosting a tournament solely for bloggers so I figured the least I could do is keep a running account and post it in my blog.
3:00 PM: Tourney is starting as I watch Phil Mickelson try to win the U.S. Open. Good stuff. 2247 players registered in the tourney, starting with $2000 in chips.
3:05: Five minutes in and 27 players have been eliminated. I’m at $2080, won a pot with Q-J.
3:10: 2172 remaining. At $2050, won a small bluff with bottom pair, then got caught trying to steal blinds. Mickelson just hit a drive over 300 yards into a bunker…on purpose. He’s one stroke back on hole #6.
3:16: 2095 remaining, $1860…not one good hand yet. Mickelson made par, still one back.
3:23: 2025 left, $1860…still no good starting hands. Stealing when I can to try to keep pace.
3:25: Bogey for Phil on a par 3, not good. Meanwhile, just saw my first ridiculous play in the tourney (not involved): guy goes all in with 8-7 off suit on an 8 high flop with two clubs, is called by A-Q of diamonds. Ace on turn.
3:33: 1914 left, $1855…I have limped with crappy pocket pairs a few times but can’t make a set. Trying to be patient but also see some cheap flops.
3:37: 1861 left, $1930…first real hand of the day, pocket kings in middle position, I raise to 3X the big blind and get no action. Annoying. Meanwhile, during an NBC sports update, Bob Costas has just described the fourth game of the World Cup that ended in a scoreless tie. “Best sporting event in the world,” my ass.
3:40: 1826 left, stack is $3020. Big slick made top pair (kings) on a dangerous all diamond flop. It all went in on the turn (had him covered) and his flush draw didn’t get there. Next hand I blew way too many chips overplaying 9-10 suited trying to steal. Mickelson one back through 8.
3:36: 1742 left, stack $3320 after a couple of nice steals. Three way tie for the lead for Phil, Ogilvy, and Monty all at 3 over. Course seems brutal today.
3:54: 1624, $3120. Phil just bogeyed 9. Par is starting to look great.
4:02: 1497 left, $2720 in chips…five minute break. No good cards since kings, but hanging around. Dropped several hundred with a steal attempt on A-7. Will get more aggressive after break as blinds get bigger—won’t hesitate to get into a coin flip for all my chips if I can in a freeroll with such a big field.
4:07: The golf announcers just described somebody’s shot as a “scalded duck.” I have absolutely no idea what that possibly means but it can’t be good.
4:13: 1381, $3020. Pocket aces, no action. Table is surprisingly tight for a freeroll because we have a few players sitting out.
4:15: moved to a new table, only 2 players there have more chips than me. Good sign.
4:18: Lefty takes the outright lead with a birdie putt on 11…birdie/eagle opportunity coming on 12.
4:22: 1182 remaining, $4295 after a set of queens. Took it down with a raise on the flop.
4:25: pocket queens again, this time ran into pocket aces. Down to $1800 and change.
4:27: Out in 1005th place. AK suited in late position, I raise, get re-raised and it all goes in…against pocket jacks. No help and that’s it. Pretty annoying to get two of the best hands I’ve seen all day and lose both to get knocked out, but that’s poker.
6:11: Well that 18th hole sure sucked. Nice day all around, I guess.
3:00 PM: Tourney is starting as I watch Phil Mickelson try to win the U.S. Open. Good stuff. 2247 players registered in the tourney, starting with $2000 in chips.
3:05: Five minutes in and 27 players have been eliminated. I’m at $2080, won a pot with Q-J.
3:10: 2172 remaining. At $2050, won a small bluff with bottom pair, then got caught trying to steal blinds. Mickelson just hit a drive over 300 yards into a bunker…on purpose. He’s one stroke back on hole #6.
3:16: 2095 remaining, $1860…not one good hand yet. Mickelson made par, still one back.
3:23: 2025 left, $1860…still no good starting hands. Stealing when I can to try to keep pace.
3:25: Bogey for Phil on a par 3, not good. Meanwhile, just saw my first ridiculous play in the tourney (not involved): guy goes all in with 8-7 off suit on an 8 high flop with two clubs, is called by A-Q of diamonds. Ace on turn.
3:33: 1914 left, $1855…I have limped with crappy pocket pairs a few times but can’t make a set. Trying to be patient but also see some cheap flops.
3:37: 1861 left, $1930…first real hand of the day, pocket kings in middle position, I raise to 3X the big blind and get no action. Annoying. Meanwhile, during an NBC sports update, Bob Costas has just described the fourth game of the World Cup that ended in a scoreless tie. “Best sporting event in the world,” my ass.
3:40: 1826 left, stack is $3020. Big slick made top pair (kings) on a dangerous all diamond flop. It all went in on the turn (had him covered) and his flush draw didn’t get there. Next hand I blew way too many chips overplaying 9-10 suited trying to steal. Mickelson one back through 8.
3:36: 1742 left, stack $3320 after a couple of nice steals. Three way tie for the lead for Phil, Ogilvy, and Monty all at 3 over. Course seems brutal today.
3:54: 1624, $3120. Phil just bogeyed 9. Par is starting to look great.
4:02: 1497 left, $2720 in chips…five minute break. No good cards since kings, but hanging around. Dropped several hundred with a steal attempt on A-7. Will get more aggressive after break as blinds get bigger—won’t hesitate to get into a coin flip for all my chips if I can in a freeroll with such a big field.
4:07: The golf announcers just described somebody’s shot as a “scalded duck.” I have absolutely no idea what that possibly means but it can’t be good.
4:13: 1381, $3020. Pocket aces, no action. Table is surprisingly tight for a freeroll because we have a few players sitting out.
4:15: moved to a new table, only 2 players there have more chips than me. Good sign.
4:18: Lefty takes the outright lead with a birdie putt on 11…birdie/eagle opportunity coming on 12.
4:22: 1182 remaining, $4295 after a set of queens. Took it down with a raise on the flop.
4:25: pocket queens again, this time ran into pocket aces. Down to $1800 and change.
4:27: Out in 1005th place. AK suited in late position, I raise, get re-raised and it all goes in…against pocket jacks. No help and that’s it. Pretty annoying to get two of the best hands I’ve seen all day and lose both to get knocked out, but that’s poker.
6:11: Well that 18th hole sure sucked. Nice day all around, I guess.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Quick poker session
I haven't posted about poker lately simply because there hasn't been much to report. I have been taking meticulous records of each session I play (an actual New Year's resolution that I have stuck to) and that has helped because I always know exactly how I'm doing for the day/week/year. I'm up for 2006, but not by a ton...just trying to keep grinding that bankroll up before the WSOP. A quick little session today certainly helped.
It's a little after 4 PM and I've got some time to kill until the NCAA tourney selection show, so I log onto Poker Fantasy for a little bit. No SNGs are about to start so I sit down with $25 for some .25-.50 NLHE. With JQ suited in the big blind I make the 2nd nut flush on the turn, get it all in, and get paid off...I now have $49. A little bit later I get pocket kings in late position with a few limpers ahead of me so I raise up to $2. Small blind calls, and the big blind goes all in for $6 and change. Trying to shut out the first limper, I push all in. The guy I am trying to force out calls me with $38 and change or so and turns over pockets 9s. The short stack has A-9. No help for either of them and I drag a huge pot, and I now have $93.53 in front of me. I cannot wait to just walk away with my winnings for the session but I decide to wait until before my blinds...and get dealt pocket aces. Raise to $2, one caller. Flop comes three unders with a couple of face cards and two spades (I have the Ace of spades), so I bet $5, trying to take it down right there, he calls. Turn is a brick, check-check. River brings a possible straight so we check it down (I may have been playing too cautiously here) and he shows Ace-king for TPTK, so I drag that one and bail because it was the last hand before my blinds. Sat with $25, and twenty minutes later I left with $102.24. Definitely the craziest and fastest NL rush I have ever had on that site.
It's a little after 4 PM and I've got some time to kill until the NCAA tourney selection show, so I log onto Poker Fantasy for a little bit. No SNGs are about to start so I sit down with $25 for some .25-.50 NLHE. With JQ suited in the big blind I make the 2nd nut flush on the turn, get it all in, and get paid off...I now have $49. A little bit later I get pocket kings in late position with a few limpers ahead of me so I raise up to $2. Small blind calls, and the big blind goes all in for $6 and change. Trying to shut out the first limper, I push all in. The guy I am trying to force out calls me with $38 and change or so and turns over pockets 9s. The short stack has A-9. No help for either of them and I drag a huge pot, and I now have $93.53 in front of me. I cannot wait to just walk away with my winnings for the session but I decide to wait until before my blinds...and get dealt pocket aces. Raise to $2, one caller. Flop comes three unders with a couple of face cards and two spades (I have the Ace of spades), so I bet $5, trying to take it down right there, he calls. Turn is a brick, check-check. River brings a possible straight so we check it down (I may have been playing too cautiously here) and he shows Ace-king for TPTK, so I drag that one and bail because it was the last hand before my blinds. Sat with $25, and twenty minutes later I left with $102.24. Definitely the craziest and fastest NL rush I have ever had on that site.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Recent reads
Here are the books I've read since around Christmas time:
Phil Gordon's Little Green Hold 'Em Book - I got this one for Christmas and really enjoyed it. Gordon is a very smart guy and I actually think he may be a little underrated as a tournament player simply because he's so often in the limelight for other things, like TV shows. But this book is very informative. He presents bite-sized nuggets of Hold 'Em information, ranging from overall play and strategy to incredibly specific tips for particular situations. Case in point: Gordon goes out of his way to write an integral section on the importance of stealing blinds as the cash bubble nears in a tourney. Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson both made the same point when they spoke at my Full Tilt luncheon at the WSOP last summer. But Gordon takes his theory a step farther--he finds that the absolute best time to steal a quick pot is right before a dinner break...and he's got a point. Huge overhead displays on the tourney floor count down the time remaining in a level, and more often than not, players want to head for that door as soon as possible...thus, they aren't looking to get involved in a big pot right before the meal break. Brilliant little insights like this typify Gordon's book. I loved it, and I know I'll read it again. Grade: A-
School Days by Robert B. Parker - I love Parker and I've read every novel he's ever written. This one is the latest in the ongoing series about Spenser, the wisecracking Boston P.I. This one deviates a little bit from recent offerings in that Spenser's trusty, badass sidekick Hawk is nowhere to be seen...and neither is Susan Silverman, his often annoying better half. In this book, she's out of town essentially for the duration, and thank god for that, because the biggest knock on Parker's recent works has been his instance on having Spenser moon over Susan time and time again. We get it already. This time, Spenser runs a solo job when hired by the grandmother of a boy involved in a bloody school shooting. It's typical Parker, with taught, well-paced storytelling, and the ending isn't exactly predictable, but fulfilling enough. Not a classic Spenser book, but hardly a bad one. Grade: B.
A Cook's Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal by Anthony Bourdain - Bourdain's first book, Kitchen Confidential, was brilliant, and it made him a star. Please don't judge him or his work on that Fox sitcom that's already been axed--although I even thought that show had potential. Bourdain is a talented chef and a passionate foodie and in this one, he cruises around the world, eating every exotic menu item he can find, with the entrees ranging from a whole slaughtered hog that died at his hand as the guest of honor to...wait for it...the still beating heart of a cobra. Yum! The highlights are engaging enough--like the laundry list of over a dozen faux pas one might unwillingly commit at a traditional Japanese haute cuisine meal-- but the book seems to wander aimlessly, meandering from one locale to another without any discernable reason. It's a decent read but not as good as his other book. Grade: B-.
Killing Yourself to Live by Chuck Klosterman - I adored Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs and I practically lived some parts of Fargo Rock City, so I eagerly looked forward to this book, which Klosterman advertises as "85% of a true story" that sees him loading up a rental car and driving thousand of miles around America to visit the sites where famous (and not so famous) rockers died. It's an interesting enough premise, and Klosterman scored points with me right away by nicknaming his rented Taurus "The Ford Tauntaun," but instead of offering up a look at rock immortality or examining the dichotomy of life and death, the book instead veers into Nick Hornby-esque "looking back at past failed relationships through a musical filter" territory. Klosterman even openly acknowledges this. It's not bad, so to speak, just not what I expected or hoped for. It's still vintage Klosterman--he decides that 600 CDs is just the right amount to pack for his trip, he goes on for several pages comparing past girlfriends to various members of KISS based on their personalities, etc. But the incessant rambling about the pros and cons of each of his life's loves grew a little tiresome. I liked it, but I could have loved it. Grade: when not talking about past loves: A-. When writing fictionalized conversations between three different old flames at once: C-. Overall: B. (note: I just read that Klosterman is writing a Super Bowl blog for ESPN. This could be good--if it is, I'll link to it)
Other reads coming soon: Mary Mary by James Patterson and Cell by Stephen King.
Phil Gordon's Little Green Hold 'Em Book - I got this one for Christmas and really enjoyed it. Gordon is a very smart guy and I actually think he may be a little underrated as a tournament player simply because he's so often in the limelight for other things, like TV shows. But this book is very informative. He presents bite-sized nuggets of Hold 'Em information, ranging from overall play and strategy to incredibly specific tips for particular situations. Case in point: Gordon goes out of his way to write an integral section on the importance of stealing blinds as the cash bubble nears in a tourney. Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson both made the same point when they spoke at my Full Tilt luncheon at the WSOP last summer. But Gordon takes his theory a step farther--he finds that the absolute best time to steal a quick pot is right before a dinner break...and he's got a point. Huge overhead displays on the tourney floor count down the time remaining in a level, and more often than not, players want to head for that door as soon as possible...thus, they aren't looking to get involved in a big pot right before the meal break. Brilliant little insights like this typify Gordon's book. I loved it, and I know I'll read it again. Grade: A-
School Days by Robert B. Parker - I love Parker and I've read every novel he's ever written. This one is the latest in the ongoing series about Spenser, the wisecracking Boston P.I. This one deviates a little bit from recent offerings in that Spenser's trusty, badass sidekick Hawk is nowhere to be seen...and neither is Susan Silverman, his often annoying better half. In this book, she's out of town essentially for the duration, and thank god for that, because the biggest knock on Parker's recent works has been his instance on having Spenser moon over Susan time and time again. We get it already. This time, Spenser runs a solo job when hired by the grandmother of a boy involved in a bloody school shooting. It's typical Parker, with taught, well-paced storytelling, and the ending isn't exactly predictable, but fulfilling enough. Not a classic Spenser book, but hardly a bad one. Grade: B.
A Cook's Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal by Anthony Bourdain - Bourdain's first book, Kitchen Confidential, was brilliant, and it made him a star. Please don't judge him or his work on that Fox sitcom that's already been axed--although I even thought that show had potential. Bourdain is a talented chef and a passionate foodie and in this one, he cruises around the world, eating every exotic menu item he can find, with the entrees ranging from a whole slaughtered hog that died at his hand as the guest of honor to...wait for it...the still beating heart of a cobra. Yum! The highlights are engaging enough--like the laundry list of over a dozen faux pas one might unwillingly commit at a traditional Japanese haute cuisine meal-- but the book seems to wander aimlessly, meandering from one locale to another without any discernable reason. It's a decent read but not as good as his other book. Grade: B-.
Killing Yourself to Live by Chuck Klosterman - I adored Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs and I practically lived some parts of Fargo Rock City, so I eagerly looked forward to this book, which Klosterman advertises as "85% of a true story" that sees him loading up a rental car and driving thousand of miles around America to visit the sites where famous (and not so famous) rockers died. It's an interesting enough premise, and Klosterman scored points with me right away by nicknaming his rented Taurus "The Ford Tauntaun," but instead of offering up a look at rock immortality or examining the dichotomy of life and death, the book instead veers into Nick Hornby-esque "looking back at past failed relationships through a musical filter" territory. Klosterman even openly acknowledges this. It's not bad, so to speak, just not what I expected or hoped for. It's still vintage Klosterman--he decides that 600 CDs is just the right amount to pack for his trip, he goes on for several pages comparing past girlfriends to various members of KISS based on their personalities, etc. But the incessant rambling about the pros and cons of each of his life's loves grew a little tiresome. I liked it, but I could have loved it. Grade: when not talking about past loves: A-. When writing fictionalized conversations between three different old flames at once: C-. Overall: B. (note: I just read that Klosterman is writing a Super Bowl blog for ESPN. This could be good--if it is, I'll link to it)
Other reads coming soon: Mary Mary by James Patterson and Cell by Stephen King.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Thanksgiving wrap-up
We went up to Memphis on Wednesday and stayed through Sunday, and it was great to have an extended visit with the family. My niece Kate is now a little over two years old so it's fun to see her communicating more clearly...at least more clearly to me. My nephew Logan is almost two months old and I can't believe how much he has grown since the last time I saw him, which wasn't that long ago! Thanksgiving day was great. I fried a turkey since most of my family had never had it that way, plus Mom roasted one so there was plenty of bird to go around all day and all weekend for leftovers. Beth and I went to the Memphis Grizzlies-Houston Rockets game on Friday night--Dad bought a ten game pack of tickets and this is the first time we've gotten to go. Now, the following will make me sound like a bitter, old man but the NBA certainly wasn't like this when I was a kid. For me, the most jarring thing was the music that they blast during every single play. I knew that it would be a "show," rather than a game, but the tunes while playing caught me off-guard. Granted, I'm used to the Boston Garden in the '80s, with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and company, where nothing but the finest basketball team in history was needed to keep the crowd's attention. And I'm all for blasting music--I even got into it a few times when they played good stuff. But it was the presence of the pre-loaded 24 second snippets that they played every single time that really threw me off. But the FedEx Forum is a great arena and the experience was definitely fun. On Saturday, Casey and I headed down to a casino in Tunica for a few hours. I had never been there before but it was about what I expected. I played $3-$6 limit Hold 'Em for a couple of hours and although I didn't catch any cards and lost a little bit of money I was amazed at how bad the players were. At a table full of ten people, there were maybe three that seemed like they knew what they were doing, and the rest were just awful--calling down to the river with second or third pair, no kicker, etc. The twenty five cent-fifty cent games on Full Tilt have much better players, no joke. Anyway, I can't wait to go back with a nice roll and sit in for an extended session, because I have faith that I could destroy that game. The Pats game on Sunday was pretty bad, but they are so banged up that I really can't even be disappointed...we just don't have a healthy enough team this year. Case in point, we have six defensive backs alone out for the season. Six. I can't complain, or at least I won't, given how much success we've had the last few years. We should still win the division, so we'll see how things go, but I'm certainly not expecting an automatic Super Bowl win like I have the last couple of years.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Goblet of Fire
We caught Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on opening night and it was really good--right now I think it's my favorite one of the movies thus far. It was my favorite book in the series so my expectations were high, but I also knew that they would have to trim a ton of material, but they did a good job with it. Several scenes were exactly like I pictured them, which is great. I won't give anything away in case people haven't seen it yet, but if you dig the books or the movies, check it out and I don't think you'll be disappointed.
I cashed in another tournament on Friday evening and although I didn't win much it felt like quite an accomplishment. Early on, I had AQ and raised it up and got a caller, only to see the flop come A-Q-J. Needless to say, he hadK-10 and I lost a bundle. I didn't have any kind of a read on him at that point so I couldn't lay down top two but I was a little surprised that he'd see a pre-flop raise that big with just K-10 off-suit...but really, nothing should surprise me in the world of on-line poker anymore. So that loss dropped me below 300 chips (started with 1500) and I battled all the way back, doubling up a couple of times when I needed to, and I ended up cashing in 25th place out of 211 players. I was very satisfied with my effort and being able to stay focused with such a short stack early on. But I need to break through and win one of these suckers. The last tourney I actually won (aside from SNGs) was the Full Tilt freeroll that sent me to Vegas. I've cashed and made final tables since then, but in these rinky-dink $5 and $10 tournaments I play there's no decent money to be made unless you're in the top 3-4. Unfortunately my final table appearances have seen me going out earlier. I think it could be that I'm too concerned with making the money, as opposed to flat-out playing to win during the early stages, and that's something that I plan to address in the future. I also want to re-read both of Dan Harrington's books, just to brush up.
I cashed in another tournament on Friday evening and although I didn't win much it felt like quite an accomplishment. Early on, I had AQ and raised it up and got a caller, only to see the flop come A-Q-J. Needless to say, he hadK-10 and I lost a bundle. I didn't have any kind of a read on him at that point so I couldn't lay down top two but I was a little surprised that he'd see a pre-flop raise that big with just K-10 off-suit...but really, nothing should surprise me in the world of on-line poker anymore. So that loss dropped me below 300 chips (started with 1500) and I battled all the way back, doubling up a couple of times when I needed to, and I ended up cashing in 25th place out of 211 players. I was very satisfied with my effort and being able to stay focused with such a short stack early on. But I need to break through and win one of these suckers. The last tourney I actually won (aside from SNGs) was the Full Tilt freeroll that sent me to Vegas. I've cashed and made final tables since then, but in these rinky-dink $5 and $10 tournaments I play there's no decent money to be made unless you're in the top 3-4. Unfortunately my final table appearances have seen me going out earlier. I think it could be that I'm too concerned with making the money, as opposed to flat-out playing to win during the early stages, and that's something that I plan to address in the future. I also want to re-read both of Dan Harrington's books, just to brush up.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
The script / a final table
We turned in the first draft of Eden's Bluff on Tuesday. We had to scramble a little bit to meet the deadline (not shocking to anyone that knows me), but that is due in part to the fact that our filthy little nudist colony comedy clocked in at a robust 121 pages. Yes, that's long for a comedy script, but our mindset was simply that we wouldn't throw anything out of the first draft--instead, we'll let the producer make those decisions for us. There's definitely too much in there for the rumored budget number that we have heard but, again, we can deal with that later. We really just wanted to make it as funny and as good as possible for this draft and we really feel that we succeeded. There are parts that still make each of us laugh out loud when we read it, and that's a great sign.
I made the final table of a $5 tournament on Full Tilt the other night (265 players) and it's my first strong showing in a while. I was actually the chip leader a couple of hours into the tourney after winning a huge pot like this: I had pocket queens and raised three times the big blind before the flop and got two callers. Flop came down with two clubs, including a queen. All the money ended up going in the middle right there for all three of us--I had the top set, the guy to my left had a set of 8s, and the third player had A-Q of clubs for top pair and the nut flush draw. The turn and river were bricks and bingo, my stack was gigantic. Quite a hand. Then I went card dead for the last hour and got knocked out in 8th place.
No such luck last night. Experts say that all you can do in poker is make correct decisions, but that is little solace when you do it and it still doesn't work--especially twice in half an hour. Case in point: I'm in the same $5 tourney last night, looking for back-to-back cashes. I've got pocket jacks, only to see my raise re-raised and re-raised again. I know that one of them has me beat so I lay it down. I was right--one of them had pocket kings...but the flop would have given me a set of jacks and a monster pot. Later, with a somewhat dwindling stack, I was faced with a big decision on the turn--I had top two pair and I knew my hand was winning at that point in the heads-up pot. I just knew it. There was a flush draw on the board, so I pushed it all in...and the guy called me with a K-8 off suit, and only the 8 to the flush draw! Naturally, he caught it on the river and I was out before the first break. Two correct decisions...and neither one helped me at all. That's poker.
I made the final table of a $5 tournament on Full Tilt the other night (265 players) and it's my first strong showing in a while. I was actually the chip leader a couple of hours into the tourney after winning a huge pot like this: I had pocket queens and raised three times the big blind before the flop and got two callers. Flop came down with two clubs, including a queen. All the money ended up going in the middle right there for all three of us--I had the top set, the guy to my left had a set of 8s, and the third player had A-Q of clubs for top pair and the nut flush draw. The turn and river were bricks and bingo, my stack was gigantic. Quite a hand. Then I went card dead for the last hour and got knocked out in 8th place.
No such luck last night. Experts say that all you can do in poker is make correct decisions, but that is little solace when you do it and it still doesn't work--especially twice in half an hour. Case in point: I'm in the same $5 tourney last night, looking for back-to-back cashes. I've got pocket jacks, only to see my raise re-raised and re-raised again. I know that one of them has me beat so I lay it down. I was right--one of them had pocket kings...but the flop would have given me a set of jacks and a monster pot. Later, with a somewhat dwindling stack, I was faced with a big decision on the turn--I had top two pair and I knew my hand was winning at that point in the heads-up pot. I just knew it. There was a flush draw on the board, so I pushed it all in...and the guy called me with a K-8 off suit, and only the 8 to the flush draw! Naturally, he caught it on the river and I was out before the first break. Two correct decisions...and neither one helped me at all. That's poker.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
WSOP Final Table
The World Series of Poker final table coverage is tonight on ESPN. And so far, the episodes have been really entertaining. I used to think Mike Matusow was just a total jackass but he has been hilarious to watch throughout the WSOP. And even though I know how it ends up, it will be fun to watch Tex Barch at the final table. He was a really nice guy during the little bit that I played with him, so big congrats to him for all his success.
$7.5 million for first place is just mind-boggling. And Harrah's is clearly expecting that to go even higher next year judging by the 2006 schedule they released--four day ones and two day twos...that could accomodate almost 10,000 players if it comes to that. I need to go back!
$7.5 million for first place is just mind-boggling. And Harrah's is clearly expecting that to go even higher next year judging by the 2006 schedule they released--four day ones and two day twos...that could accomodate almost 10,000 players if it comes to that. I need to go back!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
California
On Saturday, I'm headed to L.A. for a paid gig to write a screenplay for a producer out there. It's a long, sordid story and I'm still curious about how everything will turn out but I'm definitely excited about the opportunity. My friend John Kinsman and I will be co-writing this one together, as we did with "Whiffleball." We're not getting paid a ton but we will see a decent chunk of change on the off-chance that this thing ever actually starts production. But for now, I'm just happy to be doing it. We plan to have a first draft done by around November 1, which is a little ambitious. Should be fun!
Also, I did appear on the ESPN WSOP coverage this week. It was during the second hour at around the halfway mark, and just as I predicted, I caught a little camera time because of the guy next to me in the red shirt and big red pimp hat. ESPN re-runs these all the time but it's certainly not anything to sit down and watch if you just want to see me, because if you blink, you'll miss it. There's a chance I could be on again next week during the coverage of day two but none of my tables got any heavy camera action on that day so I think that my 15 minutes of fame--or, in this case, one or two seconds--are up.
Also, I did appear on the ESPN WSOP coverage this week. It was during the second hour at around the halfway mark, and just as I predicted, I caught a little camera time because of the guy next to me in the red shirt and big red pimp hat. ESPN re-runs these all the time but it's certainly not anything to sit down and watch if you just want to see me, because if you blink, you'll miss it. There's a chance I could be on again next week during the coverage of day two but none of my tables got any heavy camera action on that day so I think that my 15 minutes of fame--or, in this case, one or two seconds--are up.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
WSOP Main Event on ESPN
ESPN began their coverage of the World Series of Poker Main Event last night, dedicating one hour blocks to each of the first two "day one" flights of the tourney, meaning that my day will be featured in their first hour of new programming next week, probably followed by an hour dedicated to day two when I got knocked out. I really don't expect to make it on TV at all, and if I do it will definitely be a "blink and you'll miss me" moment. It was fun and a little surreal to watch the tourney on TV knowing that I was there and that I was a part of it. There were also some crazy hands, like Jennifer Harman losing when her opponent caught a straight flush on the river to beat her. It was also informative to see Daniel Negreanu at the TV table--he admittedly had a terrible WSOP, blaming most of it simply on cold cards. Some people are quick to criticize him, saying that he had lost his focus at the tables and was becoming too concerned with his poker celebrity and other outside interests--a criticism also often aimed at Phil Hellmuth. Well, judging by the coverage, Negreanu has absolutely nothing to worry about. His reads were dead-on and he played nearly perfect poker but just couldn't catch the right cards. It happens.
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Free poker money
A while back, a poker message board that I frequent had a post about a site called powerplayer.com that was literally giving people $25 just to sign up on their site. Lots of poker sites give out sign up bonuses and whatnot, but this was flat-out free cash with no deposit required so I used the code to try it out, if only because it sounded too good to be true. It wasn't. The $25 was immediately deposited in my account. The code is now defunct, otherwise I'd post it here so anyone could give it a try.
I hadn't played much on that site, mainly because I don't really like their graphics or their software. It is a skin (a duplicate site that looks exactly the same but has a different name) of Poker Room, which I had tried before because my friend Vince used to play there occasionally. Anyway...I was bored on Friday night and logged onto the site as a $5 MTT (multi table tournament) was about to begin, so I signed up. I ended up finishing in 12th place out of 250 starters. It was a rebuy tournament with an add-on but I didn't do either one and I cleared almost $20 of profit. I got knocked out with pocket queens on a pretty short stack so I can't really complain about the final spot. Tonight I logged back on there again and came in 2nd place in a $5 sit and go tournament (a single table tournament that starts when ten people sign up). Not too bad--all of this for free! My plan is to run the account up to a couple hundred bucks, try to clear an additional $75 bonus that they give you for free if you play enough, and then move the money into my Neteller account.
We saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory today and it was really good. I loved the book as a child but I've never seen the original movie all the way through, so I can't compare there, but it did seem very faithful to the novel while still incorporating some modern touches. Johnny Depp was great, as always. I can't think of an actor working today that commits more to a role than he does (e.g. Pirates of the Caribbean, Once Upon a Time in Mexico), and he's always great fun to watch. The cast of kids they got was phenomenal as well.
On the other side of the spectrum, I recently rented Napoleon Dynamite. I held off on seeing it for so long because I just didn't think I would like it. I was right. When it finally ended, I was mentally labeling it one of the worst movies I've ever seen. However, a couple of things are making me reconsider this position. First, I've found that I'll occasionally think back to a scene or a moment that is weirdly funny. And secondly, and probably more importantly, my brother thinks that I should give it a chance. If anything, I thought that he might hate it more than me, but on the contrary; he suggests that under the right conditions--his exact preference was "watching it with Kinsman after a few beers"--that I might find it funny. This is probably true, so maybe I'll put this theory to the test some day. Until then, I'll just have to work on my nunchuck skills.
I hadn't played much on that site, mainly because I don't really like their graphics or their software. It is a skin (a duplicate site that looks exactly the same but has a different name) of Poker Room, which I had tried before because my friend Vince used to play there occasionally. Anyway...I was bored on Friday night and logged onto the site as a $5 MTT (multi table tournament) was about to begin, so I signed up. I ended up finishing in 12th place out of 250 starters. It was a rebuy tournament with an add-on but I didn't do either one and I cleared almost $20 of profit. I got knocked out with pocket queens on a pretty short stack so I can't really complain about the final spot. Tonight I logged back on there again and came in 2nd place in a $5 sit and go tournament (a single table tournament that starts when ten people sign up). Not too bad--all of this for free! My plan is to run the account up to a couple hundred bucks, try to clear an additional $75 bonus that they give you for free if you play enough, and then move the money into my Neteller account.
We saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory today and it was really good. I loved the book as a child but I've never seen the original movie all the way through, so I can't compare there, but it did seem very faithful to the novel while still incorporating some modern touches. Johnny Depp was great, as always. I can't think of an actor working today that commits more to a role than he does (e.g. Pirates of the Caribbean, Once Upon a Time in Mexico), and he's always great fun to watch. The cast of kids they got was phenomenal as well.
On the other side of the spectrum, I recently rented Napoleon Dynamite. I held off on seeing it for so long because I just didn't think I would like it. I was right. When it finally ended, I was mentally labeling it one of the worst movies I've ever seen. However, a couple of things are making me reconsider this position. First, I've found that I'll occasionally think back to a scene or a moment that is weirdly funny. And secondly, and probably more importantly, my brother thinks that I should give it a chance. If anything, I thought that he might hate it more than me, but on the contrary; he suggests that under the right conditions--his exact preference was "watching it with Kinsman after a few beers"--that I might find it funny. This is probably true, so maybe I'll put this theory to the test some day. Until then, I'll just have to work on my nunchuck skills.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Back to reality
I didn't win the World Series of Poker. I didn't even win any money.
I'm back home, and it's been long enough that I can finally sit down and write about it all. This will probably be long and rambling, if only to make up for the dearth of posts lately.
So where was I? That's right, I was in Vegas for the WSOP. My friend Shaw B was in town with a bunch of his buddies from Dallas, a rowdy crew of guys that I had never met. I met them at The Palms and we had a blast. They were all sitting at a blackjack table together and Shaw relinquished his third base seat to me. To make a long story short, the session ended after everyone there won a decent amount of cash and we all pounded a round of shots called a Red Headed Slut right there at the table. After that, we headed up to Ghostbar, one of Palms' notoriously cool hipster hangouts. This one happened to be 55 stories up, including a balcony patio with a gorgeous view of all of Las Vegas. Good times.
After several absurdly expensive cocktails, we made our way back downstairs, only to find ourselves all sitting down to play blackjack once again. What ensused was classic Vegas material: we all were feeling good and had had plenty of beverages, so of course that led to even more rowdy behavior at the table, exacerbated by the fact that we hit a tremendous stretch of cards. We had a blast. The details were a little sketchy even the next morning, let alone this long after the fact, so we'll just leave it at that.
I spent the next couple of days scouting out the WSOP and just having fun. Poker legends were everywhere, as were Hollywood celebrities. I saw Antonio Esfandiari at least five times. We saw Jennifer Tilly out and about more than once, wearing her WSOP bracelet, which I thought was great. I caught Tobey Maguire playing some high-limit Hold 'Em at Bellagio. I met Phil Hellmuth at a party and he was great. All in all, it was a fun and crazy week.
I started the tournament on Saturday at 11 AM and I was understandably a little nervous. However, those feelings quickly passed and I settled in to play my best game. For the record, my first hand ever at the WSOP was a glorious 2-8 off suit...glorious in that I didn't even have to think about playing it. I played pretty tight at first and it became evident that almost my entire table was filled with players that weren't very good. The lone exception was the player on my left, a friendly and personable guy about my age who went by the name of Tex. We got to chatting a little bit and really only got involved in two pots against each other. In one, we were the only players to see the flop and although I had no hand at all, I made a token bluff. He raised right back at me and I laid it down. This was very early, so it didn't cost much. In the other hand, I hit a fluky full house and he laid down his hand after I made a sizable bet on the river.
Shaw B and Erik, my faithful railbirds, also took a liking to Tex's wife, whom they met as they were all watching us. But Tex and I soon parted ways, as our table broke up pretty early. I wouldn't run into him again, although several days later I found out (spoiler warnings for anyone waiting for the ESPN coverage) that Tex went on to make the final table and finish in 3rd place, winning a cool $2.5 million. From all indications, he is a great player and a great guy, so good for him. And I'd bet good money that his wife logs some ESPN camera time.
The rest of Saturday was fairly uneventful. My stack didn't make any huge swings one way or the other. I did knock out a couple of other players and sit next to a couple of other pros, notably Gavin Griffin and Arnold Spee, who were both very nice guys--in 2004, Gavin became the youngest player ever to win a WSOP bracelet; Arnold won a World Poker Tour event in Reno, defeating Phil Ivey, among others. Late that night I went pretty card dead and was basically happy to have survived the day with a bigger stack than I started with. I ended the night with $12,000 and change in chips, which we bagged up at around 2:30 AM. I then went outside to find the longest cab line I've ever seen at a hotel in my life. I got to bed at around 4.
I came back eager and ready to play on Sunday and won a decent pot with AK on the first hand of the day. Shortly after that, former champ Chris Moneymaker busted out three tables away from mine. I got a chance to meet Chris and chat with him a little bit on Thursday and he was incredibly nice and gracious, just a super guy, and accomodating as can be for someone who still gets hounded everywhere by fans.
The cards went dead again and I just hung around, waiting for my shot. It finally came in the afternoon when my stack was down to about $11,000 and I was dealt pocket aces for the first time in the tournament. A very loose player with a big stack two seats to my right raised to $2500, so this was my chance. I wanted to get all of my money in, and I wanted him (and only him) to call me. Thus, it was Hollywood time. With one player sitting between us, I went into full acting mode, leaning out, staring at his stack of chips, then checking my own stack, then looking at him, then at his chips again, then at my cards again...before finally going all in. Everyone else folded, and he called with a suited KQ. I ended up making aces full of tens and my stack went up over $25,000, the highwater mark of the tournament.
Then the cards went dead again. Dan Harrington got knocked out two tables away from me and walked right past me to do an ESPN interview. He got a standing ovation from the whole room, including me. Harrington's two books were a huge help for me, and it felt odd to see him bust out before I did. Apparently I even held up the action at our table for a moment as I was standing and applauding while the action was on me.
Harrington is a tight player and his books preach patience, which had gotten me this far and looked like it would get me to the dinner break again, which was fifteen minutes away when I was dealt pocket kings. I raised to $2500 and got one caller--exactly what you want to happen. He took quite a while to make the call so I thought he had a borderline hand. The flop came 6-8-9. Perfect. I was first to act and bet out $7000. He thought long and hard before calling. He had a ton of chips and clearly was on a draw of some sort. Me, I had about $11,000 left at this point after my two big bets. The turn brought a useless deuce. I thought for a moment, knowing that I had the best hand, and pushed it all in. He eventually called and revealed a 6-7. He had called a $2500 raise pre-flop with a suited 6-7. Absurd. But I was right all along--he was on a draw and I had him beat.
Until a 7 fell on the river. He made two pair, and I was out of the tournament. I was stunned. I made my way out of the tournament area and Erik and I made a beeline to the bar, where we quickly downed several Captain and Diet Cokes and I made a few requisite "I'm out" phone calls and sent a few text messages. I couldn't believe it was over.
After taking some time to get a little distance from everything, I realized that my feelings about everything couldn't be more conflicted. I was completely happy with how I played. I was in the biggest tournament in the history of poker and I finished in the top 20% and outlasted many of my heroes. That felt great. And I went out on a hand that I read right and played right...but it still knocked me out, and that felt terrible. If I had won that hand, I would have been over $50,000 in chips and I would have been looking really good. But it just didn't happen. I had an incredible time and it was a great experience, but I was left with a painful, nagging feeling that I still have been unable to shake: I can play with those guys. They're the best in the world, and I can play with them.
I'll fill in more of what has happened since soon. Nothing earth-shattering, although I have read a couple of good books.
I'm back home, and it's been long enough that I can finally sit down and write about it all. This will probably be long and rambling, if only to make up for the dearth of posts lately.
So where was I? That's right, I was in Vegas for the WSOP. My friend Shaw B was in town with a bunch of his buddies from Dallas, a rowdy crew of guys that I had never met. I met them at The Palms and we had a blast. They were all sitting at a blackjack table together and Shaw relinquished his third base seat to me. To make a long story short, the session ended after everyone there won a decent amount of cash and we all pounded a round of shots called a Red Headed Slut right there at the table. After that, we headed up to Ghostbar, one of Palms' notoriously cool hipster hangouts. This one happened to be 55 stories up, including a balcony patio with a gorgeous view of all of Las Vegas. Good times.
After several absurdly expensive cocktails, we made our way back downstairs, only to find ourselves all sitting down to play blackjack once again. What ensused was classic Vegas material: we all were feeling good and had had plenty of beverages, so of course that led to even more rowdy behavior at the table, exacerbated by the fact that we hit a tremendous stretch of cards. We had a blast. The details were a little sketchy even the next morning, let alone this long after the fact, so we'll just leave it at that.
I spent the next couple of days scouting out the WSOP and just having fun. Poker legends were everywhere, as were Hollywood celebrities. I saw Antonio Esfandiari at least five times. We saw Jennifer Tilly out and about more than once, wearing her WSOP bracelet, which I thought was great. I caught Tobey Maguire playing some high-limit Hold 'Em at Bellagio. I met Phil Hellmuth at a party and he was great. All in all, it was a fun and crazy week.
I started the tournament on Saturday at 11 AM and I was understandably a little nervous. However, those feelings quickly passed and I settled in to play my best game. For the record, my first hand ever at the WSOP was a glorious 2-8 off suit...glorious in that I didn't even have to think about playing it. I played pretty tight at first and it became evident that almost my entire table was filled with players that weren't very good. The lone exception was the player on my left, a friendly and personable guy about my age who went by the name of Tex. We got to chatting a little bit and really only got involved in two pots against each other. In one, we were the only players to see the flop and although I had no hand at all, I made a token bluff. He raised right back at me and I laid it down. This was very early, so it didn't cost much. In the other hand, I hit a fluky full house and he laid down his hand after I made a sizable bet on the river.
Shaw B and Erik, my faithful railbirds, also took a liking to Tex's wife, whom they met as they were all watching us. But Tex and I soon parted ways, as our table broke up pretty early. I wouldn't run into him again, although several days later I found out (spoiler warnings for anyone waiting for the ESPN coverage) that Tex went on to make the final table and finish in 3rd place, winning a cool $2.5 million. From all indications, he is a great player and a great guy, so good for him. And I'd bet good money that his wife logs some ESPN camera time.
The rest of Saturday was fairly uneventful. My stack didn't make any huge swings one way or the other. I did knock out a couple of other players and sit next to a couple of other pros, notably Gavin Griffin and Arnold Spee, who were both very nice guys--in 2004, Gavin became the youngest player ever to win a WSOP bracelet; Arnold won a World Poker Tour event in Reno, defeating Phil Ivey, among others. Late that night I went pretty card dead and was basically happy to have survived the day with a bigger stack than I started with. I ended the night with $12,000 and change in chips, which we bagged up at around 2:30 AM. I then went outside to find the longest cab line I've ever seen at a hotel in my life. I got to bed at around 4.
I came back eager and ready to play on Sunday and won a decent pot with AK on the first hand of the day. Shortly after that, former champ Chris Moneymaker busted out three tables away from mine. I got a chance to meet Chris and chat with him a little bit on Thursday and he was incredibly nice and gracious, just a super guy, and accomodating as can be for someone who still gets hounded everywhere by fans.
The cards went dead again and I just hung around, waiting for my shot. It finally came in the afternoon when my stack was down to about $11,000 and I was dealt pocket aces for the first time in the tournament. A very loose player with a big stack two seats to my right raised to $2500, so this was my chance. I wanted to get all of my money in, and I wanted him (and only him) to call me. Thus, it was Hollywood time. With one player sitting between us, I went into full acting mode, leaning out, staring at his stack of chips, then checking my own stack, then looking at him, then at his chips again, then at my cards again...before finally going all in. Everyone else folded, and he called with a suited KQ. I ended up making aces full of tens and my stack went up over $25,000, the highwater mark of the tournament.
Then the cards went dead again. Dan Harrington got knocked out two tables away from me and walked right past me to do an ESPN interview. He got a standing ovation from the whole room, including me. Harrington's two books were a huge help for me, and it felt odd to see him bust out before I did. Apparently I even held up the action at our table for a moment as I was standing and applauding while the action was on me.
Harrington is a tight player and his books preach patience, which had gotten me this far and looked like it would get me to the dinner break again, which was fifteen minutes away when I was dealt pocket kings. I raised to $2500 and got one caller--exactly what you want to happen. He took quite a while to make the call so I thought he had a borderline hand. The flop came 6-8-9. Perfect. I was first to act and bet out $7000. He thought long and hard before calling. He had a ton of chips and clearly was on a draw of some sort. Me, I had about $11,000 left at this point after my two big bets. The turn brought a useless deuce. I thought for a moment, knowing that I had the best hand, and pushed it all in. He eventually called and revealed a 6-7. He had called a $2500 raise pre-flop with a suited 6-7. Absurd. But I was right all along--he was on a draw and I had him beat.
Until a 7 fell on the river. He made two pair, and I was out of the tournament. I was stunned. I made my way out of the tournament area and Erik and I made a beeline to the bar, where we quickly downed several Captain and Diet Cokes and I made a few requisite "I'm out" phone calls and sent a few text messages. I couldn't believe it was over.
After taking some time to get a little distance from everything, I realized that my feelings about everything couldn't be more conflicted. I was completely happy with how I played. I was in the biggest tournament in the history of poker and I finished in the top 20% and outlasted many of my heroes. That felt great. And I went out on a hand that I read right and played right...but it still knocked me out, and that felt terrible. If I had won that hand, I would have been over $50,000 in chips and I would have been looking really good. But it just didn't happen. I had an incredible time and it was a great experience, but I was left with a painful, nagging feeling that I still have been unable to shake: I can play with those guys. They're the best in the world, and I can play with them.
I'll fill in more of what has happened since soon. Nothing earth-shattering, although I have read a couple of good books.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Tuesday - part one
On Tuesday morning, the alarm clock went off at the ungodly hour of 4:10 AM. I had what cannot truly be considered "sleep," but rather a few hours of laying in bed and picturing busting out Phil Hellmuth. But all things considered, I felt surprisingly refreshed and hopped right out of bed.
We arrived at the Little Rock airport shortly before 5 AM. I think that this particular airport has a sum total of 12 gates...which was great. No snags getting to the gate, aside from the woman in front of me who held up the security checkpoint a little bit. Apparently she thought that she'd have no problem clearing the metal detector with her six metal bracelets on.
Once at the gate, I popped on the iPod and tried to catch a quick nap. This prospect was made a little bit tougher by the presence of two young kids, one of whom seemed to be trying to cough up a lung while the other chattered away like a chimp. Naturally, upon boarding, Plauge Girl and Monkey Boy were one row behind me. I debated whether blasting cold air on my face would do anything to combat the germs or just contaminate me quicker. I opted for a light breeze and a cran-apple juice for some much-needed vitamin C.
The plane from Little Rock to Dallas was a puddle-jumper that may or may not have been held together with rubber bands and duct tape. The only thing that could possibly make this flight any less appealing was the captain's announcement that "we've got a couple of things going on." I'm quite sure that during the entire recorded history of air travel, this has never been followed by good news. No pilot ever says "we've got a couple of things going on: surf and turf in coach and free cocktails for everybody!" In this case, the flight was oversold and some weather had come up on our flight route, and we would now be "flying around it." Thus, we took the scenic route over Mississippi and Louisiana. In Dallas, said weather put another kink in the plans, keeping us on the runway for about 90 minutes. I slept the whole time.
In Vegas, I checked into my hotel...at the airport terminal. I cannot explain how brilliant this concept is. The hotel line took 5-10 minutes, after which I was completely checked in, including room keys. Then I walked out to the first baggage carousel, within sight of the hotel line, and immediately grabbed my bag and hopped in a cab. My driver apparently has aspirations of joining the NASCAR circuit, as I'm pretty sure he hit about 200 miles an hour. Fine by me, as he got me there quickly.
I don't want to hog the computer here at the Full Tilt suite for too long, so I'll update again when I can. Juicy content to expect includes my first trip to the Palms, more poker pros than I could shake a stick at, and my official registration for the WSOP (I got Saturday, day three).
Talk to you soon.
We arrived at the Little Rock airport shortly before 5 AM. I think that this particular airport has a sum total of 12 gates...which was great. No snags getting to the gate, aside from the woman in front of me who held up the security checkpoint a little bit. Apparently she thought that she'd have no problem clearing the metal detector with her six metal bracelets on.
Once at the gate, I popped on the iPod and tried to catch a quick nap. This prospect was made a little bit tougher by the presence of two young kids, one of whom seemed to be trying to cough up a lung while the other chattered away like a chimp. Naturally, upon boarding, Plauge Girl and Monkey Boy were one row behind me. I debated whether blasting cold air on my face would do anything to combat the germs or just contaminate me quicker. I opted for a light breeze and a cran-apple juice for some much-needed vitamin C.
The plane from Little Rock to Dallas was a puddle-jumper that may or may not have been held together with rubber bands and duct tape. The only thing that could possibly make this flight any less appealing was the captain's announcement that "we've got a couple of things going on." I'm quite sure that during the entire recorded history of air travel, this has never been followed by good news. No pilot ever says "we've got a couple of things going on: surf and turf in coach and free cocktails for everybody!" In this case, the flight was oversold and some weather had come up on our flight route, and we would now be "flying around it." Thus, we took the scenic route over Mississippi and Louisiana. In Dallas, said weather put another kink in the plans, keeping us on the runway for about 90 minutes. I slept the whole time.
In Vegas, I checked into my hotel...at the airport terminal. I cannot explain how brilliant this concept is. The hotel line took 5-10 minutes, after which I was completely checked in, including room keys. Then I walked out to the first baggage carousel, within sight of the hotel line, and immediately grabbed my bag and hopped in a cab. My driver apparently has aspirations of joining the NASCAR circuit, as I'm pretty sure he hit about 200 miles an hour. Fine by me, as he got me there quickly.
I don't want to hog the computer here at the Full Tilt suite for too long, so I'll update again when I can. Juicy content to expect includes my first trip to the Palms, more poker pros than I could shake a stick at, and my official registration for the WSOP (I got Saturday, day three).
Talk to you soon.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Whiffleball first draft
We finished the first draft of the "Whiffleball" screenplay. It clocks in at a beefy 111 pages and the first thing I need to work on is cutting it down a bit. In screenwriting, there is a vague but generally accepted rule that movies time out to one minute per screenplay page on average. So 111 would be fine for an action movie or a drama, but it's definitely a little long for a comedy. I'd like to trim at least 5-6 pages, which might be tough. Other than that, we just need to whip it into shape and get it as funny as it can be before we check in with that producer. It was really fun to write--Johnny and I had an absolute ball with it, continually e-mailing and text messaging back and forth with notes, comments and jokes. And if the angle with the producer never works it, we really could strip it down some and make it ourselves.
I'm scheduled for my last week of physical therapy this week. I'm hoping that the three sessions are all that I'll need but I should get the definitive word from the doctor on the 29th. But right now, I feel good. I can walk without the crutches and I'm sure I can bend it enough to fly, although it starts to hurt and get pretty stiff after a while. But that's nothing that will hold me back.
Other random thoughts to start off the week ( in classic, cliched writer/dot dot dot style): we've been watching season one of Alias on DVD and it's fun and entertaining. A lot of the plots are pretty goofy but you just have to have an active imagination, suspend disbelief a little, and buy into everything they are selling. From what I've heard, the storyline of the show takes lots of big, broad turns so it will be fun to be able to fly through those on DVD, as opposed to waiting all summer to see how things turn out...(*cough*..."Lost")...my favorite show on TV this summer has to be "Entourage" on HBO. I loved season one and season two is off to a great start. Jeremy Piven as Ari the agent is one of the best characters on the tube right now...conversely, the worst show I'm watching is "The Comeback" on HBO with Lisa Kudrow. I love the idea of the show a lot, and the format. But her character is just brutal to watch and it makes the entire show painful and annoying. And yet, I'm still giving it a chance...I predict that the Red Sox will be in first place before I get dealt my first hand at the WSOP...I still haven't pre-ordered the new Harry Potter book yet because I don't know if I want to go get it at midnight or just have it mailed to me. I must be getting older. That, and just being in bookstores now feels different after B&N...Robert Horry is pretty damn clutch...I think it's going to be dreadfully humid here in Arkansas this summer, and that's something I haven't had to deal with lately. Although it probably won't hit 120, either.
That's it from me for now. As usual, nothing exciting going on.
I'm scheduled for my last week of physical therapy this week. I'm hoping that the three sessions are all that I'll need but I should get the definitive word from the doctor on the 29th. But right now, I feel good. I can walk without the crutches and I'm sure I can bend it enough to fly, although it starts to hurt and get pretty stiff after a while. But that's nothing that will hold me back.
Other random thoughts to start off the week ( in classic, cliched writer/dot dot dot style): we've been watching season one of Alias on DVD and it's fun and entertaining. A lot of the plots are pretty goofy but you just have to have an active imagination, suspend disbelief a little, and buy into everything they are selling. From what I've heard, the storyline of the show takes lots of big, broad turns so it will be fun to be able to fly through those on DVD, as opposed to waiting all summer to see how things turn out...(*cough*..."Lost")...my favorite show on TV this summer has to be "Entourage" on HBO. I loved season one and season two is off to a great start. Jeremy Piven as Ari the agent is one of the best characters on the tube right now...conversely, the worst show I'm watching is "The Comeback" on HBO with Lisa Kudrow. I love the idea of the show a lot, and the format. But her character is just brutal to watch and it makes the entire show painful and annoying. And yet, I'm still giving it a chance...I predict that the Red Sox will be in first place before I get dealt my first hand at the WSOP...I still haven't pre-ordered the new Harry Potter book yet because I don't know if I want to go get it at midnight or just have it mailed to me. I must be getting older. That, and just being in bookstores now feels different after B&N...Robert Horry is pretty damn clutch...I think it's going to be dreadfully humid here in Arkansas this summer, and that's something I haven't had to deal with lately. Although it probably won't hit 120, either.
That's it from me for now. As usual, nothing exciting going on.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Long time, no blog
Hi there!
I haven't updated the blog in a while mainly because there isn't a ton of stuff going on. I can't do my blog like Kevin Smith does his and tell you what I had to eat every day and stuff like that. But the last couple of weeks have been fairly interesting, so I'll get caught up now.
A couple of weekends ago, my friend Johny Kinsman and his girlfriend Lindsey came through town and stayed here for a couple of nights. He is a buddy of mine from back in Massachusetts. He's an actor living in L.A. now and they had gone back to Boston to pick up some stuff and a car that they were driving back to California. John co-starred in and co-produced the movie that we made in New York almost three years ago. Anyway, we always like throwing around new movie ideas and things like that and I had one that I had been saving because I thought it was something we could produce ourselves very quickly and very cheaply if we could just take a week or so and go to Cape Cod at some point. It's a goofy comedy idea about some friends that put on a whiffle ball tournament.
Well, John loved the idea. We ended up staying up until 4 AM on that first night, just throwing out ideas, characters, and scenes. Then he stayed an extra day so we could work on it even more. Although the more we worked on it, the bigger the whole thing became. Then he got back to L.A. and met with a new friend of his, another writer. Apparently this guy knows a producer who makes straight-to-video movies with budgets of a few million bucks, and this producer is actively looking for scripts right now (comedy and horror). So that's what we're aiming for now. Meanwhile, the story itself has gone from a subtle, pseudo-documentary small movie to a much broader, wilder, "Dodgeball," type story. We've been working on it essentially every day since John left here, with me writing script pages and e-mailing them to him, with him sending back changes, comments, etc. It's working pretty well, as we're almost done with a first draft. I think we're on page 73 of what will probably end up being a 100 page script. And we're already planning to write a vampire flick as a follow up after we sell this one for a few hundred grand. Piece of cake!
Other than that, the physical therapy has been keeping me busy. I go three times a week and the knee is gradually getting better. I still can't bend it as much as I'd like, but at least it's stronger than it was. I hope that it improves even more over the next few weeks, especially the range of motion. I have two more P.T. appointments this week and three scheduled for the following week, with a follow up doctor's appointment after that. I hope that it just keeps getting better...since the WSOP Main Event starts three weeks from today.
I've been playing a lot of poker too, with mixed results. There are two things that bother me about it: first off, there is just no way to simulate the actual tournament. Any on-line tournament just moves too fast compared to what the structure will be like at the real thing. For example: in No Limit Hold 'Em tournaments, there are two forced bets called "blinds" on every hand. They are at a set amount and they go up in stakes periodically. In any on line tournament, the blinds go up somewhere around every six to ten minutes. At the Main Event, they only start at $25-$50 (out of $10,000) and go up every two hours. This means that players can be patient and wait for good hands, which is a style that fits well with how I play. But on line, I can't do that at all. The other thing is that I'd really like to log some time at real-life tables before the tournament starts. But as it stands now, it might have to wait until I get to Vegas. I definitely plan on playing some warm up action out there on July 5 and 6. And in another week or so, I should find out what my first day will be for the tourney: July 7, 8, or 9.
So that's what I've been up to. Nothing really new or earth-shattering. I'm starting to get pretty stir cray at home and I really hope the doc clears me to start driving again after I see him on June 29. I've lasted this long, so I guess I can make it a few more weeks.
I haven't updated the blog in a while mainly because there isn't a ton of stuff going on. I can't do my blog like Kevin Smith does his and tell you what I had to eat every day and stuff like that. But the last couple of weeks have been fairly interesting, so I'll get caught up now.
A couple of weekends ago, my friend Johny Kinsman and his girlfriend Lindsey came through town and stayed here for a couple of nights. He is a buddy of mine from back in Massachusetts. He's an actor living in L.A. now and they had gone back to Boston to pick up some stuff and a car that they were driving back to California. John co-starred in and co-produced the movie that we made in New York almost three years ago. Anyway, we always like throwing around new movie ideas and things like that and I had one that I had been saving because I thought it was something we could produce ourselves very quickly and very cheaply if we could just take a week or so and go to Cape Cod at some point. It's a goofy comedy idea about some friends that put on a whiffle ball tournament.
Well, John loved the idea. We ended up staying up until 4 AM on that first night, just throwing out ideas, characters, and scenes. Then he stayed an extra day so we could work on it even more. Although the more we worked on it, the bigger the whole thing became. Then he got back to L.A. and met with a new friend of his, another writer. Apparently this guy knows a producer who makes straight-to-video movies with budgets of a few million bucks, and this producer is actively looking for scripts right now (comedy and horror). So that's what we're aiming for now. Meanwhile, the story itself has gone from a subtle, pseudo-documentary small movie to a much broader, wilder, "Dodgeball," type story. We've been working on it essentially every day since John left here, with me writing script pages and e-mailing them to him, with him sending back changes, comments, etc. It's working pretty well, as we're almost done with a first draft. I think we're on page 73 of what will probably end up being a 100 page script. And we're already planning to write a vampire flick as a follow up after we sell this one for a few hundred grand. Piece of cake!
Other than that, the physical therapy has been keeping me busy. I go three times a week and the knee is gradually getting better. I still can't bend it as much as I'd like, but at least it's stronger than it was. I hope that it improves even more over the next few weeks, especially the range of motion. I have two more P.T. appointments this week and three scheduled for the following week, with a follow up doctor's appointment after that. I hope that it just keeps getting better...since the WSOP Main Event starts three weeks from today.
I've been playing a lot of poker too, with mixed results. There are two things that bother me about it: first off, there is just no way to simulate the actual tournament. Any on-line tournament just moves too fast compared to what the structure will be like at the real thing. For example: in No Limit Hold 'Em tournaments, there are two forced bets called "blinds" on every hand. They are at a set amount and they go up in stakes periodically. In any on line tournament, the blinds go up somewhere around every six to ten minutes. At the Main Event, they only start at $25-$50 (out of $10,000) and go up every two hours. This means that players can be patient and wait for good hands, which is a style that fits well with how I play. But on line, I can't do that at all. The other thing is that I'd really like to log some time at real-life tables before the tournament starts. But as it stands now, it might have to wait until I get to Vegas. I definitely plan on playing some warm up action out there on July 5 and 6. And in another week or so, I should find out what my first day will be for the tourney: July 7, 8, or 9.
So that's what I've been up to. Nothing really new or earth-shattering. I'm starting to get pretty stir cray at home and I really hope the doc clears me to start driving again after I see him on June 29. I've lasted this long, so I guess I can make it a few more weeks.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
WSOP TV schedule
I know some of you watch a lot of poker on TV (like I do), so you might find this interesting--I found a link to the television schedule for the WSOP. It starts in August but coverage of the main event (the one that I'm in) doesn't begin until October 11, and that will air in twelve one hour episodes shown two at a time for six weeks.
WSOP Broadcast Schedule
Not much else going on. Off to see Episode III tonight. It will be my first post-op trip to a theater so I hope I can get a comfortable seat. We'll get there plenty early just in case.
WSOP Broadcast Schedule
Not much else going on. Off to see Episode III tonight. It will be my first post-op trip to a theater so I hope I can get a comfortable seat. We'll get there plenty early just in case.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
