Texas Holdem Poker Blog

August 20, 2008

Chan Poker closing doors....

Just got notified of ChanPoker closing it's doors.... here is what their press release said:

"ChanPoker Closure - August 19, 2008

We are sad to inform you that Chan Poker will be ceasing operation effective this Thursday, August 21, 2008. Effective immediately we will no longer be accepting deposits. On August 21 our poker clients will be disabled.

If you have a cash balance with us rest assured that all withdrawal requests will be honored and promptly processed. To facilitate timely withdrawals, limits for certain withdrawal methods have been increased. We will make every effort to accept withdrawal requests through our website for as long as necessary however we strongly advise submitting your request as soon as possible. To initiate a withdrawal now please follow this link to go to your account. Please note that once final withdrawals are processed your account will be automatically closed, no further action is necessary.

The final $50 daily freeroll will be held Tuesday, August 19, 2008. We will not be holding any additional weekly Red Orange Freerolls.

We are actively seeking a partner to provide poker software and honor all Chan Poker player point balances for those that wish to continue playing online poker. We will keep you informed of developments on this front.

As always, if you have questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact us at support@chanpoker.com.

Warm regards,

Chan Poker Customer Support "

Posted by fatbill at 07:51 AM | Comments (0)

July 23, 2008

PokerStars WCOOP COMING!

PokerStars just announced their upcoming WCOOP event for 2008, and its MASSIVE! Check out the BIG daddy with a $10 MILLION purse!
There are 33 Total events in this series, and there are TONS of qualifier tournaments to get into each of them! CHECK IT OUT!

EVENT
No DATE DAY TIME BUY-IN EVENT GUARANTEE
1 5-Sep Fri 14:30 $215 NL Hold'em [6-max] $1,000,000
2 5-Sep Fri 16:30 $215 PL 5-Card Draw $100,000
3 6-Sep Sat 14:30 $215 Limit Hold'em $300,000
4 6-Sep Sat 16:30 $215 2-7 Triple Draw $100,000
5 7-Sep Sun 14:30 $10,300 High-Roller NL Hold'em $2,000,000
6 7-Sep Sun 16:30 $530 NL Hold'em* $3,000,000
7 8-Sep Mon 14:30 $215 PL Omaha [6-max] $300,000
8 8-Sep Mon 16:30 $320 8-game Mixed Event $200,000
9 9-Sep Tue 14:30 $215 NL Hold'em [4-max] $400,000
10 9-Sep Tue 16:30 $215 Razz $100,000
11 10-Sep Wed 14:30 $320 PL Omaha Hi/Lo $300,000
12 10-Sep Wed 16:30 $320 Mixed Hold'em [6-max] $300,000
13 11-Sep Thu 14:30 $215 NL Hold'em w/Rebuys $1,000,000
14 11-Sep Thu 16:30 $320 7-Card Stud $100,000
15 12-Sep Fri 14:30 $320 NL Hold'em [Heads-Up] $500,000
16 12-Sep Fri 16:30 $215 PL Omaha [1R1A] $300,000
17 13-Sep Sat 14:30 $530 PL Hold'em [6-max] $400,000
18 13-Sep Sat 16:30 $215 HORSE $300,000
19 14-Sep Sun 14:30 $25,500 High-Roller HU NL Hold'em $1,600,000
20 14-Sep Sun 16:30 $1,050 NL Hold'em* $3,000,000
21 15-Sep Mon 14:30 $530 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo $200,000
22 15-Sep Mon 16:30 $530 Mixed Omaha Hi/Lo [6-max] $200,000
23 16-Sep Tue 14:30 $530 NL Hold'em [1R1A] $500,000
24 16-Sep Tue 16:30 $530 NL 2-7 Single Draw $200,000
25 17-Sep Wed 14:30 $320 PL Omaha w/rebuys $500,000
26 17-Sep Wed 16:30 $320 NL Hold'em [6-max] $500,000
27 18-Sep Thu 14:30 $530 NL Hold'em Triple Shootout $300,000
28 18-Sep Thu 16:30 $530 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo $400,000
29 19-Sep Fri 14:30 $530 NLHE w/Rebuys [6-max] $400,000
30 19-Sep Fri 16:30 $1,050 PL Omaha $500,000
31 20-Sep Sat 14:30 $1,050 Limit Hold'em [6-max] $500,000
32 20-Sep Sat 16:30 $10,300 HORSE $500,000
33 21-Sep Sun 16:30 $5,200 NL Hold'em Main Event* $10,000,000

Posted by fatbill at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

July 16, 2008

Party Poker has some HOT promos coming!

On September 17th they will be running a special ‘Magic Hand’ promo!!

Every 50,000 hands they will have a cash prize of $1000 up for grabs and on each millionth hand (since the start of the day) they will award $25,000 to the players at the table playing the millionth hand. On average they have 2.6million hands a day so they are hoping they will go over 3 million with this promotion.

A total of about $200K will be awarded throughout the day.

On September 22nd they will start the qualifiers for the PartyPoker Championships. This promotion is a series of 4 big money guaranteed tournaments with a $1,000,000 main event. A total of $2,000,000 will be guaranteed over the four days. The actual tournaments will take place November 6th-9th and will be as follows –

Thursday November 6th - $200,000 No limit Hold’em

Friday November 7th - $300,000 No limit Hold’em

Saturday November 8th - $500,000 No Limit Hold’em

Sunday November 9th - $1,000,000 No limit hold’em Main Event.

The exact details regarding these events (eg buy in amounts, deep stack, 6 handed etc) are being finalized this week.

They are also offering a 30% deposit bonus up to $150!!! To check this out, simply CLICK HERE!

Posted by fatbill at 09:59 AM | Comments (0)

July 15, 2008

WSOP 2008 Update - An then there were 9...

Event #54, the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem event has finally been whittled down to the final table of 9, after 11 grueling days of play! Those players with their seat assignments and chip counts are:
Seat 1: Dennis Phillips - 26,295,000
Seat 2: Craig Marquis - 10,210,000
Seat 3: Ylon Schwartz - 12,525,000
Seat 4: Scott Montgomery - 19,690,000
Seat 5: Darus Suharto - 12,520,000
Seat 6: David 'Chino' Rheem - 10,230,000
Seat 7: Ivan Demidov - 24,400,000
Seat 8: Kelly Kim - 2,620,000
Seat 9: Peter Eastgate - 18,375,000

It will be 117 days before these players meet again to determine the WSOP champ.

Each player takes home with them $900,670, which is the guaranteed 9th place amount. Additional monies will be rewarded based on finish when they resume play 0n November 9th and 10th.

The last remaining lady in the event, Tiffany Michelle, was eliminated in 17th place winning $334,534.... shame, cuz she would have added some beauty to the final table.....

Posted by fatbill at 09:14 AM | Comments (0)

July 14, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 44 Update

Event #54, the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem event Day 6 played down to the final 27, with Notable pros, Victor Ramdin, Phil Hellmuth, Kido Pham, and Mike Matusow ALL busting out!

The chip leader is Craig Marquis, with 11,300,000 in chips. The lone lady in the field, Hottie Tiffany Michelle is among the chipleaders.

An aquaintance, who I've met at several trade shows, placed a VERY respectable 44th, and earned $154,401.

Play resumes today at Noon to determine the final table.... then we wait till November....sigh.....

Posted by fatbill at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 43 Update

Event #54, the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem event Day 5 played down to 79 players when they stopped for the night. They will return today to play down to 27. Past champion Phil Hellmuth, and Mike Matusow are both still alive, while Jeff Madsen, Allen Cunningham, Hoyt Corkins, and Gus Hansen are all out of the action.

The chip leader at this poitn is Mark Ketteringham, with 5,800,000....

Posted by fatbill at 05:00 AM | Comments (0)

July 12, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 42 Updates

Event #54, the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem Day three played down to 474 players, with the Million Chip mark being broken by Jeremiah Smith. Many notable pros survived, including: Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, Johnny Chan, Gus Hansen, Hoyt Corkins, and Allen Cunningham.

Day 4 was played fast and furious, ending earlier than expected due to the number of players dropping, with 189 still in the field! They are at level 19, with blinds at 5,000/10,000 and a 1,000 ante. The chip leader is Jeremy Joseph, with 3,100,000 in chips.

Gus Hansen, Mike Matusow, Hoyt Corkins, and Phil Hellmuth are still hanging on, with Hansen being in the best chip position with 1,400,000!

Play will resume today at Noon..... they will play down to the final 27 tomorrow, and determine the final table of 9 on Monday!

Posted by fatbill at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)

July 10, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 40 Updates

Event #54, the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem event began day 2B with almost 2400 players, and 855 made it to play day three. There will be 1324 players gathering today to play for the title, with 666 making the money.

Joe Hachem, David Sklansky, Phil Laak, and Carlos Motrensen did not survive day 2....

Posted by fatbill at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)

July 09, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 39 Updates

Event #54, the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem event began day 2A ended with 469 players moving on to day 3.

Today at noon, day 2B will see players from days 1C and 1D take their seats in an attempt to move on to day 3.

The current chip leader is Brian Schaedlich with 745,000 in chips, far out distancing his rivals at this stage of play....

Posted by fatbill at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)

July 07, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 38 Updates

Event #54, the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem event began day 1drew more than 2000 players, and just under 1400 of those went on to day 2.

The totals for the event are 6844 total entries, of which 666 will end up in the money. First place will be a whopping $9,119,517 this year!

Today is a 'rest' day, and play will resume tomorrow with day 2A.....

Posted by fatbill at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

July 06, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 37 Updates

Event #54, the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem event began day 1C with 1928 players. Thats the most of the three days played, and 1071 of those will play on to day two. They may crack 6000 yet, if day 1D ( today ) draws a good crowd ( 1500 ).

Posted by fatbill at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)

July 05, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 36 Updates

Event #54, the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem event began day 1B with 1297, of which, 623 await the start of day two! Two past champions of this event, Greg Reymer, and Jamie Gold were both eliminated in this day's play.....

Posted by fatbill at 07:26 AM | Comments (0)

July 04, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 35 Updates

Event #53, a $1500 Limit Texas Holdem Shootout was finally won by Matt Graham, who took his first bracelet, and $278,180. Jean-Robert Bellande took second place, worth $173,564.

Event #54, the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem day 1a drew 1,297 players, which is considerably under what I would have expected!! It looks like they will struggle to get 5000 for the event this year, making it the least in the past several years!
Only 657 players advanced from this field, and now have a few days off while the other three 'day 1's' play down....

Posted by fatbill at 07:36 AM | Comments (0)

July 03, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 34 Updates

Event #52, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event was won by David Daneshgar, who took the bracelet and $625,443. Taking second place, worth $385,974 was Scott Sitron.

Event #53, a $1500 Limit Texas Holdem Shootout is down to 4 players as of this writing (8AM est), with Jean-Robert Bellande with a HUGE chip lead. They are playing it till the end!

Well, today starts the FIRST of FOUR day one sittings, for the Main Event. This is Event #54, the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem tournament.
For the next four days one quarter of the field will meet at Noon, to pair down what is expected to be 6,000+ players!

Here is a listing of the current 2008 WSOP POY listings ( just the top 20 showing) with just the Main Event still to play:
Erick Lindgren 245 pts 1 5 $1,348,528
Barry Greenstein 235 pts 1 6 $768,461
Jacobo Fernandez 232 pts 0 7 $658,100
David Benyamine 220 pts 1 4 $941,651
John "Razor" Phan 215 pts 2 4 $606,014
J.C. Tran 210 pts 1 6 $891,337
Farzad Rouhani 195 pts 1 4 $497,027
Daniel Negreanu 190 pts 1 5 $520,304
Chris (Jesus) Ferguson 165 pts 0 5 $677,905
David Singer 165 pts 1 5 $365,432
Vanessa Selbst 163 pts 1 3 $350,391
Michael Mizrachi 157 pts 0 5 $465,154
Andrew Bloch 155 pts 0 4 $709,940
Mike Matusow 155 pts 1 3 $678,883
Tam (Tommy) Hang 155 pts 0 3 $363,653
Davidi Kitai 150 pts 1 3 $368,785
Scotty Nguyen 140 pts 1 2 $2,039,628
Scott Seiver 135 pts 1 4 $785,393
Chris Bjorin 130 pts 0 5 $283,409
Theo Tran 130 pts 0 5 $553,138
Rob Hollink 130 pts 1 3 $535,942
You are seeing, Name, Points, Bracelets, Cashes, Total Prize $

Posted by fatbill at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)

July 02, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 33 Updates

Event #50, the $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha event was won by Marty Smyth, who took the bracelet and $859,532. Second place went to Peter Jetten, worth $528,257. Overnight chipleader Michael Mizrachi took down thrid.

Event #51, a $1500 H.O.R.S.E. event was won by James Schaaf, who took the bracelet and first place money worth $256,412. Taking second place, worth $158,933, was Tommy Hang. Phil Hellmuth ended up taking thrid!

Event #52, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event is down to the final table, with play set to resume today at 2PM. The players are:
Corwin Cole - 1,625,000
Matthew Matros - 1,447,000
Jeffery Courtney - 1,430,000
David Daneshgar - 1,070,000
Voitto Rintala - 553,000
Daniel Heimiller - 545,000
Scott Sitron -503,000
Andrey Zaichenko - 495,000
Farzad Rouhani - 212,000

Event #53, a $1500 Limit Texas Holdem Shootout drew 813 players, and they played down to 72 when play halted for the night. Play will resume today at 2PM to determine the final table. After an hour break, the play will begin to determine the champion.

Today, there is a $5000 Ante Up for Africa charity at 3PM, and a media event, as things are set to conclude prior to tomorrow's start of the main event.

The Main event begins day 1 tomorrow at Noon. The only other event scheduled , is the annual Casino Employee No Limit Texas Holdem event which will start Next Monday.

Posted by fatbill at 07:40 AM | Comments (0)

July 01, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 33 Updates

Event #49, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event was won by JC Tran, who won his first bracelet, and $631,170. Taking second place was Rasmus Nielsen, worth $389,557.

Event #50, the $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha event is down to the final 9, after a 15 hour session yesterday! The final players will resume today at 3, and are:
1. Kido Pham - 1,080,000
2. Brandon Moran - 1,286,000
3. Peter Jetten - 492,000
4. Michael Mizrachi - 1,767,000
5. Billy Argyros - 729,000
6. Greg Hurst - 637,000
7. Tom Hanlon - 192,000
8. Marty Smyth - 1,068,000
9. Richard Harroch - 372,000

Event #51, a $1500 H.O.R.S.E. event is down to 21, and will play today at 3PM to determine the champion. Phil Hellmuth is the chipleader, and seeking his 12th bracelet.

Event #52, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event drew 2693 entrants, and there were 227 left when play halted, once the money bubble was burst!
Play will resume today at 2PM to play down to the final table.

Event #53, a $1500 Limit Texas Holdem Shootout will get underway today, and is the last event before the MAIN EVENT.

Posted by fatbill at 09:36 AM | Comments (0)

June 30, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 32 Updates

Event #45, the $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E event was won by former WSOP Main Event champ Scotty Nguyen! Scotty won $1,989,120 along with the prestigious bracelet. Michael DeMichele took second place, worth $1,243,200. Overnight chip leader Erick Lindgren took thrid place.

Event #48, a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem event was won by Alexandre Gomes, who took home $770,540 and the braclet. Second place went to Marco Johnson, worth $491,273.

Event #49, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event is down to the final nine, of the starting 2718. Play will resume today, with these players:
Rasmus Nielsen - 2,978,000
J.C. Tran - 1,438,000
Joe Pelton - 1,093,000
Peter Nguyen - 870,000
John Conroy - 501,000
Robert Kalb - 456,000
Jesper Hoog - 320,000
Christoph Kohnen - 293,000
Chad Siu - 185,000

Event #50, the $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha event began play with 381, and they are down to 87 players. Josh Arieh leads the pack going into todays play.

Event #51, a $1500 H.O.R.S.E. event drew 803 entrants, and 184 remain going into todays play. Former WSOP Main event winners Phil Hellmuth and Joe Hachem are both in the hunt on this one.

There are only two events remaining prior to the start of the Main Event. They are:

Event #52, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event, that gets underway today at noon.

Event #53, a $1500 Limit Texas Holdem Shootout, which begins tomorrow at Noon.

Posted by fatbill at 08:34 AM | Comments (0)

June 29, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 31 Updates

Event #45, the $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E event is down to the final 8, and it is JAM PACKED, as you would expect. The players going into today's final are:
Erick Lindgren: 3,680,000
Scotty Nguyen: 3,535,000
Barry Greenstein: 1,955,000
Matt Glantz: 1,445,000
Lyle Berman: 1,430,000
Huck Seed: 1,200,000
Michael DeMichele: 905,000
Patrick Bueno: 695,000
Phil Ivey went out 12Th, an Daniel Negreanu 13th.

Event #46, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed event was won by Joe Commisso, who took home $911,855 ant the bracelet. Taking down second place was Richard Lyndaker, worth $570,551.

Event #47, a $1500 Seven Card Stud High-Low event was won by Ryan Hughes, who took home his SECOND Stud 8/b bracelt and $183,368. Second went to Ron Long, worth $113,240. Hughes becomes the ONLY player to win TWO stud 8/b bracelets!!

Event #48, a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem event is down to the final table, with play set to resume today at 3PM. The finalists are:
Marco Johnson: 1,400,000
Gabe Costner: 1,380,000
Alexandre Gomes: 1,100,000
Ryan D'Angelo: 1,100,000
Kirill Gerasimov: 1,040,000
Robert Brewer: 970,000
Alan Cutler: 710,000
Daniel Rome: 660,000
Sverre Sundbo: 440,000

Event #49, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event began play with 2718 entries, and played down to 215, which is the money bubble. Play is set to resume today to get to the final table.

Todays starting events are:

Event #50, the $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha event, which gets underway at Noon.

Event #51, a $1500 H.O.R.S.E. event which begins play at 5PM.

The 'MAIN EVENT' is set to begin Thursday, July 3rd, and the schedule looks like this:

July 03, 2008 12:00 PM PST Day 1a
July 04, 2008 12:00 PM PST Day 1b
July 05, 2008 12:00 PM PST Day 1c
July 06, 2008 12:00 PM PST Day 1d
July 07, 2008 DAY OFF
July 08, 2008 12:00 PM PST Day 2a
July 09, 2008 12:00 PM PST Day 2b
July 10, 2008 12:00 PM PST Day 3
July 11, 2008 12:00 PM PST Day 4
July 12, 2008 12:00 PM PST Day 5
July 13, 2008 12:00 PM PST Day 6
July 14, 2008 12:00 PM PST Day 7
November 09, 2008 10:00 AM PST Final 9
November 10, 2008 10:00 PM PST Final Day
Ya, you are reading that right... a FOUR MONTH break until the final table is played... huge gamble on the WSOP's part... I think it's stupid on MANY levels!

Posted by fatbill at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)

June 28, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 30 Updates

Event #44, a $1000 No Limit Texas Holdem with Rebuys event was won by Max Greenwood, who took home $693,444 and the bracelet. Rene Mouritsen finished in second ( his THRID second ) and won $445, 523.

Event #45, the $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E event has been narrowed down to 24, with play resuming today, to determine the final table of 8. Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson, and Scotty Nguyen are still all in the hunt!

Event #46, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed event Was down to the final 7, ALL playing at ONE table, to determine the final 6.

Event #47, a $1500 Seven Card Stud High-Low even played down to 13, when play was halted for the evening. Play will resume today at 3PM and continue down to the champion of this event. David Sklansky is the only 'name' still in the event, as Men 'The Master' Nguyen went out 17th.

Event #48, a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem event began play with 2317 entries, and at the end of the day there were 198 remaining, ALL in the money! Play will resume today at 2PM to determine the final table.

Event #49, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event begins play today at noon.

We are edging closer to the 'MAIN EVENT', which is scheduled to get underway Thursday July 3rd at Noon!!

Posted by fatbill at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

June 27, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 29 Updates

Event #42, the $1000 Seniors No Limit Texas Holdem World Championship was won by Dan LaCourse, who took down the bracelet and $368,832. Taking second was Dan Eberle worth $ 235,141.

Event #43, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha High-Low Split 8 or better event was taken down by Martin Klaser worth $216,249. Taking second place was Casey Kastle earning $137,985.

Event #44, a $1000 No Limit Texas Holdem with Rebuys event is down to the final table of 9, with play resuming today at 2pm. The Plyars are:
Jesse Chinni: 1,240,000
Rene Mouritsen: 1,135,000
Albert Iversen: 955,000
Phung Ngo: 780,000
Scott Freeman: 650,000
Max Greenwood: 390,000
Curtis Kohlberg: 245,000
Alex Bolotin: 235,000
Aliaksandr Dzianisau: 235,000

Event #45, the $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E event was narrowed down to 67 with the following chip leaders heading into todays 3PM start:
Patrick Bueno: 445,000
Barry Greenstein: 415,000
Lyle Berman: 415,000
Joseph Michael: 410,000
Bill Chen: 380,000
Mike Wattel: 380,000
Steve Zolotow: 370,000
Chris Reslock: 360,000
Minh Ly: 345,000
Doyle Brunson: 340,000
Average Stack: 220,896

Event #46, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed event began with 806 players, and is down to 96. Play will resume today at 2PM to determine the final table. 76 Players will make the money!

Event #47, a $1500 Seven Card Stud High-Low event began with 544 and is down to 117 going into todays play at 3PM. Notables remaining in this field include: Phil Hellmuth, Cyndy Violette, John Phan, David Singer, Men "The Master" Nguyen and David Sklansky.

Event #48, a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem event gets underway today at Noon.

Posted by fatbill at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)

June 26, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 28 Updates

Event 40, a $2500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Low Ball event was won by John Phan who took home his second bracelet and $151,896. Second place went to Shun Uchida, who earned $95,795.

Event #41, a $1500 Mixed Texas Holdem event was won by Frank Gary, who took the bracelet, and first place monies worth $219,217. Taking down second place was Jonathan Tamayo, worth $140,093.

Event #42, the $1000 Seniors No Limit Texas Holdem World Championship is down to the final table. The remaining players are:
Dale Eberle -- 1,414,000
Dan Lacourse -- 1,364,000
Marc Fluss -- 873,000
Jerry Yamachika -- 558,000
Charles Wood -- 531,000
Fred Berger -- 518,000
Ed Clark -- 504,000
Martyn Wilson -- 454,000
Peter Silverstein -- 435,000

Event #43, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha High-Low Split 8 or better event began play with 720 entrants, and they are down to the final table that will play today. The remaining players are:
Martin Klaser: 345,000
Erik Seidel: 320,000
Michael Fetter: 290,000
Tom Chambers: 283,000
Jonathan Maren: 210,000
Casey Kastle: 170,000
Larry Wright: 150,000
Joseph Haddad: 135,000
Chad Burum: 120,000

Event #44, a $1000 No Limit Texas Holdem with Rebuys event began play with 879 entries, and they played down to 116. Play will resume today at 2PM.

Event #45, the $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E event drew 148 players, with only 8 eliminations on the first day of play! Play will resume today at 3PM, with Holdem, and there are a TON of stars still in the hunt for this VERY prestigous event.

Event #46, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed event is set to kick off today at Noon.

Event #46, a $1500 Seven Card Stud High-Low event will begin play today at 5PM

Posted by fatbill at 05:36 AM | Comments (0)

June 24, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 26 Updates

Event #38, a $2000 Pot Limit Texas Holdem event was won by Davidi Kitai, who took home $244,546 and teh bracelet. Second place went to Chris Bell, worth $155,806.

Event #39, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event was won by David Woo who took home $631,656 and the bracelet. Matthew Wood took second place worth $389,844.

Event 40, a $2500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Low Ball event began play with 238 and is down to the final table of 6, with play scheduled to resume today at 2PM. Three of the six are highly recognizable names! The final table is:
John Phan: 294,000
Gioi Luong: 291,000
Robert Mizrachi: 215,000
Shunjiro Uchida: 200,000
Ben Ponzio: 113,000
David Sklansky: 78,000

Event #41, a $1500 Mixed Texas Holdem event began play Sunday with 731 entries, and they are down to the final nine. The players and their chips are:
Nick Binger: 300,000
Frank Gary: 300,000
Jonathan Tamayo: 270,000
Chris Rentes: 215,000
Mats Gavatin: 200,000
Michael Chu: 165,000
David Machowsky: 160,000
David Sorger: 150,000
Alex Jalali: 70,000

Event #42, the $1000 Seniors No Limit Texas Holdem World Championship began play with 2218 entries, and they are down to 220. They will play down to the final table, when play resumes today.

Event #43, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha High-Low Split 8 or better event gets underway at Noon today.

Posted by fatbill at 06:27 AM | Comments (0)

June 22, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 24 Updates

Event #36, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event was won by Jesper Hougaard, taking home $610,304 and the bracelet. Cody Slaubaugh took second place worth $389,128.

Event #37, the $10,000 World Championship Omaha High-Low Split 8 or Better event was won by David Benyamine, taking home $535,687 and his first Bracelet. Taking second place was Greg Jamison, worth $331,350.

Event #38, a $2000 Pot Limit Texas Holdem event played down to the final table, and Lee Watkinson is among the chip leaders. Play will begin again today at 2PM to determine the winner. The remaining players are:
Jan Von Halle - 470,000
Lee Watkinson - 390,000
Ayaz Mahmood - 330,000
Robert Cheung - 315,000
Keith Greer - 280,000
Chris Bell - 265,000
Michael Greco - 125,000
Benjamin Roberts - 120,000
Davidi Kitai - 80,000

Event #39, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event began play with 2,720 entrants, and they played down to 218 when play halted for the night. Play will resume today to determine the final table.

Event 40, a $2500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Low Ball event is the only new event scheduled for today.

Posted by fatbill at 07:21 AM | Comments (0)

June 21, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 23 Updates

Event #32, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event was won by Jose Velador, who took home $573,734 and the bracelet. Second place went to Anthony Signore, worth $366,387.

Event #33, the $5000 World Championship Seven Card Stud High-Low Split 8 or better event was won by Sebastian Ruthenberg, wo took home $328,756 and the bracelet. Ruthenberg took down Chris Ferguson ( who won $202,406 ) in the final heads up play.

Event #34, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys event was won by Layne Flack, who took home his 6th bracelt and $577,710. Second place went to Daniel Makowsky, worth $355,051.

Event #35, a $1500 Seven Card Stud event was won by Michael Rocco, took home $135,753 with the bracelet. Second place went to Al Barbieri worth $83,210.

Event #36, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event began with 2447 and they are down to the final 9, with play resuming today. The final table consists of:
Cody Slaubaugh - 1,590,000
Jesper Hougaard - 1,350,000
Danny Wong - 1,100,000
Owen Crowe - 675,000
Rick Solis - 640,000
Justin Wald - 640,000
Doug Middleton - 340,000
John Shipley - 280,000
Aaron Kanter - 200,000

Event #37, the $10,000 World Championship Omaha High-Low Split 8 or Better event played down to the final two tables, with play set to begin again at 3PM today. Here are the chipleaders:
Ram Vaswani - 450,000
Mike Matusow - 390,000
Chau Giang - 370,000
Greg Jamison - 315,000
Eugene Katchalov - 290,000
Toto Leonidas - 265,000
David Benyamine - 260,000
David Chiu - 260,000
Berry Johnston - 260,000
Hieu Ma - 230,000

Event #38, a $2000 Pot Limit Texas Holdem event began play with 605 players, and 63 remain going into todays play. They will determine the final table with they meet up today at 2PM.

Event #39, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event, is the only new event scheduled for today.

Posted by fatbill at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

June 19, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 21 Updates

Event #31, a $2500 No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed event was won by Dario Minieri, who took home his first bracelet and $528,418. Second place went to Seth Fischer, worth $330,519.

Event #32, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event is down to the final table. Play will commence today to determine the winner. Finalist's are:
Jose Velador - 1,898,000
Jospeh Georges - 1,202,000
Utsab Saha - 964,000
Jae Chung - 720,000
Anthony Signore - 701,000
Shane Stacey - 653,000
Osmin Dardon - 487,000
Dean Bui - 217,000
Justin Huffman - 150,000

Event #33, the $5000 World Championship Seven Card Stud High-Low Split 8 or better event is still playing ( as of this reporting ) to determine the final 8. Players voted to play down to 8, instead of ending play for the night. Several heavyweights are still in the hunt, with these players still vieing for the title: Annie Duke, Marcel Luske, Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer, and Allen Cunningham. Barry Greenstein went out 14th.

Event #34, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys event ended play with 49 of the starting 320 still in the hunt. Among those still contending are: Layne Flack, and Ted Forrest. Play resumes today at 2PM.

Event #35, a $1500 Seven Card Stud event began play with 381, and there were 74 left when play ended for the day. Play will resume today at 3PM.

Todays new events are:

Event #36, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event.

Event #37, the $10,000 World Championship Omaha High-Low Split 8 or Better event.

Posted by fatbill at 07:36 AM | Comments (0)

June 18, 2008

WSOP 2008 DAY 20 Updates

Event #29, a $3000 No Limit Texas Holdem Event was son by John Phan who took home his first bracelet and $434,789. Second place went to Johnny Neckar, worth $277,452.

Event #30, the $10,000 World Championship of Limit Texas Holdem was won by Rob Hollink, who took home the bracelet and $496,931. Taking second place, worth $307,380, was Jerrod Ankeman.

Event #31, a $2500 No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed event is down to the final table. Scotty Nguyen just missed, going out 7th! The final table players are:
Dario Minieri - 1,721,000
Kevin Song - 1,173,000
Justin Filtz - 891,000
John O'Shea - 589,000
Seth Fischer - 508,000
Stuart Marshak - 183,000

Event #32, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event drew 2304 players, and 166 were left at the end of the day. Play will resume today at 2PM to determine the final table. Phil Hellmuth made the money, extending his record to 65 WSOP events he's cashed in!

Event #33, the $5000 World Championship Seven Card Stud Hith-Low Split 8 or better event drew 261 players, and 120 remain at the end of day one. Day two starts today at 3PM. There are a lot of 'names' left among the leaders, including:
Matt Grapenthien - 51,900
Shahram "Shawn" Sheikhan - 47,000
Marco Traniello - 41,000
Barry Greenstein - 40,000
Robert Mizrachi - 39,000
Michael Mizrachi - 38,000
Marcel Luske - 38,000
Brett Richey - 38,000
John Barch - 36,000
David Levi - 35,000

Todays events are:

Event #34, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys event.

Event #35, a $1500 Seven Card Stud event.

Posted by fatbill at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

June 17, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 19 Updates

Event #27, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Event was taken down by Vitaly Lunkin, who won $628,417 and the bracelet. Second place went to Brett Kimes, who won $387.837.

Event #28, a $5000 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys was won by Phil Galfond, taking home $817,781 and the bracelet. Adam Hourani took second place worth $493,748. Johnny Chan went out forth... there were 483 rebuys in this event and only 152 players!!

Event #29, a $3000 No Limit Texas Holdem Event is down to the final table, with play resuming today at 3PM. The remaining players are: John Phan, David Singer, Alex Bolotin, Thuyen Doan, Stewart Newman, Johnny Neckar, Tony Dunst, and Sebastian Segovia.

Event #30, the $10,000 World Championship of Limit Texas Holdem is down to the final nine, with play set to go today at 3PM to determine the winner. The final table looks like this:
Rob Hollink - 1,000,000
Rob Hollink Aaron Katz - 870,000
Tam "Tommy" Hang - 530,000
J.C. Tran - 480,000
Andy Bloch - 425,000
Chris Vitch - 200,000
Cy Jassinowsky - 180,000
Brock "t soprano" Parker - 144,000
Jerrod Ankenman - 44,000

Event #31, a $2500 No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed event begain the day with 1012 players, and 76 remain to go to todays play that starts at 2PM. They will play down to the final table today.

The events kicking off today are:

Event #32, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event, beginning at Noon.

Event #33, the $5000 World Championship Seven Card Stud Hith-Low Split 8 or better going off at 5PM.

Posted by fatbill at 07:26 AM | Comments (0)

June 16, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 18 Updates

Event #25, a $10,000 World Championship Heads Up No Limit Texas Holdem event was taken down by Kenny Tran, who won $539,040 and the bracelet. Taking second was Alec Torelli, worth $336,896.

Event #26, a $1500 Seven Card Razz event was won by Barry Greenstein, taking home his thrid bracelet, and first place money worth $158,659. Second place went to Chris Klodnicki worth $98,034.

Event #27, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Event is down to 17, with play resuming today at 2PM playing until the bracelet and $628,290 are claimed.

Event #28, a $5000 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys is down to the final table, and it is power packed! Play will resume today at 3PM with the following player vieing for the title:
Phil Galfond - 1,393,000
Brian Rast - 1,176,000
David Benyamine - 1,041,000
John Juanda - 694,000
Johnny Chan - 624,000
Kirill Gerasimov - 558,000
Daniel Negreanu - 460,000
Adam Hourani - 300,000
Phil Hellmuth - 119,000

Event #29, a $3000 No Limit Texas Holdem Event began with 716 players, with 70 remaining going into today's action.

Event #30, the $10,000 World Championship of Limit Texas Holdem started with 218 players, and 97 are still in the hunt with day two set to resume today at 3PM.

Event #31, a $2500 No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed event begins today at noon.

Posted by fatbill at 05:49 PM | Comments (0)

June 15, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 17 Updates

Event #23, a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem event was won by Blair Hinkle, who took home $507,563 and the bracelet. Mark Brockington took second worth $326,552. Hinkles older brother ALSO won a bracelet at this years WSOP, making them the only brothers to do so in the same WSOP!

Event #24, a $2500 Pot Limit Texas Holdem/Omaha event was won by Max Pescatori, who took home $246,471 and his second bracelet. Second place went to Kyle Kloeckner.

Event #25, a $10,000 World Championship Heads Up No Limit Texas Holdem event is still undecided. There is still a heads up match ongoing as of this writing to determine the final four. Today's matches will be:
Kenny Tran vs. Jonathan Jaffe
Vanessa Selbst vs. *Winner of Lyle Berman vs. Alec Torrelli

Event #26, a $1500 Seven Card Razz event is down to the final table! The players and chip counts going into todays final are:
Christopher Viox: 350,000
Barry Greenstein: 220,000
Brandon Leeds: 195,000
Joseph Michael: 140,000
Archie Karas: 130,000
Mark Tenner: 120,000
Chris Klondnicki: 115,000
Michael Wattel: 75,000

Event #27, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Event drew 2706 entrants, and at the end of day one, only 224 remained. Play will resume today to determine the final table.

Event #28, a $5000 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys started with 152, and played down to 56 heading into todays play. The leaders are stacked with to pros:
Emmanuel Sebag: 450,000
David Benyamine: 357,000
Adam Houran: 240,000
John Juanda: 225,000
Phil Hellmuth: 205,000
Josh Arieh: 190,000
Alexander Kostritsyn: 180,000
Rafi Amit: 180,000
Erick Lindgren: 172,200
Gavin Smith: 150,000

Events starting today are:

Event #29, a $3000 No Limit Texas Holdem Event, which begins at Noon.

Event #30, the $10,000 World Championship of Limit Texas Holdem begins at 5PM

Posted by fatbill at 07:34 AM | Comments (0)

June 14, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 16 Updates

Event #21, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem event was won by Scott Seiver, who earned $755,891 and the bracelet. Taking second place was Dave Seidman, worth $482,372.

Event #22, a $3000 H.O.R.S.E. event was won by Jens Voertmann, taking home $298,253 and the bracelet. Taking down second was Doug Granger, worth $182,822. Marcel Luske was eliminated in 3rd place, worth $110,264.

Event #23, a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem event is down to the final nine players, that will play today. The final table is:
Andrew Jeffreys: 1,051,000
Blair Hinkle: 1,030,000
Dustin Dirksen: 867,000
David Steicke: 611,000
Mark Brockington: 552,000
Daniel O'Brien: 465,000
Stepane Tayer: 323,000
Chris Bjorin: 247,000
Dominik Kulicki: 241,000

Event #24, a $2500 Pot Limit Texas Holdem/Omaha event started with 457, and as of this writing, are down to 10. Howard Lederer was eliminated 11th. Allen Cunningham is the chip leader.

Event #25, a $10,000 World Championship Heads Up No Limit Texas Holdem event had 256 entries, and played down to 32 by the end of the day. Play will resume today at 2PM. Here are the matches for day 2:
Daniel "Ansky" Stern vs. David Williams
Kenny Tran vs. Erick Lindgren
Jean-Claude Moussa vs. Robert Mizrachi
Matt Giannetti vs. Michael Mizrachi
Emil Patel vs. Michael Banducci
Jason Rosenkrantz vs. Brandon Adams
Andy Black vs. Michael McNeil
Scott Montgomery vs. Isaac Haxton
Alex Jacob vs. Jonathan Jaffe
Roman Paradiso vs. Sam Farha
Cliff Cantor vs. Vanessa Selbst
Thomas Lutz vs. John Patgorski
Gavin Griffin vs. Alexander Kostritsyn
Brian Roberts vs. Alec Torelli
Jonas Entin vs. Evan Sofer
Lyle Berman vs. David Podgurski

Event #26, a $1500 Seven Card Razz event drew 453 players, and when play ended on day one, 106 were still vieing for the title. Play will resume today at 3PM.

Today's new events are:

Event #27, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Event which begins at noon.

Event #28, a $5000 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys, which gets underway at 5PM.

Today marks the halfway point in this years WSOP!

Posted by fatbill at 07:36 AM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 15 Updates

Event #19, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha event

Event #20, a $2000 Limit Texas Holdem event was won by Daniel Negreanu, who took down $204,434 and his 4th Bracelet. Taking second place, worth $126,671, was Ugar Marangoz.

Event #21, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem event is down to the final nine, with play set to resume later today to determine the winner.

Event #22, a $3000 H.O.R.S.E. event drew 414, and only 16 remain heading into today's play. There are a BUNCH of 'names' contending for this one, with the top stacks as follows:
Marcel Luske: 325,000
Jared Davis: 322,000
Jennifer Harman-Traniello: 215,000
Doug Ganger: 201,500
J.J. Hazan: 165,000
Blair Rodman: 165,000
Jens Voertmann: 156,000
Ross Tsodikov: 106,000
Todd Brunson 105,000
Hoyt Corkins: 93,00

Event #23, a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem event drew 1,344, and play ended with 136 still in the hunt. Notables Barry Greenstein, and Phil Hellmuth are still in the hunt, with play getting back to action later today.

Event #24, a $2500 Pot Limit Texas Holdem/Omaha event ended day one of play with 85 remaining out of the starting 457 players. Play is set to resume today at 2PM to determine the final table.

Event #25, a $10,000 World Championship Heads Up No Limit Texas Holdem event is set to kick off today at Noon.

Event #26, a $1500 Seven Card Razz event is scheduled to begin today at 5PM.

Posted by fatbill at 07:07 AM | Comments (0)

June 12, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 14 Updates

Event #15, the $1000 Ladies No Limit Texas Holdem World Championship was won by Svetlana Gromenkova, who took home $244,702 and the gold bracelet.

Event #18, a $5000 No LImit 2-7 Draw Loball w/rebuys event was won by Mike Matusow!! Matusow took home $537,862 with his thrid bracelet. Jeffrey Lisandro took second place, worth $347,704, and Barry Greenstein took third!

Event #19, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha event is down to the final table of 9, with play resuming today at 2PM to determine the champion. The final table, with chip count, looks like this:
Vanessa Selbst: 940,000
Stanley Statkiewicz Jr.: 331,000
Jamie Pickering: 290,000
Eugene Todd: 155,000
Craig Natte: 121,000
Mel Randolph 119,000
Thom Schultz: 84,000
Jamie Robbins: 68,000
Ken Lairson: 20,000

Event #20, a $2000 Limit Texas Holdem event is down to 10, with play still going on as of this writing, to determine the final table. Those remaining are:
David Baker: 388,000
Ugur Marangoz: 300,000
Richard Li: 240,000
Daniel Negreanu: 190,000
Greg Woheltz: 175,000
Derek Lerner: 150,000
Fu Wong: 140,000
Daniel Makowsky: 125,000
Jeremy Kotler: 110,000
Hien Tran: 50,000

Event #21, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem event ended the day with 122 of the starting 731 still in the hunt. Play will resume today at 2PM to determine the final table!

Event #22, a $3000 H.O.R.S.E. event drew 441 players, of which 144 are still in the hunt heading into day two. Play will resume today at 3pm to determine the final table.

Event #23, a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem event will get underway at Noon today.

Event #24, a $2500 Pot Limit Texas Holdem/Omaha event will get undway today at 5PM.

Posted by fatbill at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

June 11, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 13 Updates

Event #15, the $1000 Ladies No Limit Texas Holdem World Championship is down to the final table of 9. The players and counts are:
Seat 1: Patty Till 312,000
Seat 2: Roslyn Quarto 73,000
Seat 3: Marla Crumpler 163,000
Seat 4: Svetlana Gromenkova 553,000
Seat 5: Sue Porter 211,000
Seat 6: Debbie Mitchell 224,000
Seat 7: Christine Priday 448,000
Seat 8: Vesenia Garcia 210,000
Seat 9: Anh Le 191,000

Event #16, a $2000 Omaha High-Low Split, 8 or Better event was won by Andrew Brown, who took down $226,448 with the bracelet. Brown eliminated Ted Forrest heads up. Forrest won $143,421 for second.

Event #17, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Shootout was won by Jason Young, who won $329,872 and the bracelet. Runner up Mike Schwartz put up a valiant heads up effort, but ended up second, winning $209,528.

Event #18, a $5000 No LImit 2-7 Draw Loball w/rebuys event is down to the final 7 players. It's a big name final table, with the following players still in the hunt:
Erick Lindgren: 1,100,000
Mike Matusow: 540,000
Jeffrey Lisandro: 510,000
Tony 'G' Guoga: 440,000
Barry Greenstein: 440,000
David Benyamine: 350,000
Tom Schneider: 195,000

Event #19, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha event drew 759 players, with 46 remaining when play ended for day one. Day two bill begin today at 2PM

Event #20, a $2000 Limit Texas Holdem event drew 465 players, and 125 are remaining going into day two, which will play today at 3PM. Among the chip leaders are Daniel Negreanu, and J.C. Tran.

Event #21, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem event will begin play today at Noon.

Event #22, a $3000 H.O.R.S.E. event begins today at 5PM.

Posted by fatbill at 07:40 AM | Comments (0)

June 10, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 12 Updates

Event #13, a $2500 No Limit Texas Holdem event was won by Duncan Bell, who took home $666,697 and the bracelet. Steve Merrifield took second place worth $428,969.

Event #14, the $10,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud event was won by Eric Brooks, who took down $415,856 and the bracelet. Taking second place was Fu Wong, worth $259,910.
As a side note, Brooks is donating 100% of his winnings to Decision Education Foundation!!

Event #15, the $1000 Ladies No Limit Texas Holdem World Championship was down to 61 players after the first day of play. Kathy Leibert, and Evelyn Ng are still in the hunt.

Event #16, a $2000 Omaha High-Low Split, 8 or Better event ended with 18 players still in the hunt. Play will resume today at 3PM

Event #17, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Shootout has three tables remaining to be decided, EACH with heads-up matches ongoing.

Event #18, a $5000 No LImit 2-7 Draw Loball w/rebuys event drew only 85 players but had 272 rebuys and add-ons!! This makes first place worth $537,862, which is pretty good for only 85 players! Only 14 will make the money though! Play ended with 39 players still in the hunt, with the chip leaders looking like this:
Tom Dwan: 230,000
Mike Matusow: 179,000
Michael Binger: 162,000
Tom Schneider: 149,000
Stephen Wolff: 145,000
Erick Lindgren: 135,000
Phil Ivey: 130,000
Michael Mizrachi: 125,000
Chad Brown: 120,000
Nick Schulman: 117,000

Event #19, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha event begins play today at Noon.

Event #20, a $2000 Limit Texas Holdem event begins today at 5PM.

Posted by fatbill at 09:51 AM | Comments (0)

June 09, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 11 Updates

Event #11, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Shootout was won by Phil Tom, taking home $477,990 and the Bracelet. Greg Mueller took down second place worth $298.638.

Event #12, a $1500 Limit Texas Holdem event was won by Jimmy Shultz, taking $257,105 and the Bracelet down. Second place went to Zach Fellows worth $165,165.

Event #13, a $2500 No Limit Texas Holdem event is down to the final table of 9. Play will resume today to determine the winner....

Event #14, the $10,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud event is down to the final table of 8 with the elimination of Phil Ivey (9th) and Daniel Negreanu (11th). The remaining players are:
David Oppenheim: 504,000
Alexander Kostritsyn: 495,000
Fu Wong: 429,000
Minh Ly: 424,000
Jim Paluszek: 413,000
Eric Brooks: 359,000
Erik Seidel: 273,000
Vassilus Lazarou: 259,000

Event #15, the $1000 Ladies No Limit Texas Holdem World Championship got underway with 1190 Entrants. Evelyn Ng is among the early chipleaders... updates are on the way...

Event #16, a $2000 Omaha High-Low Split, 8 or Better event started with 553 players, and had 178 left at the end of the day. There are a BUNCH of 'names' in the hunt for this one, as action is slated to begin at 3PM today to determine the final table.

Event #17, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Shootout is scheduled to begin today at Noon....

Event #18, a $5000 No LImit 2-7 Draw Loball w/rebuys event will begin today at 5PM.

Posted by fatbill at 08:44 AM | Comments (0)

June 08, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 10 Updates

Event #9, is the No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed event was won by REp Porter, who took down $372,929 and the bracelet. Taking down second place, worth $231,981, was Nathan Templeton.

Event #10, a $2,500 Omaha/seven-card stud eight-or-better event was won by Farzad Rouhani who took down $232,911 and the bracelet. Second place went to Tom Chambers, worth $142,784.

Event #11, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Shootout event is down to the final table of six. Those remaining are:
Sirous Jamshidi, Tim West, Phil Tom, Greg Mueller, Young Leo Walpert, and Tom Roupe.

Event #12, a $1500 Limit Texas Holdem event is down to 18, with play still ongoing as of this writing. Among the chip leaders are Vinny Vihn, and Eric Lindgren.....

Event #13, a $2500 No Limit Texas Holdem event got down to 141 players when play was halted. Play will resume today at 2PM, with 99 making the money.

Event #14, the $10,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud event played down to 80 out of the starting 158 players. This event will resume today at 3PM and battle down to the final 8. There are a lot of heavyweights remaining in this field, including:
Chad Brown - 97,000
Daniel Negreanu - 82,000
Cyndy Violette - 65,000
Erik Seidel - 63,000
Alexander Kravchenko - 58,000
Greg Raymer - 54,600
Minh Ly - 54,000
Alan Boston - 53,000
David Williams - 52,500
David Benyamine - 52,000

Event #15, the $1000 Ladies No Limit Texas Holdem World Championship will begin play today at Noon.

Event #16, a $2000 Omaha High-Low Split, 8 or Better event also gets underway today at 5PM.

Posted by fatbill at 07:20 AM | Comments (0)

June 07, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 9 Updates

Event #7 a $2,000 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament was won by Matt Keikoan, who earned $550,601 and the bracelet for taking down the event. Second place finisher Shannon Shorr took home $349,141.

Event #8 The $10,000 World Championship Mixed event was won by Anthony Riveria, who took home $483,688 with the Bracelet. Second place went to James Mackey worth $297,792. As a side note, Eli Ezra took 5th, and Sammy Farha 6th.

Event #9, is the No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed event is down to the final 6, with play resuming today at 2PM to determine the winner. The players with their stacks are:
John Conkright - 1,100,000
Michiel Brummelhuis - 740,000
Ralph "Rep" Porter - 660,000
Nathan Templeton - 535,000
Anatoly Shilyuk - 350,000
Devin Porter - 375,000

Event #10, a $2,500 Omaha/seven-card stud eight-or-better event is down to the final 8, with play resuming today at 4PM. The players and their stacks look like this:
Farzad Rouhani - 513,000
Greg Pappas - 304,000
John Cernuto - 285,000
Tom Chambers - 235,000
Michael Mizrachi - 231,000
John Racener - 180,000
Daniel Mowczan - 122,000
Yueqi Zhu - 87,000

Event #11, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Shootout event ended play with the final 36 ( of 360) set to resume play today. All remaining players are in the money, and guaranteed at least $16K+

Event #12, a $1500 Limit Texas Holdem event drew to a close for the day with 181 players still in the hunt, out of a starting 880. Play resumes today.....

Event #13, a $2500 No Limit Texas Holdem event begins play today...

Event #14, the $10,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud event also gets underway today.

Posted by fatbill at 09:59 AM | Comments (0)

June 06, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 8 updates

Event #5, a $1000 No Limit Texas Holdem WITH Rebuys was won by Michael Banducci, taking home $636,736 with the Bracelet! Taking home second place was Jeff Willians worth $406,330.

Event #6 a $1500 Omaha High-Low Split 8 or Better was won by Thang Luu, who took down $243,356 with the bracelet. Taking second place worth $156,343 was Spencer Lawrence!

Event #7 a $2,000 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament drew 1592 players and play halted at the end of the second day with the final 9 determined. They will play for the bracelet later today! Among the notables at the final table are: Theo Tran, Shannon Shorr, and J.C. Tran.

Event #8 The $10,000 World Championship Mixed event is at 10 players trying to get to the final table. Among those remaining, are: Jeff Madsen, Sam Farha, Gus Hanson, and Eli Elezra.

Event #9, is the No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed event began play with 1236 players, and is down to 72 heading into todays play towards the final table.

Event #10, a $2,500 Omaha/seven-card stud eight-or-better began with 388 players, and there were 120 left when play was halted. Play will resume today at 3PM, with notables, Michael Mizrachi, John Cernuto, and Todd Brunson still in the hunt!

Event #11, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Shootout event begins at noon today.

Event #12, a $1500 Limit Texas Holdem event begins today at 5PM.

Posted by fatbill at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

June 05, 2008

WSOP 2008 Day 7 updates

Event #2, the $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament was won by Grant Hinkle taking down $831,279 with the bracelet. Hinkle turned QUADS in the final hand to take down second place finisher James Mackey, who took home $520,219 for second place!

Event #3, the $1500 Pot Limit Texas Holdem event was won by David Singer, taking home $214,131 with his bracelet. Second place finisher Jocobo Fernandez took home $136,643.

Event #4 the $5,000 Mixed Holdem event was won by well known pro Erick Lindgren, taking home $374,505 with his first bracelet! Taking second place, worth $239,159 was Justin Bonomo.

Event #5, a $1000 No Limit Texas Holdem WITH Rebuys is down to the final table of 9, with play resuming today to the conclusion.

Event #6 a $1500 Omaha High-Low Split 8 or Better is down to 10 players, and still going to get to the final table...

Event #7 a $2,000 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament played down to 152, wit h play resuming today to determine the final table.

Event #8 The $10,000 World Championship Mixed event drew 192 participants, and they played down to 94 heading into day two.

Event #9, is the No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed event. It is scheduled to begin at noon today.

Event #10, a $2,500 Omaha/seven-card stud eight-or-better tournament is set to bein today at 5PM.

Posted by fatbill at 09:20 AM | Comments (0)

June 03, 2008

WSOP 2008 Updates

Event #2, the $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament played down to the final 18, with action scheduled to start today at 2PM PDT to determine the winner. Theo Tran is the chip leader with 1,557,000 chips! A player vote to see if they continue play to determine the final table ended up in a tie. As of this update, they are still playing!!

Event #3, the $1500 Pot Limit Texas Holdem event has played down to 63, with play scheduled to resume at 2PM PDT. Robert Workman, Phil Yeh, and David Singer are the top chip leaders, all with over 100,000 Chips.

Event #4 the $5,000 Mixed Holdem event played down to 91 with play scheduled to reume today at 3PM. They expect to play down to the final table today. David Williams is among the chipleaders.

Event #5, a $1000 No Limit Texas Holdem WITH Rebuys, event will kick off today at noon. This one gets crazy due to the rebuy element!

Event 6 a $1500 Omaha High-Low Split 8 or Better is also scheduled to begin today at 5PM PDT.

Posted by fatbill at 08:55 AM | Comments (0)

June 02, 2008

WSOP 2008 Event 1 Ends, Event 2 Begins

In Event #1, the $10,000 Pot Limit Holdem World Championship, Nanad Medic took down Andy Bloch to claim first prize worth $794,112. Bloch took home $488,048 for second place

Event #2, a $1500 No limit Texas Holdem tournament played the first days as day1a and day1b. There were 3929 entries for this event, 475 which will continue on with day two today! Some notables still in the hunt are David Pham, Mark Vos, Kenny Tran, and Chris Ferguson.

Event #3, is a $1500 Pot Limit Texas Holdem event that is scheduled to begin today at 12PM PDT

Event #4 is a $5,000 Mixed Holdem event that will begin today at 5PDT.

Posted by fatbill at 02:47 PM | Comments (0)

May 31, 2008

2008 WSOP Event #1

Event #1, the $10,000 World Championship of Pot-Limit Holdem, got underway yesterday with a field of 352. After 10 Rounds the field was whittled down to 70 players still in the hunt.

Eli Elezra is the chipleader with just over 300K in chips, but there are a couple of top pros still in the mix, including: Patrik Antonius, Phil Laak, and Tuan Le. Play will resume at 2PM PST today.

Also on tap today is the start of Event #2, the $1,500 No Limit Texas Holdem event.

Posted by fatbill at 07:40 AM | Comments (0)

May 30, 2008

WSOP 2008 Begins TODAY!

The 2008 World Series of Poker begins today!

There is obvious excitment in the Poker world about this series of events, but the Question mark is what effect will the economy have on the number of entrants??? The last couple of years have seen HUGE numbers or participants, with over 54,000 Entries last year.

It will be interesting to see if the economy has any affect on the number or particpants this year. Regardless, there will always be the 'name' pros involved, so the series will be exciting either way!

As we have done in years past, we will post daily updates on each event!

Posted by fatbill at 07:48 AM | Comments (0)

April 23, 2008

2008 World Series Schedule

The 2008 World Series is scheduled to begin next month ( May 30th )

I posted the entire schedule of the World Series under "POKER TOURNAMENT INFO" in the right hand sidebar.... check out the listing of events!

We will, of course, continue to post results of each event upon completion, as we have in years past!

If you are interested in winning your way into an event, ESPECIALLY the Main event, there are TONS of Satillite tournaments being held by the major poker rooms right now!! Check out the "
Online Poker Rooms We Endorse AND Play at!" and win your entry!

Posted by fatbill at 10:07 AM | Comments (2)

March 21, 2008

Poker Stars WSOP News

Poker Stars.com is gearing up to send a TON of folks to the 2008 WSOP this year! PokerNews.com is reporting that they play to send 1000 players this year, but I cant find substantitation on their site on exact numbers... here is what I CAN tell you FOR SURE!

"At Poker Stars.com, we pride ourselves on giving our players a World Series experience they will never forget. The prize package we have on offer for the 2008 Main Event is no exception. In fact, it’s our best yet! Players can qualify via our FPP, Cash and Steps Sit & Go satellites.

Our standard prize package is worth $12,500, made up of the following:

$10,000 Main Event buy-in
$2,500 for expenses
But that’s not all. We’re also giving each player the opportunity to be a part of The Poker Stars.com Experience. This includes the following additional features*:

Free hotel accommodation at the Palms, for 8 nights from July 2-9 (or a cash alternative of $1,000**). The qualifiers that chose to wear Poker Stars.com gear, who are still playing in the main event on July 10th will have their accommodation extended until July 15th.
Hotel suite upgrades for Supernova and Supernova Elite VIP members.
Shuttle bus service each day to the Rio.
Cash bonuses of up to $50,000 for qualifiers that make a TV table***.
Additional bonuses of up to $1,000,000 for players that make the final table***.
How to win your prize package
Not only are we giving our players the best World Series prize package around, we’re also providing the most chances to win one:

Buy-in directly to any of our cash qualifiers
Use your Frequent Player Points in our FPP qualifiers
Battle your way to the Main Event with Steps Sit & Go Satellites
With so many routes available to achieve your poker dreams, everyone has a real chance of making it to the Main Event! "

IF you are not a member there yet, I'd suggest CLICKING HERE and get in on your shot!

Posted by fatbill at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2008

Why Online Poker is bad.....

Poker915.com's Top 12 Reasons The Online Poker Ban Is Good For America
If you love poker, or simply believe in liberty, please e-mail this to your state and US representatives, and everyone you know!

We need to protect the children.

If the government bans it kids won't do it. That is why kids don't smoke, drink, use drugs, sneak into rated R movies, etc. If mom and dad fail in their parenting, a good, solid government ban will always fix the problem. It takes a whole community to raise a child, so why should parents be responsible for monitoring their own children?

Playing poker leads to drug use, pornography addiction, prostitution, and all manner of criminal activity.

Much in the same way that gambling one's earnings by investing in the stock market leads to these same vices.

If I have an addiction problem, no one should be able to participate in any of the activities that I have a problem with.

That is why liquor stores, tobacco sales, caffeine, fatty foods, refined sugar, sexually explicit materials, and state lotteries are all illegal in the United States. Our constitution makes it clear that the rights of the many must be sacrificed in order to protect those who won't take responsibility for their own problems. Further, compulsive gambling never existed before the online gaming boom. If addicts were not allowed internet access they would be better partners, fathers, and mothers because they would never find anything else to gamble on.

Prohibition has always been the best way to protect addicts from themselves and their families from financial and emotional ruin.

This is why the United States of America has no crack, crank, crystal meth, Oxycontin, or heroin problems. It's why the Twelve Step organizations have no members, and methadone clinics are empty.

Playing poker for profit is too risky.

That's why Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Barry Greenstein, Daniel Negreanu, Annie Duke, Jesus Ferguson, and countless other poker pros who met with financial demise must endorse poker web sites just to make ends meet. Since poker is not a skill game, and you cannot control your profits or losses over an extended period, it's simply not a good investment strategy.

Poker is not a legitimate form of entertainment.

Spending $5 or $10 on a tournament or cash game on the internet is a waste of time. You will have spent your time and money far more wisely if you spend $20 going to the movies, $50 on greens fees, or $60-$300 on a professional sporting event. These are all far more productive uses of your time, and therefore more moral.

The internet poker ban has already drastically reduced gambling in America.

Sites like Poker Stars, Full Tilt, Absolute Poker, and Ultimate Bet all went broke and don't even advertise in the United States anymore.

My God is the one true God, my faith the one true faith, and my morals are the correct morals. Therefore everyone should live by my moral code.

In a theocracy such as ours we know that government should always enforce the values of specific religions. That is why we are all required to attend church on Sunday, women must wear veils and walk behind our men, and our constitution gives the federal government vast, sweeping powers to determine what you should and should not read, listen to, view, or believe.

Playing poker is wrong because for a few to make a profit, many must spend money.

This is not the case with any other entertainment sector. The movie industry does not make a profit by providing entertainment to their paying customers, just as cable companies, satellite providers, rock stars, professional athletes, and other entertainers do not profit at the expense of paying customers. Therefore, it is immoral for good poker players to make a profit from their recreational poker playing counterparts who are willing to pay for the entertainment value.

Only social misfits and those from society's underbelly play poker.

That's why famous lawman Bill Hickok, Senator Alfonse D'Amato, President Richard Nixon, Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist, and countless other prominent politicians would never dream of playing such a vile game. Poker is simply unAmerican.

Making poker illegal will make gambling go away because no one would ever dare subvert the law by supplying the populace with what they demand.

Ample evidence of this can be seen in the way organized crime withered and was completely eradicated in the 1920s when alcohol was banned in the United States.

Nobody will play poker if they can't do it online.

Poker would only exist in places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City where gambling is legal, and all the illegal home games would go away overnight. This is evidenced by the fact that there are no famous old-time poker players from Texas nor are there poker games that originated in Texas where Hold 'Em was illegal in the good ol' days before the internet corrupted us all.
_________________
Chadler E. Cowles
Utah PPA Representative
Poker915.com Administrator

Posted by fatbill at 09:13 AM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2008

Remember that UIGEA bill?

Remember back when lame duck republicans pushed the UIGEA legislation onto the PORT AUTHORITY ACT to placate the Religious Right?

You have to remember... thats when MOST Of the major Poker rooms STOPPED allowing US players... IE: Party Poker....

The UIGEA was supposed to impose restraints on the banking industry in an effort to stop US Citizens from funding their online poker (gaming) accounts.

Well... here is a small exerpt from a statement made by the American Banking Association (ABA) on that rediculous piece of legislation:

"ABA believes that the proposal, in large part due to the nature of the statute itself, will fail to create a practical process for intercepting prohibited conduct that maintains an efficiently functioning payments system." The above was shortly followed by a statement more damning: "(W)e believe that UIGEA will in the end catch more banks in a compliance trap and do greater damage to the competitiveness of the American payments system, than it will stop gambling enterprises from profiting on illegal wagering."

In another part of their statement they get even harsher in their criticizm:

"In other words, in the view of the drafters of the legislation, all the sophistication of the FBI, Secret Service, and other police computerized detection systems and investigative expertise devoted to fighting terrorism and financial crime are inadequate to the task of apprehending the unlawful gambling business or confiscating its revenues. ABA believes that punting this obligation to the participants in the U.S. payment system is an unprecedented delegation of governmental responsibility with no prospect of practical success in exchange for all the burden it imposes."

Isn't it about time that our (mostly) useless legislators get off their collective asses and just legalize online poker and quit trying to impose their sense of morality on law abiding citizens????

Posted by fatbill at 09:03 AM | Comments (0)

March 03, 2008

Furguson wins 2008 Heads Up Title

Well.... guess he was tired of being the bridsmade again ( '05 and '06 ) so this year Chris Ferguson took down Andy Block in a best two out of three match to win the NBC National Heads Up Championship!

Block was not originally scheduled to compete in this event, but was called on at the last minute with TV star Brad Garrett was called back to work after resolution of the writers strike!

Both Block and Ferguson represent Full Tilt Poker....

Posted by fatbill at 09:08 AM | Comments (0)

January 16, 2008

Poker in '08 Politics

I recieved an interesting update from the Poker Players Alliance, that I thought should be shared AND acted upon by all poker players!

Part of the letter reads:
"Frankly, there is very little specific information from most of the candidates on this issue, so we are also encouraging you to contact the campaigns of the candidates who interest you, and ask their position. Please let them know you are an undecided voter and a proud poker player when you contact the campaign, so we can illustrate the grassroots strength behind the great game of poker. It’s time to let the presidential primary candidates know that Poker Is Not a Crime!
"

We encourage everyone to contact the candidates of your party to find out their stance on this issue!!

REPUBLICANS:

Rudy Giuliani

Mike Huckabee has made HIS stance clear!
"Here is the question he was asked, complete with its bias and inaccuracies:

1) Last year, Congress voted overwhelming to criminalize most forms of Internet gambling. This year some members of Congress are promoting legislation to legalize Internet gambling. If such legislation passed, would you veto it? Huckabee answered "yes". That's about as clear as it gets. "

John McCain

Ron Paul, In keeping with his Libertarian philosophy, Congressman Paul is a proud supporter of our cause. Rep. Paul has supported and sponsored pro-poker legislation, and has also made time to visit with PPA grassroots members, poker celebrities, and citizens lobbyists every time we have asked. His credentials on allowing adults the freedom to play poker are unblemished.

Mitt Romney

Fred Thompson

DEMOCRATS:

Hillary Clinton

John Edwards

Barack Obama

Posted by fatbill at 07:44 AM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2008

Absolute Poker Deposit Bonus!

ABSOLUTE POKER is giving away a GREAT new bonus to all FIRST TIME DEPOSITORS!

Get $10 ABSOLUTELY FREE with your first deposit by entering BONUS CODE: CHIP10

The $10 will go to your account as soon as you deposit, with NO MINIMUM play or other requirements!!

This is a great offer people!

CLICK HERE to take advantage of this offer today!

Posted by fatbill at 07:52 AM | Comments (0)

December 05, 2007

Chip Reese dead....

This is a sad day for Poker Enthusiasts..... Prominate Poker player and legend Chip Reese dead at the age of 56....

Here is the entire story at Poker News

I loved watching Chip play... he had class, and was one of the most talented poker players of all time.....

Posted by fatbill at 09:45 AM | Comments (0)

November 24, 2007

Taxing Regulated Internet Gambling....

Now this TRUELY has to go under the 'DUH!' department! LOL

"WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A tax revenue analysis
announced by Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA) estimates that regulating Internet gambling would generate between $3.1 billion to $15.2 billion in federal revenues over its first five years, and between $8.7 billion to $42.8 billion over its first ten years."

and this is the real heart of the matter...

"By prohibiting a popular, recreational activity that many millions
enjoy in the comfort of their own homes, the U.S. is forfeiting Billions of dollars in revenue needed for critical government programs," said Jeffrey Sandman, spokesman for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative. "It is time for Congress to regulate and tax Internet gambling to ensure security controls are in place to protect consumers and capture billions in revenue. Moreover, regulating Internet gambling could resolve a dispute around Internet gambling in the World Trade Organization that could force the U.S. to pay billions in trade compensation"

You can read the entire article HERE!

Posted by fatbill at 09:02 AM | Comments (0)

October 30, 2007

Online playing observations...

I've been playing a lot of texas holdem poker tournaments over the past few weeks online.... it is both frustrating, AND rewarding, if you can follow that twisted line of logic! ;-)

I should know better than to play the $5 tournaments, since the buffoonery there is over the top! Where else would you get called by someone for ALL their chips with bottom pair? Sadly, online poker seems to CONTINUSLY reward these idiots by giving them their set on the river!

I've probably made the money about 40% of the time, which serves to allow continued play, but the frustration level of making the right move, only to get rivered, gets REALLY OLD!

I'll probably continue to play until this current bankroll finally gives out, but boy, its damn frustrating!

Posted by fatbill at 10:06 AM | Comments (1)

October 26, 2007

Recent play online...

I decided that if I was going to play online, I needed to deposit enought money so that I could last out a few tournaments, instead of the small amounts that I had been playing with. Normally, I only had $25 or so a month to diddle around with, and played mainly $5 tournaments and sit-n-gos.

As you can imagine, those are mainly fish fests, and even thought I was playing for fun, it got pretty frustrating playing like that. So I figured with a little extra bank to play with, I could step up and see if the $10 and $20 events were any better. They are not! LOL

Same ole playing styles that you see on TV.... mindless aggression with mediocre hands. Problem being... they tend to suck out on the river TIME after TIME. It's almost comical.... that is if I weren't on the recieving end of that so many times....

Case in point... I have Pocket A's under the gun. I bet out 4X, figuring I'd get some action, but not much with the way the table had been playing. Guy on the button goes over the top of me another 5X... I think for a minute, knowing this guy has been REALLY loose all game, and decide to push him. I move all in!

I get an unexpected call from him! MORE unexpected, is that he has KQo!

Flop comes K K K ..... unbelieveable how online play seems to reward these idiots.... ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 07:45 AM | Comments (0)

October 23, 2007

Absolute Poker Official Statement

This is the most up to date statement that the Ownership of Absolute Poker has published. I post this so that readers can form their own opinion....

"Dear AP Player:

I am the former Grand Chief of the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake and the owner of Tokwiro Enterprises ENRG, which holds a 100% interest in Absolute Poker.

As many of our players are aware, there has been a security breach in our system that allowed unlawful access to player information that resulted in unfair play. I am writing to you today to let you know what we know so far in order to set the record straight, and to assure you of AP’s commitment to player security. I am sure that this letter will not address all of the questions and concerns you may have, nor will it extinguish the heated discussion surrounding this issue. At this point, our intention is to let you know all we can disclose and to assure you of our continued efforts to keep you informed as best we can as the investigations continue.

We deeply regret this situation has occurred. A breach in security in online poker is serious and of great concern to players and the industry worldwide, and this particular situation has been the subject of debate within the poker player community and in the media, giving rise to the creation of several websites and hundreds and hundreds of comments, opinions, and theories of what occurred – some of which are accurate, and some that are not.

Like you, I have not been happy that during the initial stage of our investigation, AP has not been more forthcoming in providing a timely or comprehensive explanation on this matter, giving rise to anger, suspicion, and concern on the part of our valued customers. I hope that our customers can appreciate that this remains an incredibly complex and sensitive issue, and I want to give you my strongest possible assurance that we will be as forthcoming as possible on how this breach occurred and what we are doing to remedy the situation.

What We Know and Actions We Have Taken

AP was notified by a customer that a possible cheating incident occurred during a recent tournament, and in response forwarded players’ hand logs. This disclosure of the hand logs prompted our customers to determine that a more serious security breach had occurred. We immediately launched an internal investigation and also requested a formal audit by Gaming Associates, an acknowledged world-wide expert in audits, interactive gaming tests, and information security.

Based upon our preliminary findings, it appears that the integrity of our poker system was compromised by a high-ranking trusted consultant employed by AP whose position gave him extraordinary access to certain security systems. As has been speculated in several online forums, this consultant devised a sophisticated scheme to manipulate internal systems to access third-party computers and accounts to view hole cards of other customers during play without their knowledge. As this consultant was aware of the details of our fraud detection process, the likelihood that the scheme would be uncovered through our normal procedures was minimized. We consider this security breach to be a horrendous and inexcusable offense.

We will pay for all losses suffered by the affected players as soon as our audit is finished and the amounts are determined. Although we are in the process of attempting to recover all the winnings of this consultant, any unrecovered losses of affected players will be paid by Absolute Poker so that all affected persons will be made whole.

Next Steps

We are still investigating whether the consultant was acting alone or in concert with others, and it appears at this time that all account holders are innocent of collusion and were unaware of any wrong-doing by the consultant, who was immediately terminated. We continue to investigate this matter aggressively, and all of these preliminary findings are subject to the audits currently underway. We have recently uncovered additional accounts used by the consultant that have not been publicly reported. So as to not compromise the investigation, we are not releasing the names of these additional accounts at this time, and will contact these affected customers individually.

The specific allegations of unlawful activity are being investigated both by AP and by the authorized authorities, including the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. We will continue to actively cooperate with these authorities in full compliance with the Regulations Concerning Interactive Gaming. In addition to our own investigation and the audit by Gaming Associates, we have also submitted to an audit by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.

Please be assured that we have corrected the problem that allowed the system to be unfairly manipulated. We are working furiously to increase the safeguards within our systems. While we are satisfied that our systems are secured, we realize that our security systems must be continuously monitored and enhanced.

Without question, this incident has been unfortunate for all concerned, and we will emerge as a stronger company. I realize it will take some time and much more information for AP to re-earn the trust and confidence of our customers who are in doubt of our commitment to the highest levels of security, privacy and integrity. As we move to address and correct this situation, our valued customers have played a vital role in uncovering this scheme through various online forums and have become an active part of the solution.

With my full sincerity, I thank you, and I promise to keep you updated as we bring this situation to a close.

Sincerely,

Joe Norton "

Posted by fatbill at 08:33 AM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2007

Absolute Poker issues...

There has been a LOT of discussion on the many poker boards of late regarding some 'issues' that AP has/had. I can not pretend to know what is going on over there, NOR do I wish to speculate about who is at fault.

If you want a pretty consise summary of what is going on at AP, I recommend that you read this Blog Entry by Justin....

I AM concerned about promoting them in light of what is going on, and what I have read about the situation. In light of that, I have decided that it is in both MY AND my reader's best interest to reduce their exposure on my websites until the situation clears up some....

I have re-initiated my support for BODOG however, as they have re-emerged as BODOG LIFE, following their recent domain issues. They are once again stable and running well....

Posted by fatbill at 08:42 AM | Comments (0)

October 03, 2007

Poker Stars Bloggers Event

Posted by fatbill at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)

September 12, 2007

We Welcome CHAN POKER

I am pleased to announce our endorsement and promotion of Chan Poker!

Not only can you play poker with the Legend Johnny Chan, but by joining now, you can get a 100% SIGN UP BONUS up to $1000!!!

This is a great opportunity to play poker with one of the greats, AND get some bonus cash to boot!

Posted by fatbill at 01:59 PM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2007

Playin online again....

I had not played online poker for quite some time, due to summer, and the requirements of house, life, ect.... So I figured I would give it a go again, and see how things went!

I have played 4 SNG's at Full Tilt Poker in the past 3 days, and I have cashed in two of them! I'm very pleased with the results so far, as I'm in the PLUS column! I should have cashed in one of the other two, but my pocket K's ran into Pocket A's.... it's amazing how often that happens!

I'll be playing some in the next week or so, to see how this trent keeps up!

Posted by fatbill at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)

September 04, 2007

World Cup of Poker Live

PokerStars is bringing you LIVE COVERAGE of the World Cup Of Poker. You can watch this event at WCP LIVE

Watch and cheer your favorite teem with the finals qualifers being: USA, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, Portugal, Romania and Mexico!

Here is the schedule:

Tuesday, 4th September
HEAT 1 16:00-21:00 CET (10:00-15:00 ET)
HEAT 2 22:00-03:00 CET (16:00-21:00 ET)

Wednesday, 5th September
HEAT 3 16:00-21:00 CET (10:00-15:00 ET)

Thursday, 6th September
HEAT 4 16:00-21:00 CET (10:00-15:00 ET)
HEAT 5 22:00-03:00 CET (16:00-21:00 ET)

Friday, 7th September
FINAL (featuring top four teams) 18:30-23:30 CET (12:30-17:30 ET)

Posted by fatbill at 08:36 AM | Comments (0)

August 31, 2007

Suspended Bodog promotions....

I have temporarily suspended my endorsements of Bodog due to their recent legal issues over their domain, and the patent infringement case they are currently involved in.

I am sure that Bodog will resolve these issues, and once they are settled, I will once again happily endorse their products!

Posted by fatbill at 09:39 AM | Comments (0)

August 22, 2007

WSOP Main Event on TV

Just a reminder to everyone, that the Main event is now showing on ESPN. Last night there were hour long shows featuring 2 of the 4 'first' days.... more to come!

Posted by fatbill at 10:51 AM | Comments (0)

August 15, 2007

Played a H.O.R.S.E tourney...

I played a HORSE tournament the other day, mainly because I had never done it, and thought it would be interesting.

I really didnt do that poorly... except in the RAZZ section, where I was kinda at a loss on what was a good hand to stay in with... but I more than made up for it in both the Holdem sections, and in the Omaha HI section.

I ended up coming in 7th, which was pretty satisfing for me on my first attempt at HORSE!

Posted by fatbill at 11:59 AM | Comments (0)

August 08, 2007

Played at Carbon Poker

I was sitting around, and somewhat bored, so I thought I'd go play a Tournament online. I decided to play at CarbonPoker, simply because I had not played there in the past.

I entered a $10 short-handed tournament that had 85 players.

It took me a while to get used to the interface there, as it's a bit different that I was used to. It is a pretty nice layout, just done differently than some of the other rooms.

Play was smoothe, and things were pretty well run. I even managed to come int 5th!

Give CarbonPoker a go if you get the chance!

Posted by fatbill at 03:51 PM | Comments (0)

August 03, 2007

Played at the club last night...

I decided that it had been WAY too long since I had played any LIVE Texas Holdem poker, so I went to the club last night to play in their weekly game. The turnout was not bad, but there were only 21 players total.

I really didnt get much in the way of cards, but managed to take my initial stack of 3000 up to over 5000 when my big blind hand of 4 7 off hit on a flopped 4 7 2! Guy before me made a big raise, and I went over the top putting him all in. He had pocket 5's, and did not improve, whereas I hit the boat on the turn.

From there, things went downhill. I was moved to another table to balance things, and just NEVER saw any cards. I final got AKo, under the gun, and moved my remaining 3K in. I got called by pocket 5's ( again ) but never improved. Crippled, I had to push from my bb with my remaining 600, and ran into K's.

Can't complain about how I played... but cards sure help!

Posted by fatbill at 09:18 AM | Comments (0)

July 26, 2007

Poker Room Bonus Offerings

Full Tilt Poker is offering deposit bonuses to new players! New sign-ups will receive a 100% matching bonus up to $600 on your initial deposit to Full Tilt Poker.

PartyPoints is the rewarding new loyalty scheme from PartyPoker. Earn valuable PartyPoints every time you play a game on any site. Redeem PartyPoints for cash at any time.

PokerStars is offering a first-time deposit bonus up to $50. If you are a first-time depositor, they have a bonus for you!

Bodog Poker Room offers players the simplest and most value added bonus program in the industry, featuring the lowest possible rollover requirements.
New players recieve a 10% CASH ONLINE BETTING BONUS on your first deposit!!

Posted by fatbill at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

July 24, 2007

List of 2007 WSOP Winners

Event 2 - World Championship Mixed Hold'em (Limit/No-Limit)
Winner: Steve Billirakis Buy-in: $5,000 | 1st Place Prize: $536,287

Event 3 - No-Limit Hold'em
Winner: Ciaran O'Leary Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $727,012

Event 4 - Pot-Limit Hold'em
Winner: Mike Spegal Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $251,957

Event 5 - Omaha/Seven Card Stud High/Low 8/OB
Winner: Thomas Schneider Buy-in: $2,500 | 1st Place Prize: $214,347

Event 6 - Limit Hold'em
Winner: Gary Styczynski Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $280,715

Event 7 - Pot-Limit Omaha
Winner: Burt Boutin Buy-in: $5,000 | 1st Place Prize: $825,956

Event 8 - No-Limit Hold'em
Winner: Michael Chu Buy-in: $1,000 | 1st Place Prize: $585,774

Event 9 - Omaha High-Low 8/OB
Winner: Alexander Kravchenko Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $228,446

Event 10 - No-Limit Hold'em
Winner: William Durkee Buy-in: $2,000 | 1st Place Prize: $566,916

Event 11 - World Championship Seven Card Stud
Winner: Chris Reslock Buy-in: $5,000 | 1st Place Prize: $258,453

Event 12 - No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed
Winner: Jason Warner Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $481,698

Event 13 - World Championship Pot-Limit Hold'em
Winner: Allen Cunningham Buy-in: $5,000 | 1st Place Prize: $487,287

Event 14 - Seven Card Stud
Winner: Michael Keiner Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $146,987

Event 15 - No-Limit Hold'em
Phil Hellmuth Jr. Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $637,254

Event 16 - H.O.R.S.E.
James Richburg Buy-in: $2,500 | 1st Place Prize: $238,881

Event 17 - Ladies World Championship No-Limit Hold'em
Sally Boyer Buy-in: $1,000 | 1st Place Prize: $262,077

Event 18 - World Championship Limit Hold'em
Saro Getzoyan Buy-in: $5,000 | 1st Place Prize: $333,379

Event 19 - No-Limit Hold'em
Francois Safieddine Buy-in: $2,500 | 1st Place Prize: $521,785

Event 20 - Seven Card Stud High-Low 8/OB
Ryan Hughes Buy-in: $2,000 | 1st Place Prize: $176,358

Event 21 - No-Limit Hold'em Shootout
Don Baruch Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $264,107

Event 22 - No-Limit Hold'em
James Mackey Buy-in: $5,000 | 1st Place Prize: $730,740

Event 23 - Pot-Limit Omaha
Scott Clements Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $194,206

Event 24 - World Championship Seven Card Stud High-Low 8/OB
Eli Elezra Buy-in: $3,000 | 1st Place Prize: $198,984

Event 25 - No-Limit Hold'em
Ben Ponzio Buy-in: $2,000 | 1st Place Prize: $599,109

Event 26 - H.O.R.S.E
Ralph Schwartz Buy-in: $5,000 | 1st Place Prize: $275,683

Event 27 - No-Limit Hold'em
David Stucke Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $603,069

Event 28 - No-Limit Hold'em
Shankar Pillai Buy-in: $3,000 | 1st Place Prize: $527,829

Event 29 - Seven Card Razz
Katja Thater Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $132,653

Event 30 - No-Limit Hold'em - Six Handed
Hoyt Corkins Buy-in: $2,500 | 1st Place Prize: $515,065

Event 31 - World Championship Heads-Up NLH
Daniel Schreiber Buy-in: $5,000 | 1st Place Prize: $425,594

Event 32 - Seven Card Stud
Jeffrey Lisandro Buy-in: $2,000 | 1st Place Prize: $118,426

Event 33 - Pot-Limit Omaha
Alan Smurfit Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $464,867

Event 34 - Limit Hold'em
Alex Borteh Buy-in: $3,000 | 1st Place Prize: $225,483

Event 35 - No-Limit Hold'em
Ryan Young Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $615,955

Event 36 - No-Limit Hold'em
John Guth Buy-in: $5,000 | 1st Place Prize: $363,216

Event 37 - No-Limit Hold'em
Greg Hopkins Buy-in: $2,000 | 1st Place Prize: $269,274

Event 38 - No-Limit Hold'em
Robert Cheung Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $673,628

Event 39 - World Championship H.O.R.S.E.
Freddy Deb Buy-in: $50,000 | 1st Place Prize: $2,276,832

Event 40 - Mixed Hold'em (Limit/No-Limit)
Fred Goldberg Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $204,935

Event 41 - World Championship Seniors NLH
Ernest Bennett Buy-in: $1,000 | 1st Place Prize: $204,935

Event 42 - Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low 8/OB
Lukasz Dumanski Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $227,454

Event 43 - Limit Hold'em
Saif Ahmad Buy-in: $2,000 | 1st Place Prize: $217,329

Event 45 - No-Limit Hold'em - 6 Handed
Bill Edler Buy-in: $5,000 | 1st Place Prize: $904,672

Event 46 - 7 Card Stud High-Low 8/OB
Tom Schneider Buy-in: $1,000 | 1st Place Prize: $147,713

Event 47 - No-Limit Hold'em
Blair Rodman Buy-in: $2,000 | 1st Place Prize: $707,898

Event 48 - 2 to 7 Triple Draw Lowball (Limit)
Rafi Amit Buy-in: $1,000 | 1st Place Prize: $227,005

Event 49 - No-Limit Hold'em
Ghandrasekhar Billavara Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $722,914

Event 50 - World Championship Pot-Limit Omaha
Robert Mizrachi Buy-in: $10,000 | 1st Place Prize: $768,889

Event 51 - S.H.O.E.
Dao Bac Buy-in: $1,000 | 1st Place Prize: $157,975

Event 52 - No-Limit Hold'em
Michael Graves Buy-in: $1,000 | 1st Place Prize: $742,121

Event 53 - Limit Hold'em Shootout
Ram Vaswani Buy-in: $1,500 | 1st Place Prize: $217,438

Event 54 - World Championship No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball
Erikl Seidel Buy-in: $5,000 | 1st Place Prize: $538,835

Event 55 - World Championship No-Limit Hold'em
Jerry Yang Buy-in: $10,000 | 1st Place Prize: $8,250,000

Posted by fatbill at 12:15 PM | Comments (0)

July 18, 2007

2007 WSOP Main Event Champ Crowned

The new champion crowned for the 2007 Main Event No Limit Texas Holdem $10,000 buy-in event is Jerry Yang. Yang took home the coveted bracelet, and $8,250,000. Tuan Lam won second place worth $4,840,981.

The final table took 16 hours to play down!

Raymond Rahme took thrid worth $3,048,025
Alex Kravchenko tok Fourth Place worth $1,852,721

Posted by fatbill at 07:56 PM | Comments (0)

July 16, 2007

2007 WSOP Main Event Day 6

They are down to the FINAL TABLE!

Raymond Rahme, Alex Kravchenko, Lee Childs, Jerry Yang, Lee Watkinson, Tuan Lam, Philip Hilm, Jon Kalmar, and Hevad "RainKhan" Khan.

Scotty Nguyen was eliminated 11th shortly after his AQ ran into a set of 5s, which crippled him.

Philip Hilm is the chip leader with just over 22Million in chips.

The final table will be played tomorrow July 17th.....

Posted by fatbill at 08:53 AM | Comments (0)

July 15, 2007

2007 WSOP Main Event Day 5

Day 5 ended with 36 players still in the hunt. Play will resume today to get down to the final table of 9.

Two top pros are still alive and well, Scotty Nguyen, and Lee Watkinson. Gus Hansen went out 61st, and Huck Seed went out 73rd. Scotty is the only former champion still left in the field.

Here are the top ten stacks:
1 David Tran 10,030,000
2 Philip Hilm 10,000,000
3 Raymond Henson 8,500,000
4 Hevad Khan 6,900,000
5 Lee Childs 6,675,000
6 Scott Freeman 6,300,000
7 William "Bill" Edler 6,000,000
8 Jerry Yang 5,800,000
9 Kenny Tran 5,045,000
10 William Spadea 4,575,000

Posted by fatbill at 11:29 AM | Comments (0)

July 14, 2007

2007 WSOP Main Event Day 4

Day Four is officially in the books, and they are down to 114 players left in the field. Play will resume today, pairing the field down to the final 27 players.

Some of the more notable players still in the hunt are: Huck Seed, Gus Hansen, Scotty Nguyen, and Humberto Brenes. The field is led by a number of online qualifier's.....

Posted by fatbill at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2007

2007 WSOP Main Event day 3

Day 3 was the first time all players were in the same room at the same time, in this Main Event. When play ended for the day, there were 337 players remaining, for day 4. Play began with 797, with the money 'bubble' set at 621 worth $20,320. Payouts now are at $39,445 when play begins today.

This is the second largest WSOP event held, with 6,358 players, behind only last years Main Event. This year, first prize is worth a whopping $8,250,000!

Starting the day, there were six former Main Event champions still in the field: Berry Johnston ('86), Huck Seed ('96), Scotty Nguyen ('98), Chris "Jesus" Ferguson ('00), Carlos Mortensen ('01) and Robert Varkonyi ('02).

There are still some notables among the leaders, among them are: Gus Hansen, Huck Seed, Lee Watkinson, Chad Brown, Robert Varkonyi, Carlos Mortensen, Scotty Nguyen, and Humberto Brenes.

Posted by fatbill at 09:02 AM | Comments (0)

July 12, 2007

2007 WSOP Main Event Day 2b

Well, Day 2b is in the books, and there are a total of 449 players left in the field, which combines today for the first time, to play Day 3. There should be about 800 players when play starts today, with the money being 621st.

Posted by fatbill at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)

July 11, 2007

2007 WSOP Main Event Day 2a

Day two a played down to 350 when play was halted for the night. Day 2B will begin today, with Day 3 looming, for the combined field for the first time.

Some of the players we will NOT be seeing on day three include: Paul Wasicka, Dan Harrington, Tony G, Mark Sief, Patrik Antonius, Barry Greenstein, Tom McEvoy.......

Posted by fatbill at 06:39 AM | Comments (0)

July 10, 2007

2007 WSOP Main Event Day 1d

Well, finally they are done with all the 'day 1' rounds!

Day 1d had over 1700 players, and they played it down to around 650.

They offically had 6,358 total entries to this year's Main event, which is a couple thousand down from last year!

Today they start the first of two 'day 2's', with about 1300 in each day. The field will finally combine on Thursday, as they march towards the final table, which is scheduled to start on Tuesday July 17th!

Posted by fatbill at 08:10 AM | Comments (0)

July 09, 2007

2007 WSOP Main Event Day 1c

Play ended for the night with approximately 680 remaining from Day 1C. Play began for the day with 1706.

Today, the last of the 'first' days ( day 1D ) will be played, before going into the 2 day two's.

Posted by fatbill at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

July 08, 2007

2007 WSOP Main Event day 1b

They played day 1b down to around 610, with some notables surviving to go on to day two. Dan Harrington, Paul Wasicka, David Pham, and Rob Mizachi were among those surviving....

The chip leaders from yesterday ( day 1a ) are Tinten Olivier ($270,500), John Dutchak ($209,600) and Stephen Austin ($205,000).

Posted by fatbill at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)

July 07, 2007

2007 WSOP Main Event Day 1

Well, althought the numbers do not match last year, a VERY healthy 1590 anted up for the first day ( of 4 ) for the WSOP $10,000 No Limit Texas Holdem Main event. That would work out to just shy of 6500 once all four day ones are completed.

Four former Main event champs were in this field: Doyle Brunson, Amarillo Slim, Bobby Baldwin, and Huck Seed.

Posted by fatbill at 08:10 AM | Comments (0)

July 06, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #54 results

Event #54, a $5000 World Championship No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball tournament was won by Eric Sidel, taking home his 8th bracelet, and the first prize, worth $538,835. Chad Brown took second worth $324,777. This was a star studded final, with Shawn Sheikhan taking 3rd, Lamar Wilkingson 4th, Andrew Black 5th, Freddy Deeb 6th, Todd Brunson 7th, and Barry Greenstein 8th.

Today begins the oddesy that has become the WSOP Main Event! Once again they expect over 8 THOUSAND entrants, and here is the schedule:
July 06, 200712:00 PM Day 1A
July 07, 200712:00 PM Day 1B
July 08, 200712:00 PM Day 1C
July 09, 200712:00 PM Day 1D
July 10, 200712:00 PM Day 2A
July 11, 200712:00 PM Day 2B
July 12, 200712:00 PM Day 3
July 13, 200712:00 PM Day 4
July 14, 200712:00 PM Day 5
July 15, 200712:00 PM Day 6
July 17, 200712:00 PM Final Table

Posted by fatbill at 08:58 AM | Comments (0)

July 05, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #52 results

Event #52, a $1000 No Limit Texas Holdem W/Multiple Rebuys tournament was won by Michael Graves, taking down the bracelet and first prize money worth $742,121. Theo Tran took second worth $387,193.

Event #53, a $1500 Limit Texas Holdem Shootout tournament was won by Ram Vaswani, taking home the bracelet and $217,438.

Event #54, a $5000 World Championship No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball tournament is down to 17 players, with some heavy names still vieing for this title, including Freddy Deeb, and Barry Greenstein.

The granddaddy of them all, the $10,000 No Limit Texas Holdem World Championship tournament begins it's first stage tomorrow!

Posted by fatbill at 07:41 AM | Comments (0)

July 04, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #50 & #51 Results

Event #50, the $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Omaha tournament was won by Rob Mizrachi, taking home the bracelet and $768,889. Doyle Brunson went out 6th.

Event #51, a $1000 S.H.O.E tournament was taken down by Dao Bac, who won the bracelet and first price money of $157,975

Event #52, a $1000 No Limit Texas Holdem W/Multiple Rebuys tournament is down to the final table of 9. . The remaining players and their chip counts going into todays final table are:
Theo Tran-1,350,000
Michael Graves-780,000
Arnold Spee-750,000
Thierry Cazals-640,000
Shawn Luman-635,000
Isaac Haxton-600,000
Shawn Hattem-550,000
Chad Batista-480,000
Kris Tate-370,000

Event #53, a $1500 Limit Texas Holdem Shootout tournament ended early, as it became apparent that they would not get down to the final table. They will resume today to get to that point.

Event #54, a $5000 World Championship No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball ournament gets underay today.

The main event begins it's first day on Friday July 6th. There are actually FOUR day one's, in tiers, then Two day 2's before the field is narrowed enought to put everyone in one room at the same time, which is scheduled to be on July 12th.

Posted by fatbill at 12:02 PM | Comments (0)

July 03, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #49 Results

Event #49, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament was won by Chandrasekhar Billavara taking home the bracelet and $722,914.

Event #50, the $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Omaha tournament is down to the final table of 9. Among those at the final table, is Doyle Brunson, looking to tie Hellmuth with his 11th Bracelet. The players remaining are:
1. Doyle Brunson
2. Patrik Antonius
3. Marco Traniello
4, Rene Mouritsen
5. Tommy Ly
6. Jonas Flug-Entin
7. Steve Sung
8. Steve Ladowsky
9. Robert Mizrachi

Event #51, a $1000 S.H.O.E tournament is down to the final table of 9. The remaining players are:
1 Adam Geyer 293,000
2 Dao Bac 266,000
3 Imre Leibold 250,000
4 Raymond Davis 235,000
5 Vladimir Shchemelov 168,000
6 Michael Craig 161,000
7 Patrick Poels 53,000
8 Chip Jett 40,000

Event #52, a $1000 No Limit Texas Holdem W/Multiple Rebuys tournament ended the day with 110 of the starting 1048 remaining. They have yet to reach the money bubble, but it is not far away, when play resumes today.

Today Event #53, a $1500 Limit Texas Holdem Shootout tournament will get underay.

Only one other event is scheduled before Friday's World Championship Main Event gets started, and that is Tomorrows Event #54, a $5000 World Championship No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball tournament.

Posted by fatbill at 08:58 AM | Comments (0)

July 02, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #47 & #48 Results

Event #47, a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament was won by Blair Rodmen, taking home the bracelet and $707,898.

Event #48 a $1000 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball ( limit ) WITH rebuys tournament was won by Rafi Amit, who taks home the braclet and first prize of $227,005.

Event #49, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament is down to the final table of 9 ( remember, they started this one with 3151 players ). The players and their chip counts are:
Seat 1: Lewis Titterton $552,000
Seat 2: Greg "FBT" Mueller $1,032,000
Seat 3: Chandrasekhar Billavara $456,000
Seat 4: Leandro Pimentel $1,134,000
Seat 5: Ray Spencer $1,128,000
Seat 6: Taylor Douglas $2,618,000
Seat 7: Duane Felix $996,000
Seat 8: John Hunt $833,000
Seat 9: Cort Kibler-Melby $694,000

Today, Event #50, the $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Omaha tournament started with 314 players, and they are down to 55. Some of the notables include: Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, Scotty Nguyen, Doyle Brunson, Roy Brindley, Robert Mizrachi, and Greg Raymer.

Event #51, a $1000 S.H.O.E tournament is down to 176, with play resuming today to the final table.

Today Event #52, a $1000 No Limit Texas Holdem W/Multiple Rebuys tournament will get underway....

Posted by fatbill at 12:17 PM | Comments (0)

July 01, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #45 & #46 Results

Event #45, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed tournament was won by Bill Edler, for his first bracelet, and $904,672!

Event #46, a $1000 Seven Card Stud High-Low 8/OB tournament was won by Tom Schneider, defeating Hoyt Verner to win his second bracelet, and $147,713.

Event #47, a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament is down to the final table of 9. The remaining players with their chip counts are:
Seat 1 - Mark McKibben - $643,000
Seat 2 - David Schnettler - $267,000
Seat 3 - Klein Kim Bach - $1,120,000
Seat 4 - Joe Pelton - $681,000
Seat 5 - Blair Rodman - $712,000
Seat 6 - Steve 'Stan' Crawford - $1,498,000
Seat 7 - Amato Galasso - $1,165,000
Seat 8 - Anna Wroblewski - $1,137,000
Seat 9 - Roland de Wolfe - $961,000

Event #48 a $1000 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball ( limit ) WITH rebuys tournament is down to the final table of 6. Andy Bloch went out 7th.... those remaining, and their stacks are:
Seat 1. Anthony Lellouche - $205,000
Seat 2. Lenny Martin - $133,000
Seat 3. Eugene Ji - $192,000
Seat 4. Mark Bartlog - $98,000
Seat 5. Rafi Amit - $374,000
Seat 6. Jon Shoreman - $518,000

Event #49, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament drew HUGE numbers as expected! There were 3,151 entries, making this the third largest WSOP field to date. Firse will be worth $722,914, and 324th 2,667! Play was halted with 218 still in the field, and will resume today towards the final table.

Today, Event #50, the $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Omaha tournament will get underway, as will Event $51, a $1000 S.H.O.E tournament.

Posted by fatbill at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

June 30, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #44 Results

Event #44, a $2000 Omaha High-Low 8/OB tournament was won by Franike O-Dell, taking home his second bracelet and $240,057, Marcel Luske went out fourth.

Event #45, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed tournament is down to the final table of 6, with play resuming today. The final table looks like this:
Seat 1: Greg Pohler - $655,000
Seat 2: Alex Bolotin - $2,010,000
Seat 3: Gioi Luong - $570,00
Seat 4: Bill Edler - $535,000
Seat 5: Dutch Boyd - $705,000
Seat 6: Erik Friberg - $2,795,000

Event #46, a $1000 Seven Card Stud High-Low 8/OB tournament began with 668 entries, and they are downb to 9. They are still playing, trying to get down to the final 8. Scotty Nguyen is still among those in the hunt....

Event #47, a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament ended play for the night with 142 reminaing, all of whom are in the money. There were 2038 entries for this event, making first place worth $707,898!

Event #48 a $1000 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball ( limit ) WITH rebuys event is winding down the field, as there are less than 150 still in the hunt. As expected in an event such as this, most are top named pros. Greg Reymer and Allen Cunningham are among the chip leaders...

Event #49, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament is set to go off today. This one will bring a LOT of players, I'm sure....

Posted by fatbill at 07:52 AM | Comments (0)

June 29, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #43 Result & #39 Updated

Event #39, the $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E tournament was won by Freddy Deeb! He took home this coveted bracelet, and first prize money worth $2,276,832. Bruno Fitoussi took second worth $1,278,720.

Event #43, a $2000 Limit Texas Holdem tournament was won by Saif Ahmad worth $217,329 and the bracelet.

Event #44, a $2000 Omaha High-Low 8/OB tournament is down to the final table, after John Juanda went out 10th. Those remaining, and their chip counts are:
Seat 1- Martin Corpuz, Jr. $292,000
Seat 2- Ming Lee $373,000
Seat 3- Mitch Maples $70,000
Seat 4- Thang Luu $238,000
Seat 5- Jess Robinson $255,000
Seat 6- Frankie O'Dell $318,000
Seat 7- Marcel Luske $427,000
Seat 8- Marvin Ryan $104,000
Seat 9- Stuart Paterson $58,000

Event #45, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed tournament ended for the night with 77 remaining out of a starting 728 players. All players remaining made the money, and there are a number of names still in the field, including Phil Hellmuth who is in the cash for his 62nd time, and Men ' The Master ' Nguyen, who will cash for the 50th cash at a WSOP event. Play will resume today down to the final table.

Event #46, a $1000 Seven Card Stud High-Low 8/OB tournament ended for the evening, with just less than 200 players still in the field. Among those remaining, is Doyle Brunson, and Scotty Nguyen...

Event #47, a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament, and Event #48 a $1000 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball ( limit ) WITH rebuys, both begin today....

We are one week away from the start of the $10,000 World CHampionship No Limit Texas Holdem event!

Posted by fatbill at 08:18 AM | Comments (0)

June 28, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #39 update & #41, #42 Results

Event #39, the $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E tournament is down to the final table of 8. Gabe Kaplan went out 9th, Dewey Tomko 10th, and Greg Reymer #14. The remaining 8 players are:
Amnon Filippi: $4,015,000
Freddy Deeb: $3,500,000
Kenny Tran: $2,445,000
John Hanson: $1,995,000
David Singer: $1,330,000
Bruno Fitoussi: $895,000
Barry Greenstein: $750,000
Thor Hansen: $40,000

Event #41, a $1000 World Championship Seniors Texas Holdem tournament was won by Ernest Bennet, taking home the bracelet and first prize cash worth $348,423.

Event #42, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha High-Low 8/OB tournament was won by Lukasz Dumanski, taking home the bracelet and $227,454.

Event #43, a $2000 Limit Texas Holdem tournament is down to the final table, and here are those remaining:
Seat-8 Tommy Rounds -- $406,000
Seat-2 Saif Ahmad -- $322,000
Seat-3 Joeseph Mandia -- $259,000
Seat-9 Micahel Graffeo -- $250,000
Seat-5 William Jensen -- $245,000
Seat-1 Justin Pechie -- $147,000
Seat-4 Gerald Kane -- $129,000
Seat- 7 Robert Pacleb -- $104,000
Seat-6 Hal Havlisch -- $30,000

Event #44, a $2000 Omaha High-Low 8/OB tournament ended for the night with 79 players still in the hunt. Only 54 will cash in this event, and play will resume today...

Today, Event #45, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Six Handed tournament, and Event #46, a $1000 Seven Card Stud High-Low 8/OB tournament get underway....

Posted by fatbill at 07:51 AM | Comments (0)

June 27, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #39 Update & #40 Results

Event #39, the $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E tournament played down to 21 players when play was halted for the night. Here are some of the names, and chip counts still vieing for the title:
Amnon Filippi 2,343,000
Kenny Tran 1,959,000
Freddy Deeb 963,000
Tim Phan 889,000
Barry Greenstein 700,000
Mike Matusow 696,000
Gabe Kaplan 625,000
Greg Raymer 504,000
Dewey Tomko 248,000
Daniel Negreanu 149,000

Event #40, a $1500 Mixed Texas Holdem ( limit/No Limit ) tournament was won by Fred Goldberg, taking home the bracelet and first prize money worth $204,935.

Event #41, a $1000 World Championship Seniors Texas Holdem tournament is down to the final table of 9, with action resuming today. The remaining players and their chip counts are:
Seat-6 Ernest Bennett -- $1,062,000
Seat-2 Leon Lewis -- $841,000
Seat-4 Ed Smith -- $520,000
Seat-8 Tony Korfman -- $412,000
Seat-9 Thomas Catanzaro -- $278,000
Seat-7 Rod Clarida -- $174,000
Seat-5 Ray Abels -- $151,000
Seat-1 Jack Deutch -- $133,000
Seat-3 Charles Anderson -- $104,000

Event #42, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha High-Low 8/OB tournament is down to the final table, and play will resume today. Here are those players and their chip counts:
Seat-6 David bach -- $502,000
Seat-5 Chad Brown -- $390,000
Seat-3 Lukasz Dumanski -- $358,000
Seat-8 James Tolley -- $282,000
Seat-9 Gene Timberlake -- $143,000
Seat-3 George Danzer -- $116,000
Seat-4 Thomas Hunt -- $114,000
Seat-1 Mark Wilds -- $96,000

Event #43, a $2000 Limit Texas Holdem tournament stopped for the night, with 61 players still in the field. Play will resume today to the final table.

Event #44, a $2000 Omaha High-Low 8/OB tournament starts off today...

Posted by fatbill at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)

June 26, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #38 Results

Event #38, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament was taken down by Robert Cheung. Cheung won both the bracelet and first prize money worth $673,6285. Richard Murnick took second place worth $417.117, and Erica Shoenberg took thrid worth $261,646.

Event #39, the $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E tournament is playing down to 48, with a star studded field ready for the title. You'd expect top pros to be leading the pack in this one, and they are, with the exception of an unknown, John Hanson, who is the chip leader. Among the pros still in the hunt are: Eric Lindgren, Cyndy Violette, Mike Matusow, Eli Elezra, Toto Leonidas, Allen Cunningham, Chip Reese, Andy Block and Huck Seed.

Event #40, a $1500 Mixed Texas Holdem ( limit/No Limit ) tournament played down to the final table. The final nine players are: Karlo Lopez, Christoph Niesert, Scott Bohlman, Rene Mouritsen, Fred Goldberg, Michael Craig, Reza Zand, Joe Brandenburg,and Kevin Marcott.

Event #41, a $1000 World Championship Seniors Texas Holdem tournament is down to the money, with 153 still in the hunt, including three former WSOP World Champs: Amarillo 'Slim' Preston, Tom McEvoy, and Brad Daugherty.

Event #42, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha High-Low 8/OB tournament halted for the night with 98 players still in the field. Play will resume today....

Event #43, a $2000 Limit Texas Holdem tournament starts off today....

Posted by fatbill at 08:43 AM | Comments (0)

June 25, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #37 Results

Event #37, a $2000 Pot Limit Texas Holdem tournament was won by Greg Hopkins, taking home the bracelet and $269,274. Jason Newburger took home second place and $165,797.

Event #38, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament was down to ten players, playing down to the final 9 before play is halted.

Event #39, the $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E tournament started with 148 players, and play stopped for the night with 127 remaining. Eli Elezra is the chip leader after 18 levels of play.

Event #40, a $1500 Mixed Texas Holdem ( limit/No Limit ) tournament started play with 620 players, and play ended for the night with 125 remaining. Only 63 make the money, and play will resume today to determine the final table of 9.

Two events are set to begin today..... Event #41, a $1000 World Championship Seniors Texas Holdem tournament, and Event #42, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha High-Low 8/OB tournament....

Posted by fatbill at 07:14 AM | Comments (0)

June 24, 2007

2007 WSOP Events # 35 & #36

Event #35, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament was won by Ryan Young, taking home the bracelet and First place cash of $615,154.

Event #36, the $5000 World Championship Omaha High-Low 8/OB
tournament was won by John Guth for both the bracelet and $363,216.

Event #37, a $2000 Pot Limit Texas Holdem tournament is down to the final table. Here are the players, seats, and chip counts going into today's final:
Seat 1 - David Zarrin ($238,000)
Seat 2 - Ray Coburn ($100,000)
Seat 3 - Pete Lawson ($198,000)
Seat 4 - Gioi Luong ($240,000)
Seat 5 - Yuval Bronshtein ($516,000)
Seat 6 - Bryan O'Connell ($179,000)
Seat 7 - Bob Collison ($197,000)
Seat 8 - Jason Newburger ($278,000)
Seat 9 - Greg Hopkins ($454,000)

Event #38, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament Day one ended with 180 players remaining out of a starting 2778! Some of the notables still in the hunt are: Anna Wobrewlski, Erica Schoenberg, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Marcel Luske, Eric "Rizen" Lynch, Men "The Master" Nguyen and Kathy Liebert.

Two events are set to start today:
Event #39, the $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E tournament is the biggest event of the WSOP, and last year was a dog fight. I'm sure this year will be no different!
Event #40, a $1500 Mixed Texas Holdem ( limit/No Limit ) tournament....

Posted by fatbill at 07:14 AM | Comments (0)

June 23, 2007

2007 WSOP Events #33 & #34

Event #33, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha w/rebuys tournament was won by Alan Smurfit taking home the bracelet and $464,867.

Event #34 a $3000 Limit Texas Holdem tournament was won by Alex Borteh, taking home the bracelet and first place prize money of $225,483.

Event #35, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament is down to the final table of 9 out of the starting 2541! Those still in the hunt are: Ryan Young, Dustin Dirksen, John Esposito Jr., Michael Trimby, Paul Cheung, Nam Le, Joe Holmes, Darren Glenn, and Raj Jain

Event #36, the $5000 World Championship Omaha High-Low 8/OB
tournament is down to the final table. Here is the final table players with their chip counts.
Seat 1 - Reynaud Max - $529,000
Seat 2 - Bart Hanson - $191,000
Seat 3 - John "SirScoopalot" Guth - $387,000
Seat 4 - Randy Jensen - $283,000
Seat 5 - Greg Jamison - $223,000
Seat 6 - Michael Pollowitz - $189,000
Seat 7 - David Flores - $450,000
Seat 8 - Robert Stevanovski - $384,000
Seat 9 - Jim Grove - $163,000

Event #37, a $2000 Pot Limit Texas Holdem tournament is down to 46 players, with play set to resume today to determine the final table.

Today, Event #38, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament, is set to kick off....

Posted by fatbill at 08:46 AM | Comments (0)

June 22, 2007

2007 WSOP Events #31 & #32 Results

Event 31 - a $5000 World Championship Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em tournament was won by Daniel Schreiber, taking home the bracelet and $425,594. Marck Muchnik took home second and $230,300.

Event 32 - a $2000 Seven Card Stud tournament was won by Jeffery Lisandro, who claimed the bracelet and $118,426. Nick Frqangos took second... Daniel Negreanu went out fifth.

Event #33, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha w/rebuys tournament is down to THe final table of nine. Play will resume today with these players vieing for the bracelet and the first place cash of $464,867:
Qushqar Morad 995k
Chris Bjorin 600k
Brandon Adams 500k
Chau Giang 360k
Hilbert Shirey 325k
Van Marcus 220k
Rob Fellner 210k
Birinder Nijran 195k
Alan Smurfit 95k

Event #34 a $3000 Limit Texas Holdem tournament is down to the final 9, with play resuming today. The remaining players are:
1.Vivek Rajkumar
2.Petri Pollenan
3.David Pham
4.Marco Johnson
5.Matthew Kelly
6.Shawn Keller
7.Brandon Wong
8.Alex Borteh
9.Michael Byrne

Event #35, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament ended the day with 147 players still in the hunt. There are a number of top pros still in the hunt, including: Phil Gordon, Kathy Liebert, Joe Sebok, Antonio Esfandiari, John Juanda, clonie Gowen, and Dutch Boyd.

Event #36, the $5000 World Championship Omaha High-Low 8/OB
tournament is down to 152 of the starting 280. Play will resume today. There are a whole bunch of top names still in this hunt!

The only event set to go today is Event #37, a $2000 Pot Limit Texas Holdem tournament.....

Posted by fatbill at 08:17 AM | Comments (0)

June 21, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #30 Results

Event #30, a $2,500 No-Limit Texas Holdem - Six Handed tournament was won by Hoyt Corkins taking home the bracelet and $515,065.

Event 31 - a $5000 World Championship Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em tournament is down to the final 8 ( 4 matches ). Play will resume today, and the matchups are as follows:
Alfredo "Toto" Leonidas vs. Daniel Schrieber
Jared Davis vs. Mark Muchnik
Shannon Shorr vs. Vanessa Selbst
Steve Sarrafzadeh vs. Keith Black

Event 32 - a $2000 Seven Card Stud tournament is down to the final table of 8, with Howard Lederer being the bubble boy! Here are the final players and their chip counts for when play resumest today:
Seat No. 1: Daniel Negreanu - $164,500
Seat No. 2: Gregory Pappas - $144,000
Seat No. 3: Nick Frangos - $90,500
Seat No. 4: David Bordy - $16,000
Seat No. 5: Jeffrey Lisandro - $195,000
Seat No. 6: Nesbitt Coburn - $150,500
Seat No. 7: Severin Walser - $24,000
Seat No. 8: Farshad Cohen - $75,500

Event #33, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha w/rebuys tournament started with 293 players, and with 51 remaining, play was halted for the night.

Event #34 a $3000 Limit Texas Holdem tournament stopped for the night with 119 players remaining. Several Pros are left in the field, including Greg Mueller, David Levi, Max Pescatori, Marco Traniello, Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke and Ted Forrest.

Today, Event #35, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament ( which sold out, and Event #36, a $5000 World Championship Omaha High-Low 8/OB tournament get undeway.

Posted by fatbill at 06:24 AM | Comments (0)

June 20, 2007

2007 WSOP Events #28 & #29

Event #28, a $3000 No Limit Texas Holdem Tournament was won by Shankar Pillai, taking home the braclet and $527,829. Phil Hellmuth went out 6th, pilling onto his WSOP record Money and Cashes!

Event #29, a $1500 Seven Card Razz tournament was won by Katja Thater, taking home #132,653 and the braclet.

Event #30, a $2,500 No-Limit Texas Holdem - Six Handed tournament is down to the final table of 6, with play resuming today. The players with seat assignments and chip counts are:
Seat No. 1: Terrance Chan - $502,000
Seat No. 2: Alan Sass - $1,217,000
Seat No. 3: William Lin - $736,000
Seat No. 4: James Pittman - $127,000
Seat No. 5: Kelly Vandemheen - $307,000
Seat No. 6: Hoyt Corkins - $1,371,000

Event 31 - a $5000 World Championship Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em tournament is down to 64 players, after a delayed starting time. Play will resume today. Some 'names' still in the hunt include: Toto Leonidas, Roland De Wolfe, Chad Brown, Phil Gordon, Gavin Griffin, Paul Wasicka, Scotty Nguyen, Layne Flack, Tony G, Jennifer Tilly, and Joe Sebok.

Event 32 - a $2000 Seven Card Stud tournament played down to 88 players when play was halted for the night, out of a starting 217. Marcel Luske is among the chip leaders. Play resumes today.

Events #33, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha w/rebuys tournament, and #34 a $3000 Limit Texas Holdem tournament get underway today!

Posted by fatbill at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)

June 19, 2007

2007 Event#27

Event #27 is a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament was won by David Stucke, taking down first place worth $603,069 and the bracelet.

Event #28, a $3000 No Limit Texas Holdem Tournament ended with ten players remaining going into todays final table. This will be an ESPN televised event, so they opted to play it ten handed. Those remaining are: Dustin Holmes, Beth Shak, Brett Richey, Perry Friedman, Shankar Pillai, Luke Vrabel, Jason Song, Ben Fineman, Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Corbin.

Event #29, a $1500 Seven Card Razz tournament is down to the final table of 8, where play will resume today. Those remaining, with their chip counts are:
O'Niel Longson ($410,000)
Paul "Eskimo" Clark ($110,000)
Larry St. Jean ($100,000)
Katja Thater ($84,000)
Thomas Daubert ($81,500)
Denny Axel ($77,000)
Mark Vos ($74,000)
Men "The Master" Nguyen ($25,000)

Event #30, a $2,500 No-Limit Texas Holdem - Six Handed tournament played down to 42 players our of a staring 847, and will resume today towards the final table. Among the notables remaining, are: Nam Le, Barry Greenstein, Erik Sidel, Erick Lindgren, and Hoyt Corkins.

Event 31 - a $5000 World Championship Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em tournament, and Event 32 - a $2000 Seven Card Stud tournament will get underway today.

Posted by fatbill at 07:59 AM | Comments (0)

June 18, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #25 & #26

Event #25 the $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament was won by Ben Ponzio, taking home the bracelet and $599,467. David Hewitt took home second place worth $374,216.

Event #26 the $5000 H.O.R.S.E tournament was won by Ralph Schwartz taking down the bracelet and $275,683. Bill Gazes took second place worth $153,408. Phil Ivey was eliminated in 4th.

Event #27 is a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament is down to the final table of 9. Here are those remaining, their seat, and chip counts:
Tom Dobrilovic - Seat 1 - $260,000
Noam Freedman - Seat 2 - $874,000
David Stucke - Seat 3 - $975,000
Luis Sanchez - Seat 4 - $516,000
David Woo - Seat 5 - $1,114,000
Young Cho - Seat 6 - $935,000
Thai Ton - Seat 7 - $224,000
Seth Weinger - Seat 8 - $1,715,000
Michael Ium - Seat 9 - $382,000

Event #28, a $3000 No Limit Texas Holdem Tournament, is down to 81 players when play was halted for the night. All are in the money, and will return today to play down to the final table. Among those still in the hunt are Phil Hellmuth, Evelyn Ng, and Steve Dannemann.

Event #29, a $1500 Seven Card Razz tournament is down to less than 150, with play ended, and scheduled to resume today.

Today Event #30, a $2,500 No-Limit Texas Holdem - Six Handed tournament will get underway.

Posted by fatbill at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)

June 17, 2007

2007 WSOP Event Updates

Event #22, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker tournament was won by James Mackey, taking home his first bracelt and $730,740. Mackey is only 21, and the thrird youngest bracelet winner in WSOP history!

Event #23, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha tournament was won by Scott Clements, taking home the bracelet and $194,206. Eric Lynch took home $119,508 for second place.

Event #24, the $3000 World Championship Seven Card Stud High-Low 8/OB tournament was won by Eli Elezra for his First Bracelet and $194,984. Scotty Nguyen took home second, and Dutch Boyd thrid.

Event #25 the $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament is down to the final 9 of a starting 1619. Here are the players, seat positions, and chip counts going into the final today:
Seat 1. Evan Schwartz - $792,000
Seat 2. Justin Rollo - $772,000
Seat 3. Adam Ross - $662,000
Seat 4. Darryl Ronconi - $346,000
Seat 5. Ben Ponzio - $415,000
Seat 6. Danny Noam - $563,000
Seat 7. David Hewitt- $600,000
Seat 8. Ken Einiger - $1,039,000
Seat 9. Travis Rice - $1,284,000

Event #26 the $5000 H.O.R.S.E tournament is playing down to the final table, OR 4AM ( vegas time ) which ever comes first. Tweleve players are left out of a starting 192. Doyle Brunson cashed, coming in 22nd.

Event #27 is a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament that began play with 2315 players. They ended play with 135 remaining, with play scheduled to resume today to get to the final table.

Event #28, a $3000 No Limit Texas Holdem Tournament, and Event #29, a $1500 Seven Card Razz tournament are both set to start today.

Posted by fatbill at 07:11 AM | Comments (0)

June 15, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #22

Event #22, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker tournament is down to the final table. Those remaining for todays final, with chip counts are:
Will McMahon - $524,000
Tex Barch - $709,000
Michael Binger - $240,000
Jan Sorenson - $349,000
Stuart Fox - $718,000
Michael Gracz - $534,000
Karga Holt - $1,211,000
James Mackey - $1,074,000
Nick Schulman - $1,045,000

Event #23, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha tournament began play with 576 players, and is now down to 23 with play resuming today. Notable among those remaining is Johnny Chan, who is seeking to tie Phil Helmuth for his 11th Bracelet.

Event #24, the $3000 World Championship Seven Card Stud High-Low 8/OB tournament began with only 236 players, and play halted for the night with 120 remaining. Marcel Luske, Mike Matesow and Daniel Negranu are among the pros still in the hunt.

Two more events kick off today. Event #25 is a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem Event, and Event #26 is a $5000 H.O.R.S.E event.

Posted by fatbill at 06:55 AM | Comments (0)

June 14, 2007

2007 WSOP Events #19 and #20

Event #19, the $2500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament was won by Francois Safieddine, taking down the bracelet and $521,785. John Pham took second place, worth $330,486.

Event #20 a $2000 Seven Card Stud High-Low 8/OB tournament was won by Ryan Hughes for the bracelet and prize money of $176,385. Greg Reymer took down forth!

Event #21, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Shootout tournament was won by Don Baruch taking the bracelet and first prize money worth $264,107. Jared Davis took second, and Daniel Negreanu thrid.

Event #22, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker tournament began with 640 players, and they halted play with 85 still in the hunt. Play will resume today.

Also today, Event #23, a $1500 Pot Limit Omaha tournament, and Event #24, the $3000 World Championship Seven Card Stud High-Low 8/OB tournament get underway.....

Posted by fatbill at 10:06 AM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #17 & #18 Results

Event #17, the $1000 Ladies World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem tournament was won by Sally Anne Boyer taking home the bracelet and $262,077. Anne Heft took down second place.

Event #18, the $5000 World Championship Limit Texas Holdem Tournament was won by Saro Getzoyan, who took down the bracelet and $333,379. Geoff Sanford took home second place worth $200,511.

Event $19, the $2500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament is down to the final table. Those remaining, are: Devin Porter, Shawn Hattem, Alex Bolotin, John Pham, Bertrand Grospellier, Francois Safieddine, Lars Bonding, Marcus Obser, and James Gilsdorf. Mike Matesow was eliminated in 11th.

Event #20 a $2000 Seven Card Stud High-Low 8/OB tournament is down to 19 players, with both Greg Reymer and Ted Forrest still in the hunt.

Event #21, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Shootout tournament is down to the final table, including both Daniel Negreanu and Erick Lidgren. Play will resume today....

Event #22, a $5000 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker tournament, is set to kick off today.

Posted by fatbill at 07:39 AM | Comments (0)

June 12, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #15 & #16 Results

Event #15, the $1500 NO Limit Texas Holdem tournament was won by Phil Hellmuth! Phil took down the bracelet and $637,254. MORE IMPORTANTLY, Phil won his ELEVENTH Bracelet, surpassing both Johnny Chan and Doyle Bunson as the First and ONLY player to do it! Andy Philachack took second place worth $394,594.

Event #16 the $2500 H.O.R.S.E tournament was won by James Richburg, taking down his second bracelet, and #238,881. Walter Brown took home second place.

Event #17, the $1000 Ladies World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem tournament is down to the final table. Those still vieing for the bracelet are: Frauke Ritter Von Sporschil ($525,000), Mindy trinidad ($445,000), Venessa Selbst ($355,000), Katja Thater ($340,000), Sally Boyer ($325,000), Anne Heft ($277,000), Kathy Gliva ($145,000), Randy Calabro ($110,000), and Julie Dang ($50,000).

Event #18, the $5000 World Championship Limit Texas Holdem Tournament is down to the final nine. Those remaining players are: William Thorsson, Ray Dehkharghani, Thor Hansen, Geoff Sanford, Tom Korac, Don Todd, David Gee , Saro Getzoyan, and Gabriel Nassif.

Event $19, the $2500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament is down to 99 players of the starting 1013, all making the money. Among those still in the hunt are, Mike Matusow, Antonio Esfandiari, Chad Brown, John Phan, and Greg 'FBT' Mueller. Play will resume today.

Event #20 a $2000 Seven Card Stud High-Low 8/OB tournament ended play with about 136 players till in the hunt, of a starting 340. Play will resume today.

Today event #21, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Shootout tournament will get underway.

Posted by fatbill at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)

June 11, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #13 and #14 Results

Event #13, the $5000 World Championship Pot Limit Texas Holdem tournament was won by Allen Cunningham. Cunningham won $487,287, and his FIFTH WSOP bracelet! Jeffery Lisandro took home second place.

Event #14, the $1500 Seven Card Stud tournament was taken down by Michael Keiner, who won the bracelet and $146,987. Nesbitt Coburn took home secone place worth $80,876.

Event #15, the $1500 NO Limit Texas Holdem tournament is down to the final table of 9, out of 2628 entries! Among those at the final table, is Phil Hellmuth, who is second in chips. Not only is Phil breaking records daily by making the cash, but he is looking to take down his 11th Bracelet, and surpass both Johnny Chan and the great Doyle Brunson!

Event #16, is the $2500 H.O.R.S.E tournament, and play was ended with 20 of an original 382, players still in the hunt. Play will resume today.

Event #17 the $1000 Ladies World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem tournament, is down to 66 players with play set to resume today at 2PM.

Event #18 the $5000 World Championship Limit Texas Holdem Tournament ended play with 115 of the starting 257 still in the hunt. Doyle Brunson is among the chip leaders, making this an interesting event when play resumes today!

Today, Event #19, the $2500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament, and Event #20 a $2000 Seven Card Stud High-Low 8/OB tournament will get underway!

Posted by fatbill at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)

June 10, 2007

2007 WSOP Events #12 and #13

Event #12, the No Limit Texas Holdem Poker 6-handed tournament, was won by Jason Warner, who took down the Bracelet and the first place prize of $481,698.

Event #13, is the $5000 World Championship Pot Limit Texas Holdem tournament. Play ended when they got down to the final 9, and will resume today for the Bracelet. This is another Pro-Studded final table with these players remaining: Jeff Lisandro, Jason Lester, Allen Cunningham, Gavin Griffin, Travis Rice, Joe Patrick, Alan Jaffray, Humberto Brenes, and Keith Lehr. This is Lester's second year in a row making the final table in this event....I think he likes it!

Event #14 is a $1500 Seven Card Stud tournament, with play at the final table still going on as of this writing. Play is down to 4, with John Robertson eliminted 7th, Greg Raymer 5th, and Dale Phillips 5th. Michael Keiner, Nesbitt Coburn, Steve Sun, and Barry Greenstein are still remaining....

Event #15, a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker tournament, played down to about 170 of a starting 2628.

Event #16, is a #2500 H.O.R.S.E tournament that played down to 210 for when play resumes today. There are some heavy hitters still in the field, including: Doyle Brunson, Mike Matusow, Daniel Negreanu, David Williams, Andy Bloch and Cyndy Violette.

Today Event #17, the $1000 Ladies World Championship No Limit Texas Holdem tournament, and Event #18 the $5000 World Championship Limit Texas Holdem Tournament will get underway.

Posted by fatbill at 07:59 AM | Comments (0)

June 09, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #10 and #11 results

Event #10, the $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem Tournament, was taken down by William Durkee. Durkee won the bracelet and $533,916. Todd Terry took second place worth $353,875.

Event #11, the World Championship Seven Card Stud tournament, was won by Chris Reslock after eliminating Phil Ivey, who took home second place.

Event #12, the No Limit Texas Holdem 6-Handed tournament, is down to the final table of 6. Those remaining are: Brian Miller, David Mitchell-Lolis, David Zeitlin, Jason Warner, Matt Brady, and Steve Olek. Play will resume today at 3PM.

Event #13, is the $5000 World Championship Pot-Limit Hold'em tournament, where 398 players began the day. They are down to 70 players for doday's play.

Event #14 is a Seven Card Stud event, which started play with 395 players. There are still approximately 160 players remaining, going into today's play.

Today, event's #15 and #16 get underway.

#15 is a $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament
#16 is a $2500 H.O.R.S.E tournament.

Posted by fatbill at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)

June 08, 2007

2007 WSOP Events #8 and #9 Update

Michael Chu won event #8, the $1000 No Limit Texas Holdem w/rebuys event talking home the bracelet and the top prize of $585,774. Tommy Vue took second worth $364,761

Event #9, the $1500 Omaha Hith-Low 8/OB tournament was taken down by Alex Kravchenko winning the bracelet and first prize cash worth $228,446. Bryan Devonshire took dwon second place, worth $140,336.

Event #10 , the $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem tournament, is down to the final table of 9, with play set to resume today! The remaining players are: Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo, Hunter Frey, Michael Banducci, Todd Terry, Stan Weiss, Will Durkee, Gil George, Ronnie Hofman and Walter Browne.

Event #11, the $5,000 World Championship of Seven Card Stud tournament is down to the final table of 8. Among those remaining, are Phil Ivey, David Oppenheim, and Marko Traniello.

Event #12 is the No Limit Texas Holdem 6-handed tournament. Of a starting field of 1427 there are 61 players remaining. Play will resume today at 2PM with J.C. Tran one of the chip leaders.

There will be two events getting started today:
#13 a $1500 Seven Card Stud event
#14 the $5000 World Championship of Pot Limit Texas Holdem.

In other 2007 WSOP news, Phil Hellmuth became the All Time WSOP event Cash leader. Phil has cashed in a record 58 WSOP Events in his career!

Posted by fatbill at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)

June 07, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #6 and #7

Event #6 is in the books! The $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event was won by Gary Stycznski, earning him the bracelet and the top prize of $280,715.

Event #7, the $5000 Pot Limit Omaha w/rebuys, was taken down by Burt Boutin earning him the bracelet and the top prize of $825,957.

Event #8, the $1000 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker tournament, is down to the final table, with Amir Vahedi as the chip leader. The other players at the final table are: Mike Gracz, Dolph Arnold, Michael Chu, Barry Cales, Tommy Vu, Shane Schleger, Robert Aron and Jan Von Halle.

Event #9, a $1,500 Omaha High Low 8/OB tournament is down to the final 8, with play resuming today. The Chip leader will be John Vohner with approximately $590K.

Event #10 is a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem Tourament is down to 125 with play set to resume today!

Event #11 is the $5000 World Championship Seven Card Stud Tournament!
Only 180 players entered this event, with 24 set to cash, and a first prize of #358,453. Play stopped for the night with 98 players still in the hunt. This event is LOADED with the top pros, and should have some fireworks before it's over!

Event #12, the $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem 6-handed tournament is the only new event set to begin today.

Posted by fatbill at 07:23 AM | Comments (0)

June 06, 2007

WSOP 2007 Event #4 and #5 Results

Event #4, the $1500 Pot Limit Texas Holdem event, came down to a showdown between Mike Spegal, and Gavin Smith. Spegal eventually won this showdown, taking home the bracelet and the first place money worth $252,290. Smith earned $155,645 for second!

Event #5, the $5000 Omaha/Seven Card STud High/low 8/OB event was won by Tom Schneider. Schneider had previously made two other final tables, and was able to secure his bracelet over a VERY impressive final table. Ed Tonnellier took second, Annie Duke third, and Chris Ferguson was eliminated in 4th place .

Event #6, the $1500 Pot Limit Texas Holdem Poker event, is down to the final table of 9. The play will resume today, with the final players being: Gary Styczynski, James Gorham, Hansu Chu, Soheil Shamseddin, James Holland, Varouzhan Gumroyan, Michael Banks, Dariush Imani and Peter O'Donnell.

Event #7, the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha w/multiple Rebuys, is down to the final table, and it's full of top pros! This event will pay $825,956 for first, due to the multiple rebuys involved. The remaining players for todays final will be: Humberto Brenes, John Juanda, Larry Jonsson , Minh Ly, Burt Boutin, Robin Keston, Sirous Jamshidi, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, and Eric Cajelais.

Event #8, a $1,000 No Limit Texas Holdem with rebuys event, started off with 844 players, and is down to 81 when play was stopped. All remaining players are in the money!

Event #9, a $1,500 Omaha High Low 8/OB event started off with 690 players, and is down under 200, with play stopping for the night.

Today two more events kick off!
#10 is a $2000 No Limit Texas Holdem Tourament
#11 is the $5000 World Championship Seven Card Stud event!

Posted by fatbill at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)

June 05, 2007

2007 WSOP Event #3

The second bracelet was won by Ciaran O'Leary, in the $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem event! O'Leary won $727,012. Paul Evans took home second place worht $450,150!

The final table is all set for the $1500 Pot Limit Texas Holdem event #4. Play will resume today with the following players, in chip count order: Gavin Smith, William Hill, Bruce Van Horn, Jeff Langdon, Marco Traniello, Mike Spiegel, Jon Friedberg, Tom Savitsky and Eric Lynch.

The final table is also set in event #5, the $2500 Omana/Seven Card Stud High/Low 8/OB. Scotty Nguyen and Josh Arieh went out 10th and 9th respectively, leaving these players to play today for the title:
Tom Schneider, Annie Duke, Chris Ferguson, Chris Bell, David Benyamine, Joseph Bolnick, John Phan and Ed Tonellier.

Event #6, A $1500 Limit Texas Holdem game, is down to 90 of an original starting 910.

Event #7 began yesterday, whis is a $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha event. This is truely a star-studded event with both Brunson's still in the hunt, among a TON of other top pros! John Juanda is the chip leader!

Today, event #8 begins, which is a $1000 No Limit Texas HOldem WITH re-buys! This event brings out the fireworks!

Also starting today will be event #9 which is a $1500 Omaha High/Low 8/OB event.

Posted by fatbill at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)

June 04, 2007

First 2007 WSOP Event Winner

Steve Billirakis became the youngest bracelet winner at 21 years 10 days old! He took down the Mixed Texas Holdem ( limit/no-limit ) event beating out Greg Mueller, and winning $536,287.
Here are the top ten:

1 Steve Billirakis $536,287
2 Greg Mueller $328,554
3 Tony George $218,329
4 Steve Paul-Ambrose $146,259
5 Fred Berger $108,105
6 Roger McDow$ 84,788
7 Kirk Morrison $63,591
8 Jon Turner $46,633
9 John Younger $33,915
10 Phyong Tran $22,257

In Event #3, the $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Event, they are down to the final nine out of the original 2998!

Here are the final table players and chip counts by seating assignment:

1. Craig Cirvello - $495,000
2. Jeff Yoak -- $965,000
3. Alex Jacob - $3,100,000
4. Andreas Krause - $490,000
5. Paul Evans - $1,690,000
6. Thad Smith - $555,000
7. Ciaran O'Leary - $610,000
8. Matt Vengren - $930,000
9. Bart Hanson - $210,000

Event #4, the $1500 Pot Limit Texas Holdem event is down to 51 players out of a starting 780. The top 70 cashed for this event.

Event #5 is a Omaha/Seven Card Stud High/Low 8/OB , where 327 entered, and they are down to 88. Some of the notables remaining in this event are: Cyndy Violette, Mel Judah, and Mike Matusow, John Phan, Huck Seed, Chau Giang, Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman, Chris Ferguson, David Benyamine, Josh Arieh, Andrew Black, and Greg Raymer.
Play will resume today....

Event #6 - $1500 Limit Hold'em gets underway today!

Posted by fatbill at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)

June 03, 2007

2007 WSOP Begins!

Well, we are off and running in the 2007 World Series of Poker!!

There is already some controversy, as the event has introduced new cards, that most of the top players ABSOLUTELY HATE!

The first event played is the $5000 Mixed Holdem Event. There were 451 Entries for the evnet, and after two days of play, they are down to just 9. Here are the players, and seat positions.... play will resume today:
Seat 1: John Younger
Seat 2: Jon Turner
Seat 3: Fred Berger
Seat 4: Rodger McDow
Seat 5: Greg Muller
Seat 6: Kirk Morrison
Seat 7: Steve Billirakis
Seat 8: Steve Paul Ambrose
Seat 9: Tony George

The second event, $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem kicked off yesterday, bringing a record 2998 entries! After day one, it is down to 270 which makes all remaining in the money for at least $3478. First place will pay the winner $727,012. Several top pros are near the top, including two past Main Event champions! Here are the top players still in the hunt:
1 Alex Jacob1
2 Roland De Wolfe
3 David Pham
4 Pat Blye
5 Eric Baldwin
6 Jeffrey Yoak
7 Benny Cho111
7 Michael Banducci
9 Shawn Reed
10 Sanjeer "Bobby" Bais
11 Dapo Fadey
11 Arnold Spee
13 Brian Ichikawa
14 Don Holland83
15 Jeff Cabanilla
16 Ryan Fair
16 Matthew Stern
18 Steve Wise
19 Kiran Pate
20 Chris Moneymaker
20 Erick Lindgren
22 Steve Kolb
23 Neil O'Brien
24 Collin Halstead
25 Greg Raymer
26 Sergi Veyster
27 Colin Dentan
28 Scott Clements
29 Eugene Todd
29 Griffin Avel

Today, the thrid Event will start at noon ( vegas time ). It is a $1500 Pot Limit Texas Holdem Event.

Posted by fatbill at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)

May 20, 2007

Some SNG success as of late!

I have played in a few SNG's at Full Tilt Poker of late, and had some limited success!

I won a 5 table SNG in No Limit TExas Holdem Poker, and took thrid in a Omaha Hi Pot Limit game. I have also cashed in a couple of other SNG's.

While this is not making me a whale, since I am only playing in $5 and $10 games, I ran my meager $12 up to $101.

I have been playing with EXTREME patience, and it has been paying off for me lately. For the most part, I'm a pretty tight player, but I'm trying to get a little more aggressive on the hands that I feel are winners, and it has paid off. We'll see how things progress from here, but I'm encouraged!

Posted by fatbill at 01:36 PM | Comments (0)

May 19, 2007

FTOPS at Full Tilt

The FTOPS IV Main Event hosted by Team Full Tilt's Gus Hansen is only two days away, where you can play for your share of a prize pool guaranteed to be worth at least $1.5 million.

For a HORSE of a different color, play in our $50K HORSE Qualifier, hosted by Team Full Tilt's Andy Bloch, and win your way into one of poker's most prestigious tournaments.

You can click on the Full Tilt Poker link on the right side of this page under 'Online Poker Rooms We Endorse AND Play at!' To read all about it, and get in on the action!

Posted by fatbill at 12:30 PM | Comments (0)

April 19, 2007

Playing Nice online....

There are some things, that just need to be re-visited from time to time... like Poker etiquette! Since I play Texas Holdem Poker at several online rooms I see the same things in people.....

Whether or not you play like a champion, you can act like a champion.

Treat others as you would like to be treated. There is no point in being rude!

Do not harass or intimidate other players at the table.

Do not criticize your opponents' play. Not everyone has the same understanding of the game, and it is easy to take exception to how someone else plays. REMEMBER, it is their hand to play as THEY see fit, EVEN if it is NOT the correct play!

Foul or offensive language in chat is not tolerated.

Do not type in capital letters as it appears you are shouting.

As we all know, poker is sometimes frustrating. Bad beats are a part of the game, and they seem to happen more in online play. When they happen to you, take them in stride. Try chatting "Nice Catch" or "Nice Hand" to your opponent OR don’t make a comment at all. You can say what you really feel out loud, just don’t type it!

Posted by fatbill at 12:18 PM | Comments (0)

April 09, 2007

PPAs Amato Live Chat

Former senater, and current Poker Player's Alliance head, John Amato will be having a LIVE CHAT at Full Tilt Poker this Thursday, April 12th! This will be a golden opportunity for everyone to get some answers to the political situation with Poker in the United States, and to find out where the PPA stands.

If you are not a member of Full Tilt, now is a GREAT opportunity to Join and get in on this IMPORTANT chat! To Join Full Tilt Poker, either click on the name at the right, or CLICK HERE!

Posted by fatbill at 01:02 PM | Comments (0)

March 21, 2007

Reymer's Poker Stars Account Hacked!

Some moron, hacked Greg 'Fossilman' Reymer's Poker Stars player account, and had himself a good ole time!

The idiot started dumping huge pots, while playing heads up not thinking about the HUNDREDS of players that watch EVERY pro that plays on that site! Needless to say, people started questioning the eratic play, and contacted Poker Stars Security.

It goes without saying, that the accounts were frozen, and the funds were corrected....

Posted by fatbill at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)

February 16, 2007

Welcome Bodog Poker!

We are VERY pleased to able to offer our players BODOG POKER as one of our HIGHLY Recommended Poker Rooms!

If you come to Bodog, playing hard is the only way you"ll take down the big pots they offer for Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo, and 5 Card Stud! Each month they put up guaranteed prize pools in the MILLIONS, including a $100,000 tournament every Sunday. And when it comes to the biggest games in the world, Bodog offers it's members hundreds of guaranteed seats to the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker!

You want in? Go to the Bodog Poker Room to open a free poker account today!

Posted by fatbill at 07:02 PM | Comments (0)

January 29, 2007

WSOP Champ Gold dropped by Bodog

It seems that Bodog, with little explaination, has dropped the sponsorship of Jamie Gold, the 2006 Main Event Texas Holdem Poker Champion! I do not believe ANY past champion has EVER been dropped by a poker room as a sponsor. Just makes you wonder, huh?

Posted by fatbill at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)

January 23, 2007

Played in the Club Home game

I went last thursday and played in our club's local homegame. It was really nice to see the guys, and to play some live texas holdem poker for a change. There were 31 players, which is a lot more than there were the last time I played in this game!

I really did not have much in the way of hands to play most of the night, but managed to hold my own, and stay in the game for a long time. When we got down to two tables, I was pretty short, being around 2200, with blinds at 300/600. The first two hands I had once we merged were AJ and AK. I went all in on both. Called on the AJ with another AJ, and no one called the AK all in. Floated along for a while waiting for something to play, when I got A8d on the button, and since I only had 1700 left, I went all in. Picked up the blinds!

Next hand I get AA! I push all in again, of course with 2700.... the small blind who is loose, and has a big stack calls, the big blind ALSO calls, and this is for more than a third of his stack! They check it down, and the big blinds flips JTo! He hist a fucking straight on the river to take me out.... have no idea what he was thinking to call off that much of his stack with that hand....

Posted by fatbill at 10:52 AM | Comments (0)

January 10, 2007

Have you noticed

Something Odd, I noticed when playing Texas Holdem Poker tournaments online! EVERYONE that you play against is, in their opinion, better than you, or anyone else at the table. Your every move is criticized at some point or another by some genious that just KNOWS his strategy and ability is FAR superior to yours! LOL

The funny thing is, that this phenom is not limited to high stakes or big buy-in games..... its JUST as prominant in little $2 games. People are funny creatures... gotta love em! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 09:16 AM | Comments (0)

January 06, 2007

Back to normal...

Well, after that top 3 cash back in December, things have gotten back to normal.... meaning, I've been taking it up the wahzoo most of the time! It is almost laughable, when you see flops miss, time after time, after time.

Dont get me wrong, I LOVE the game of poker, in all it's forms! I just dont think that the gods of poker care a whole lot for me most of the time! LOL

Posted by fatbill at 10:55 AM | Comments (0)

December 13, 2006

Top 3 finish!

Played in a $10 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker tournament at Full Tilt Poker yesterday and ended up taking down third place!

The amazing thing was, that they paid 18 places, and I just BARELY got in to the money in the first place, and with 15 left was down to two BB's!

After a couple of successful ALL IN moves, I was up to around 5K, and then hit a rush of cards to boost me up to 25K and in the top 4. I was able to hold on to that position and get into the top three, and actually take over the chip lead at one point.

Unfortunately, cards went a bit cold on me, and I got knocked out third, but considering where I was to get to the money, I was pretty happy with that finish!

Posted by fatbill at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)

December 12, 2006

Cashed in online Tourney

I gave in to the bug, and played in a $10 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker tournament yesterday. There were 253 players, and I ended up coming in 18th, so I cashed!

I played pretty well, and would have come in a bit higher except for, what I would consider a 'glitch' in the Full Tilt Poker software.

I had just gone through BB and SB, when two hands later, I was moved, in balancing the tables. I was move INTO the BB again! So I have to eat up BB and SB again.... two fucking hands later, I am moved AGAIN INTO THE BB!

In 9 Hands, I am BB three times and SB three times! That is quite a hit to your stack....

Posted by fatbill at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)

December 11, 2006

Played some Live poker...

Saturday night, we had some people over, and actually played some live Texas Holdem Poker! It was good to play some live poker for a change!

There were only 7 of us playing, and we only played for $5, but we managed to get a couple games in, and there was no buffonery.....

I had forgotten how much fun it was to just PLAY Texas Holdem, to kid around, talk some shit, and just have some fun!

... ya, I got sucked out on each game! LOL Some things do NOT change!

Posted by fatbill at 09:22 AM | Comments (0)

December 04, 2006

Quite a long break...

I have taken a bit of a long break from both playing and reporting on texas holdem poker, or any other form of online poker. I was not doing things that i wanted, and figured getting away from the game for a bit would help me clear my head and get some perspective. Every now and then, we ALL need to clear our head and get some new energy and perspective on things.

I'll be back playing soon, I know that. The game never lets me leave it for very long! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 12:35 PM | Comments (0)

November 09, 2006

Why I hate online poker...

So I'm playin in a sit-n-go Texas Holdem Poker - No Limit.

We are down to about 15, so everyone is in the money.... I'm in the top three chip counts with 33K

I have AJc, and call a 3x bet of 3500. Flop comes rag rag A, one club. I bet 7K which is what the other player has left. HE calls me with KK. My aces have him, right?
He K's on the fuckin river, of course....

OK...

Two hands later... Im at 14K, and I limp in with J9c...

Board flops rag J 9 giving me top two pair... I push all in... lady calls me wht AJ...... hits an A on the fuckin river..... AGAIN.

Aint online poker great!

Posted by fatbill at 06:05 PM | Comments (0)

November 03, 2006

Poker Room Merger talks...

There is supposed to be an announcement this Monday Nov 6th, regarding a merger of two of the top poker rooms: Ultimate Bet, and Absoulte Poker. There are no details at the moment, so speculation is rampant on which one will be the controlling factor, and/or which software platform will run the new room. I'll keep things updated on Monday when there has been an official announcement!

There are also rumors floating that 888.com and PartyGaming ( party poker ) are discusing a merger.... things are getting pretty interesting now a days....

Posted by fatbill at 09:32 PM | Comments (0)

October 31, 2006

Excellent Article on the new law..

I ran across an absolutely great article on the new Anti Gambling legislation that was recently passed as part of the Port Authority act.

You can read the entire article Here.

It was written by Professor I Nelson Rose, a noted authority on Gambling law in the US. It is probably the best piece on this shitty legislative attempt.....

Posted by fatbill at 12:27 PM | Comments (0)

October 27, 2006

About Joe Hachem's 2006 WSOP run...

Ya know, I have been watching the WSOPs televised coverage on ESPN lately, and one think that strikes me is how well Joe Hachem played! Coming back as the defending Main Event Texas Holdem Poker champion has to be a very difficult thing, especially with the numbers that the events are pulling.

Joe made two or three final tables in WSOP events, and the ONLY reason that he does not have another bracelet is because he took some TERRIBLLY bad beats. He outplayed Dutch Boyd, and got beat. Then he played well but got beat by a questionable call from John Gale in the Pot Limit event.... a couple cards differently, and he could have had another bracelet or two!

All in all, he made a terrific defense of his title, IMHO!

Posted by fatbill at 09:01 AM | Comments (0)

October 13, 2006

He signed it!

President Bush today signed the 'Port Security' Bill, which included language to stop credit card and banks from funding online gambling establishments.

The language used in the bill has been deemed TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE by most legal minds that have commented, and does nothing to stop OR PROHIBIT US players from playing poker online!

For an intereresting video on the moron that was at the fore front of this language inclusing to the bill, Bill Frist... check this out

Video Here

... and he wants to run for President?????

Posted by fatbill at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)

October 10, 2006

Video's on the Internet Gaming Ban...

Everyone should watch these videos. They tell you the truth about what is behind the bullshit that congress just pulled in passing the 'port security' bill that had the internet gaming bill attached!

Video 1

Video 2

A congress women with more balls then most of the limp dicks in the senate!
Video 3

Posted by fatbill at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)

October 07, 2006

Policy Changes made here

You may have noticed that we have changed a LOT of the poker rooms under ONLINE POKER ROOMS WE ENDORSE AND PLAY AT to the right.

WE DID!

We no longer endorse or promote:

PartyPoker, Poker Stars, Pacific Poker, Paradise Poker, Titan Poker, or Poker Ocean

WHY? Because THEY have chosen NOT to allow US players, due to the PENDING legislation. PENDING... fucker is not even signed into law yet and these chicken shit rooms are already not allowing US players, AND/OR will not pay for players sent to them this month! FUCK EM!

There are a LOT of good rooms out there, that are not afraid to stick up to your GOD GIVEN right to do what you want in the privacy of your own home, and that INCLUDES your right to PLAY POKER ONLINE!

Posted by fatbill at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

October 06, 2006

More thoughts on this 'legislation'

I'm STILL PISSED!

Many of you that are online poker players, have undoubtedly recieved numerous emails from the various poker rooms that you play at. I'm sure that MANY of those emails have announced that THE MINUTE that ole George W sign's this 'port security' bill, that they will be cancelling your account!

It's amazing how many of the major poker rooms are going to STOP US PLAYERS from playing real money games at their sites.... ( cough*** Party Poker and Poker Stars)!

Please understand... it is NOT illegal to play poker online! FURTHERMORE, the Poker Rooms are NOT OBLIGATED to abide by US law, as they are ALL FOREIGN companies!

Be assured, that ALL of the poker rooms that we feature here, accept US Players, and have not panicked like many of the rooms have!

Posted by fatbill at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)

October 01, 2006

About backhanded legislative morons...

It's a sad thing that our US legislature has to resort to backhanded politics to try to stop online gambling! In the WEE hours saturday morning, they attached a bill to another TOTALLY UNRELATED bill, to do just this!

The bill that was ORIGINALLY put forth was the SAFE PORT ACT. Here is a brief description of what it was SUPPOSED to be for:
"...to improve maritime and cargo security through enhanced layered defenses..."

There is a copy of the port bill as passed and can be found at the following URL http://saveonlinegaming.com/hr49543.pdf. The portion of the bill relating to online gambling begins on page 213, and runs from there to the end of the bill on page 244 - so it totals 32 pages in length.

The senator behind this was Bill First. He intends to run for President in 2008.... lets be sure to tell him and others like him what we think of this BULLSHIT!

Posted by fatbill at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2006

I've been playing online lately....

... at Bugsy's and at Full Tilt Poker!

I have always liked playing at Bugsy's, even thought it is no where near as popular or busy as most of the other rooms. For some reason, the people playing there are nicer than at most other places, and I think the play is a bit better. The down side, is that because there are not as many players, you dont get the numbers in touraments that you do at other places...

Full Tilt is a pretty busy place to play at, which means there are good turnouts for touraments with 400+ not uncommon. The level of play is what I expect at any big poker room.... erratic! LOL There just seem to be so many more buffoons at bigger poker rooms, so you get more suckout's by morons making incrediblly bad calls! LOL

Oh... it's fun to go into rooms and watch the Full Tilt pro's play for the big bucks. Nothing like watching a couple of them play $1000/$2000 Omaha! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2006

Uproar over ESPN WSOP ME coverage

Man has there been a lot of discussion about the coverage by ESPN of the WSOP Main Event Texas Holdem Poker event!

It's NOT the issue of poor coverage of the poker, BUT the coverage of the MORONS acting like 4 year olds DURING the tournament.

You Have to watch the latest two episodes of the coverage to understand what is going on, but everyone was expecting a WWF type event to break out.....

Some of these people really need to get a life!

The Tournament Management has to REALLY Take a serious look at doing something to crush this type of behavior, or they are in risk or simply feeding into the mentality that would have poker banned in this country.

Posted by fatbill at 08:44 AM | Comments (0)

September 07, 2006

Interesting events with this years WSOP people

For the first time that I can recall, there are a number of legal issues involving people who did well in this year's WSOP Main Event!

Jamie Gold, who won the No Limit Texas Holdem Poker Main Event this year, is being sued for half his winnings. It is being claimed that he promised them to a 'friend', and there seems to be a taped telephone message regarding that from Jamie himself on the matter. Who knows... one thing for sure, is that people get screwy when there is 12Million involved! You can read more of this at Cardplayer.com by clicking Here.

NOW it comes out that Richard Lee, who first achieved fame by finishing sixth at the Main Event, is under investigation for running an online sports Book out of his home. Warrents were issued, and there was a 'raid' on his home that involved confications of computers, automobiles, ect.... The full article can be read Here.

thses things dont bode well for the sport, especially in light of pending legislation....

Posted by fatbill at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)

September 03, 2006

Have not played much......

... lately, mainly because of the Carpol Tunnel operation. The hand just gets too sore after extended mouse use and I'm terrible left handed! LOL

I played one online tourney, and it was miserable! Althought I did make the final table, actually the final 6, the cards stopped, and I got wasted away.....

I played one time with the guys at the Poker club, and that was equally dismal, when I got a horrible call on an all in. There were NO pot odds on the call, and the caller had K high with an ace on the board ( I had and ace ). He of course hit a straight on the river.

Gotta love poker... the one game where poor play and bad calls are continually rewarded!

Posted by fatbill at 11:20 AM | Comments (0)

August 23, 2006

Some UPdates and stuff

I've been away on vacation, and will be a bit scarce in the upcoming weeks because of some other commitments, and some Carpol Surgery scheduled in the near future.... I am able to take some extended vacation here lately because of the generosity of the local indian tribe's craps table... ;-)

I just read at PokerNews.com that Jaimie Gold, the winner of this years WSOP MAIN EVENT, is being sued for half his winnings! I guess it was only a matter of time..... Read the entire story HERE

Posted by fatbill at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)

August 14, 2006

Don't let Congress Ban Poker!

A few misguided congressmen have decided that they need to cow-tow to some special intrest groups with elections coming up, so they put this bullshit bill on the books to ban online gambling. NOW, it does not matter, that EVERY authoritative group on the subject has pointed out the deficiencies of the bill, and the hypocracy of what it stands for. This group just plods ahead, thinking THEY know what is best for YOU!

WHY can they do this? Simply because NO ONE STANDS UP TO THEM!!

Take a few minuts and send your congressman a note telling him how much YOU think this legislation is bullshit! It's SIMPLE.. just enter your Zip code and it sends letters FOR YOU!

JUST CLICK HERE!

Here are some key points published by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) on this subject....

I strongly oppose H.R. 4411 which passed the U.S. House in July and implore you and your colleagues to oppose similar legislation that may be offered in the Senate.

With rising gas prices, a prolonged war in the Mid-East and an ever increasing national debt, the U.S. Senate has much better and bigger things to accomplish than a ban on poker.

More than 70 million Americans play poker. 23 million enjoy the game on the Internet. A vote against poker is a vote against me and other like minded Americans and will mobilize us in the November elections.

A recent CNBC poll showed that 91 percent of Americans would like to see online gambling regulated in the U.S. and not prohibited! Studies have shown that regulation and taxation of Internet poker could net the federal government $3.3 billion in revenue annually and another $1 billion for the states.

Posted by fatbill at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)

August 09, 2006

2006 WSOP Other Events

Lost in the hype of the main event, are several other Bracelet events going on at the same time! Here is a recap of those events.

$1000 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker event held Aug 3rd and 4th, won by Pramesh Bansi taking home $230,209. 1100 Entries

$1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker event held Aug 5th and 6th, won by Paul Kobel who took home $316,144 for the event. 1007 Entries

$1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker event held Aug 6th and 7th, won by James Mitchell taking home $153,173. 362 Entries.

$1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker event held Aug 7th and 8th, won by

$1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker event held Aug 8th and 9th

$1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker event held Aug 9th and 10th

Posted by fatbill at 07:03 AM | Comments (0)

July 29, 2006

2006 WSOP Main Event Day 1A

There were 2138 Entries for day 1A of the $10,000 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker Main Event yesterday, and they played down to just under 800. Play will resume as day 1B today. Players from today and yesterday ( 1A and 1B ) will return Tuesday Aug 1st.

Rumor has it they have had 8500+ entries with additional stand buy entries for each day's events..... that would put the main event 1st prize around $10Million

Posted by fatbill at 08:50 AM | Comments (0)

July 24, 2006

About Getting Sucked out on....

I honestly think that I am the unluckiest poker player alive! If there is a card in the deck that my opponent can hit to suck out on me, they will..... ON THE RIVER! That is a sad thing, and happens much too often when playing online.

So I sat back and thought about the situation about being sucked out on so often. The thing is ..... I VERY RARELY go in to a situation where I am NOT the best hand going in. There are ONLY two possible outcomes ( we are not going into the small percentage of ties ):

1) The best hand can hold up
2) The best hand will be sucked out on

So it would stand to reason, where you do not win, which even though you want to, will NOT happen 100% of the time, you WILL be sucked out on mor often than not.

As frustrating as that is, it is an intregal part of poker! It WILL HAPPEN, and in online poker, it will happen MUCH MORE OFTEN than playing live. WHY do I say that? Simply because of the volume of hands that are dealt each minute online. If you play online poker at a poker room with any type of volume: Party, Stars, Tilt, Absolute, ect... the sheer volume of hands per hour dictates that there will be what SEEMS to be abnormal suckouts.....

In the great game of poker, you can ONLY do one thing: Play the best hand and let the chips fall as they may.....

Posted by fatbill at 04:33 PM | Comments (0)

July 21, 2006

Great Article on current Gambling Legislation

A Ban on Internet Gambling Is A Ban On Freedom
By Dan Burns


The recent actions of the U.S. House of Representatives have convinced me that 317 of our congressmen need a refresher course in civics.

Mr. and Mrs. American politician, your first job as legislators is to protect the rights of American citizens. Your second job is to make laws that help run the country. Once again, protection of rights comes first, all other business comes second.

The problem — as illustrated by the House passing HR-4411 on July 10 by a vote of 317 to 93 — is the typical American politician considers safety, social order and many other factors to be more important than their constituents’ civil liberties. Our liberty has declined in status from the supreme ideal this nation was founded on to something that is now a secondary consideration.

HR-4411, known as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act, aims to block American citizens’ access to certain online gambling Web sites. Access to online poker rooms and casinos would be restricted, and those sites would be unable to receive payments from U.S. banks and credit card companies. Online wagering on horse races, fantasy sports and certain state-run lotteries would not be affected.

The bill is sponsored by Congressmen Robert Goodlatte, R-Virginia, and Jim Leach, R-Iowa. They claim Internet betting can be so addictive that people can lose their life savings making wagers online. They also claim it is too easy for minors to make bets on the Internet.

Those points are well-taken and should be considered by parents everywhere, but they’re not sufficient evidence to ban online casinos.

You don’t ban something 99 percent of people enjoy because 1 percent of the people who use it have a problem with it. That’s not democracy, is it? Prohibition of alcohol didn’t work. Burning books didn’t work. Banning online gambling is not going to work.

And are we to believe all of the bad things legislators point out about online gambling – the addiction, the handful of people who allegedly launder money through online casinos, etc. – don’t apply to online horse wagering? Most of the people I know who make bets on horse races online (which they will never get a chance to even see, by the way) are more compulsive than the dozens of people I know who like to play a little $2/$4 hold’em before they go to bed.

This idea of legislating morality has got to stop. Americans might look to the government to protect them from foreign invaders, but they certainly don’t need the government to protect them from themselves. What we do in our own home, with our own money, in our own free time is our business and nobody else’s.

When I was learning the ins and outs of America’s two-party system in high school, I learned the Republican Party advocated a “hands off” approach to governance and was in favor of small government. What has happened to them? Now they feel they have to pass laws protecting us from ourselves and deciding how we can spend our money.

If you want to protect me, please begin by protecting my civil liberties. Once you’re sure they are secure, then by all means, legislate away.

As you might have guessed by now, I’m an avid Internet poker player. I am one of thousands of American residents who treat online poker as a part-time job. Any attempt to ban online poker would rob me and my colleagues of something our founding fathers called an “unalienable right” endowed by our creator, which is the pursuit of happiness. Indeed, the financial plans of many young Americans rely on their access to online poker in the next few decades.

I know some of you might be saying, “You’ve got to be kidding me. Your financial goals rely on poker?” Well, they do.

Imagine being a talented rock musician whose band is about to make it big when your government decides to outlaw rock music. Rock music gets people too excited, the government reasons. Studies have shown many violent crimes occur right after rock concerts, and teenagers who take drugs like to listen to rock music while they’re getting high. Some people, including men and women with families, spend hundreds of dollars a month on rock concerts and albums, they say. That’s money that could be spent on productive things.

This fictional government makes a good case. I guess we should outlaw rock music. No fame and fortune for you.

There is a negative side to every creature, commodity and concept in the world. It’s very easy to make a convincing case to ban anything if you choose to focus on the horror stories. Things such as guns and alcohol, for example, destroy thousands of lives more than online gambling every year, yet they remain perfectly legal.

Banning online gambling is not the answer to solving the problems that arise from it, but neither is leaving things the way they are.

The United States should pass legislation legalizing online gambling, but requiring operators to set up an office within the country. Then regulate the industry and force the owners to pay taxes, taxes, taxes and more taxes. Tax the hell out of them. They’ll pay it, because legal status and an image of legitimacy will be good for business.

This issue is in the Senate’s hands now. Senators everywhere, particularly my senators, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-NJ, and Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ, I encourage you to speak out against this bill on the Senate floor. My congressman Mike Ferguson, R-NJ, did not agree with me, but I’m hoping you will.

If you decide to vote in favor of the Senate’s version of HR-4411, then please do me one favor. Attach an amendment to the bill calling for the discontinuation of “the land of the free” as one of our country’s mottos, because that phrase would no longer be applicable.

Dan Burns is the co-founder of Satellitewinner.com, a website dedicated to strategy for Poker Satellites He can be reached at Dan@satellitewinner.com.

Posted by fatbill at 02:51 PM | Comments (0)

July 11, 2006

ACT NOW! HOUSE TO VOTE ON GAMBLING BILL...

CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE IN WASHINGTON D.C. TODAY!!

Let’s make our voice heard in support of poker! Call your Representative before he or she votes this week on legislation that seeks to prohibit you from playing poker on the Internet. They are in Washington, so please call their D.C. office. You can get the number by clicking here and then using your zip code you can find your Representative’s office phone number.

Tell your Representative that they should vote against *H.R. 4411 - the Internet Gambling Prohibition and Enforcement Act!

*H.R. 4411 is the same bill being pushed by Congressman Bob Goodlatte (H.R. 4777) just under another name. Please refer to H.R. 4411 when you call your Representative.

This is crunch time, and even if you have called before it is important that you call again. Thank you for your continued support to defend the game we love.

Sincerely,

Michael Bolcerek, president
Poker Players Alliance

Posted by fatbill at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)

June 27, 2006

2006 WSOP is ON!

Well, the 2006 WSOP tournament is finally here! Yesterday, the No Limit Texas Holdem Poker Casion Employee event got underway with 1,232 entries.

Today, the $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker event kicks off the tournament! It will be interesting to see how may entries there are for this event. Last year there were over 2K.

I'm pretty geeked about this year's WSOP, and will keep you up to date with all the event results and happenings....

Posted by fatbill at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

June 23, 2006

Getting up to date here.....

I have been playing quite a bit again online at a couple of different poker rooms. I've played quite a bit at PokerStars.com, because I like their 180 man $20 buy-in tournament. Unfortunately, I have not had much luck in it lately. I've been making it down to 30 players and then getting knocked out just before the money ( they pay 18 places ), which has been somewhat discouraging.

I decided to go back to playing at Bugsy's place. I started out playing a lot there when I first played online poker for money. I really like the intereface there, and while there are not as many players, the PLAY is MUCH better than at most poker rooms! There are FAR less idiots there and the play is much more consistant AND friendlier! The only problem there, is that there is not as many players, so it's a little harder to find a game. Tournaments are not as big as other online poker rooms either, averaging in the 50 player area during the day.

All this play put a bug in me for some live play, so I went last night and played with the group from the club in a $60 game. I was up and down all night, but played pretty consistantly, and on an even keel. I made it to the final 7 ( had 18 players ) but, as usual, I was short stacked. I started getting cards though, and went on a heater of sorts finding myself chip leader in no time. I ended up chopping with another guy when we were heads up. It was a lot of fun, and went a long way to spark my interest in the game!

Posted by fatbill at 09:55 AM | Comments (0)

June 17, 2006

2006 WSOP Coming Soon!

Can you believe that the WSOP is hear again already? It's coing to start in less than TEN days now! We will, of course, be providing daily coverage of all events, as we have in the past!

I thought a review of the schedule was in order, as there have been some changes to accomodate the $50K HORSE event which is new this year....

Sun, Jun. 25
No-Limit Hold'em Satellites
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $200 + $0
Mon, Jun. 26
No-Limit Hold'em Satellites
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $200 + $0
Mon, Jun. 26 - Tue, Jun. 27
No-Limit Hold'em Casino Employee
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $500 + $0
Tue, Jun. 27 - Thu, Jun. 29
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0
Wed, Jun. 28 - Fri, Jun. 30
Pot-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0
Thu, Jun. 29 - Sat, Jul. 01
Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0
Fri, Jun. 30 - Sun, Jul. 02
No-Limit Hold'em Short Handed 6/Table
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $2,500 + $0
Sat, Jul. 01 - Mon, Jul. 03
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $2,000 + $0
Sun, Jul. 02 - Tue, Jul. 04
Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $3,000 + $0
Mon, Jul. 03 - Wed, Jul. 05
Omaha High-Low 8/OB
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $2,000 + $0
Tue, Jul. 04 - Thu, Jul. 06
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $5,000 + $0
Wed, Jul. 05 - Fri, Jul. 07
Seven Card Stud
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0
Thu, Jul. 06 - Sat, Jul. 08
Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0
Thu, Jul. 06 - Fri, Jul. 07
Omaha High-Low 8/OB
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $5,000 + $0
Fri, Jul. 07 - Sun, Jul. 09
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $2,500 + $0
Sat, Jul. 08 - Sun, Jul. 09
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: Multiple Rebuys $1,000 + $0
Sun, Jul. 09 - Mon, Jul. 10
Ladies No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,000 + $0
Sun, Jul. 09 - Mon, Jul. 10
Pot-Limit Omaha
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $10,000 + $0
Mon, Jul. 10 - Wed, Jul. 12
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,000 + $0
Tue, Jul. 11 - Wed, Jul. 12
Pot-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $2,000 + $0
Wed, Jul. 12
No-Limit Hold'em Seniors
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,000 + $0
Wed, Jul. 12 - Fri, Jul. 14
H.O.R.S.E.
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $50,000 + $0
Thu, Jul. 13 - Sat, Jul. 15
No-Limit Hold'em Short Handed 6/Table
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys$ 2,500 + $0
Fri, Jul. 14 - Sun, Jul. 16
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $2,000 + $0
Sat, Jul. 15 - Mon, Jul. 17
Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $3,000 + $0
Sat, Jul. 15 - Mon, Jul. 17
Omaha High-Low 8/OB
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $3,000 + $0
Sun, Jul. 16 - Tue, Jul. 18
No-Limit Hold'em Shootout
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $2,000 + $0
Mon, Jul. 17 - Tue, Jul. 18
Pot-Limit Omaha
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0
Tue, Jul. 18 - Thu, Jul. 20
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0
Wed, Jul. 19 - Thu, Jul. 20
Seven Card Stud
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $5,000 + $0
Wed, Jul. 19 - Thu, Jul. 20
Pot-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $2,500 + $0
Thu, Jul. 20 - Sat, Jul. 22
No-Limit Hold'em Short Handed 6/Table
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $5,000 + $0
Fri, Jul. 21 - Sun, Jul. 23
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $2,000 + $0
Sat, Jul. 22 - Mon, Jul. 24
Pot-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $5,000 + $0
Sat, Jul. 22 - Sun, Jul. 23
Seven Card Razz
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0
Sun, Jul. 23 - Tue, Jul. 25
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: Multiple Rebuys $1,000 + $0
Mon, Jul. 24 - Tue, Jul. 25
Seven Card Stud High-Low 8/OB
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,000 + $0
Mon, Jul. 24 - Wed, Jul. 26
Limit Hold'em Shootout
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0
Tue, Jul. 25 - Thu, Jul. 27
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0
Tue, Jul. 25 - Wed, Jul. 26
No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball
Rebuy Status: Multiple Rebuys
Thu, Jul. 27 - Fri, Jul. 28
No-Limit Hold'em Media Event
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys$ 0 + $0
Fri, Jul. 28 - Thu, Aug. 10
No-Limit Hold'em Championship
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $10,000 + $0
Thu, Aug. 03
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,000 + $0
Sat, Aug. 05
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0
Sun, Aug. 06
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0
Mon, Aug. 07
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0
Tue, Aug. 08
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0
Wed, Aug. 09
No-Limit Hold'em
Rebuy Status: No Rebuys $1,500 + $0

Posted by fatbill at 07:50 AM | Comments (0)

May 26, 2006

Played some Live Texas Holdem Poker

I went last night and played texas holdem poker with some of the boys from the club for a change. I had not played with the club for over a month, for a variety of reasons... I hate when life gets in the way of my poker! ;-)

It was a nice night, catching up with the guys, and hearing stories of their last adventure in Vegas. A couple of them did very well, as mentioned in an earlier post, and some others had some interesting tales to tell also. One satellited his way into the main $10K event.

As to cards, I played pretty well, and can honestly say that I did not make a bad decision on what to, or not to play, all night. I simply did not get any cards down the stretch, and went out fifth....

Posted by fatbill at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)

May 25, 2006

When the cards run bad....

I have been playing some No Limit Texas Holdem Poker in Multi Table Tournaments of late, and I have to tell ya, my cards have just horribly sucked! It's an aweful lonely feeling when your cards are running bad, because there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it but wait it out!

I played three tournments yesterday, including two regular $20 buy-in ones, and just sat in wonder at how bad the cards were, hand after hand.

In one of those $20 events, I thought things were turning, when I started out 77, 99, TT.
77 won small pot
99 split when the other guy also had 99
TT lost to JJ

Then I got 33 which one a small pot.. course at this point I'm stack crippled..... then 99 again lost to JJ and I'm done..... didnt last 20 minutes!

All you can do, is wait it out.......

Posted by fatbill at 07:53 AM | Comments (0)

May 15, 2006

Playing MTTs again...

I have started to play some no limit texas holdem poker multi table tournaments, once again. I had taken a few weeks off play to get my head clear and get some perspective on things.

I have actually been doing pretty well, all things considered. I have managed to cash more often than not, and am up overall for the past week of play. I have been playing 5-7 events a day, and I cash in one or two of them.

Most often the cash is simply enough to pay for the days play, which is ok for now. Better to be playing for free, in the long run, than paying to play! ;-)

I have had a few successes, one first, and a couple seconds, but most of the cashes have been less than those. THE encouraging thing, is that I am consistantly putting myself in a position TO cash, and there have been a number of times that I have bubbled, or just before, making the final table.

I'm learning how these things play, and what is necessary to be consistant in them.... time, as they say, will tell!

Posted by fatbill at 07:17 AM | Comments (0)

May 04, 2006

Taking a break....

I have not posted any information lately because I have decided to take an extended break from Texas Holdem Poker, to attempt to gain some perspective on things!

I'll be back attempting to improve, and inevitibly taking more bad beats in a week or so! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:22 AM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2006

SNG Results of late...

I have played in 8 SNG's in the past three days, and I have not had the best of luck. These are of course, No Limit Texas Holdem Poker SNG's, ranging from 27 to 180 people.

In 5 of these, I was sucked out on hard, making the right call, and having the best hand going in, only to get hit on the river in every case. One particularly nasty one was an idiot calling me with 94 off and hitting a straight on the river. UGH... There have been times lately where I have hated this fucking game!

In Two of the SNG's I was short and did not go in with the best hand, and got snapped. These two I can live with, it was simply a matter of bad cards leading to a decision that had to be made.

In ONE SNG did I cash, and that was a 5th place cash, and even then I went in with AKs against a small pair, and had not ONE face card hit the board......

Posted by fatbill at 12:10 AM | Comments (0)

April 24, 2006

On David Williams and porn.....

Much todo has been made recently on a number of the more popular poker blogs about David Williams and the video's that 'supposedly' show him and an older woman in a couple of sex acts.

Personally, I dont care!

I thought the 'older woman' ( I say that because she is NOT older than me ) was a rather good looking lady, and I would have obliged her in much the same way David did, given half the chance. Actually, MOST of the male audiuence that is making such a fuss, when push came to shove ( pun not intended ) would have done the lady without hesitation, REGARDLESS of what they said in chat rooms!

Let us remember that David Willims is a young man full of raging hormones, as many of us were at that age, and let him be!

;-)

Posted by fatbill at 09:14 AM | Comments (0)

April 21, 2006

2006 WPT Championship Day 2

Well, the play in the WPT Championship No Limit Texas Holdem Poker event heated up on the official day 2, and over 200 players were eliminated so it's down to just over 200 going into day three! Some of the notables eliminated were: Jeff Shulman, Phil Ivey, Nick “The Takeover” Schulman, Darrell “Gigabet” Dicken and John Gale. The likes of Alan Goehring, Daniel Negreanu, Amnon Filippi, Kenna James, Huck Seed, Mike Matusow, Alex Jacob, James Worth and Hoyt Corkins were all sent to the rail throughout the day.

There are a lot of name players in the thick of things, and today's play should be interesting to say the least. Here is a look at the top 25 in chips:
1 Patrik Antonius 554,500 Chips 0 54 2
2 Gregory Fondacaro 540,400 Chips 0 52 9
3 David Williams 497,500 Chips 0 55 8
4 Erick Lindgren 472,300 Chips 0 53 3
5 Shawn Bucahanan 462,100 Chips 0 43 6
6 Brad Booth 443,200 Chips 0 51 1
7 Abdul Fadeyi 398,000 Chips 0 50 7
8 Quoc Al "Vinnie" Vinh 391,800 Chips 0 58 6
9 Thithi "Mimi" Tran 367,300 Chips 0 45 5
10 Marc Durand 366,300 Chips 0 46 3
11 Paul Wasicka 364,400 Chips 0 52 5
12 Kassem "Freddy" Deeb 354,500 Chips 0 53 6
13 Chip Jett 350,600 Chips 0 59 2
14 David Byer 343,200 Chips 0 44 5
15 James Woods 341,700 Chips 0 56 8
16 James Van Alstyne 338,200 Chips 0 59 1
17 Ron Toledo 329,800 Chips 0 53 4
18 Jamie Ligator 314,800 Chips 0 61 4
19 Luke Neely 294,800 Chips 0 61 5
20 Carlos Zambrano 294,700 Chips 0 53 1
21 Meng La 293,200 Chips 0 49 2
22 Raul Oliveira 283,700 Chips 0 51 6
23 Kenny Tran 268,100 Chips 0 58 5
24 Jennifer Harman 261,500 Chips 0 55 4
25 Duc Nguyen 248,300 Chips 0 53 7

There are just a BUNCH of other notables left also.....

Posted by fatbill at 06:53 AM | Comments (0)

April 15, 2006

I hate getting screwed....

One of the reasons that I took a break from playing Texas Holdem Poker, is that I was just simply tired of getting screwed every time I played! I've heard all the arguments that 'you want people making those calls....', bla, bla, bla....

The fact of the matter, is that I'm getting sucked out on 95% of the time whtn those idiots '..make those calls...' and I just got tired of it!

It's pretty tiresome making the right call, at the right time, KNOWING you have the best hand.... only to have the asshole hit a two outer on the river to put you down. AND, it happens TIME after TIME, after TIME... ESPECIALLY Online....

So, What set me off this time?

I'm playing in a Deep Stacks tournament at PokerStars.... it's down to 100 players, with the top 40 paid.... Im not in great shape, having like 7K with the average being around 12K, but because of the blinds 100/200, I'm not really in trouble. I'm playing smart, being patient, and really not taking unnecessary risks with my chips....

FINALLY I get a hand!

KK UTG! I make it 800 to go! I get two callers.... the guy on the button, who has me outchipped 5/1, and the BB who is similar in chip count to the Button.

The flop comes K 8 9 rainbow! PERFECT! I bet 800 out... the button makes it 1400... the blind folds..... I push my remaining 4300 ALL IN!

The button IMMEDIATELY calls, and shows JT Off! He called my all in on an open ender!!

You know he hit the damn thing, not ONLY did he get the Q on the Turn, but he hit the 7 on the river....

Posted by fatbill at 08:36 AM | Comments (0)

April 05, 2006

About Legal Online Poker....

If you are someone that likes to play the occasional game of poker, either online, in your home, or at a casino, it is in your best interest to JOIN the Poker Player's Alliance! CLICK HERE for information on the PPA!

They are taking the lead, in the efforts to avoid silly and unwanted legislation by a few misguided congressmen to put bans on the game we love online! A recent poll by the HIGHLY respected Wall Street Journal, found that 85% of AMERICANS DONT WANT ANY BAN ON GAMBLING!

WHY do we continue to elect and tolerate idiots in our governing body that push for legislation that 85% of the people DONT WANT????

JOIN the Poker Players Alliance today, and help with those that are looking out for the game we all love!

Posted by fatbill at 11:21 AM | Comments (0)

March 25, 2006

Great cards... early exit!

What an incredibly frustrating time I'm having playing texas holdem poker!

I played at the club tonight, and I was getting REALLY good cards all night! Here is what I played:

AQo 3bet preflop ..... flopped AQ bet and won
AQ suited 3 bet... hit nothing - lost
AQ suited 3 bet... hit nothing - lost
AQo limped... hit nothing - lost
KK pushed all in... called by ANOTHER KK... won 50!
7's twice, folded preflop to all in bets
Q3 in the big blind.... ended up chopping to another Q
8's short, with 1300 and blinds 100/200... pushed all in... called by AJo.. he hits a straight... I'm out!

Posted by fatbill at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)

March 24, 2006

When the odds are against you....

I have had an unbelievable run of bad luck playing online over the past few days.... it's not just that I am getting beat, OR that I am getting sucked out on repeatedly ( which I have been ), but the fact that I have had Pocket Q's 4 times in touraments in the past three days!

Great! You say?

EVERY one of those four times, I have run into Pocket Aces! EVERY TIME! What are the odds of that happening? They have to be astronomical!

Sometimes I just hate this game.....

Posted by fatbill at 09:31 AM | Comments (0)

March 21, 2006

In Support of Online Poker Idiocy...

Yes, hard as it is to believe, there IS online texas holdem poker idiocy being played at a variety of online poker rooms? GASP!! I know this comes as a trememdous shock for those of you that play regularly online, and respect the sactity of the game ot Texas Holdem Poker!

So for those remarkable online warriors...

Keep calling me with that A2o... you sucked out once, and I'm SURE it can happen often with a superior hand like that!

Please dont stop calling my pocket pair with A5! It's sure to continue to hit that second pair on the river to make your Ace good! Nice call there!

QTo is a remarkably superior hand. You should call with it from any position... really!

Please continue this remarkable play people.... it is helping contribute to the fine reputation that Online Poker is getting!

Posted by fatbill at 12:35 PM | Comments (0)

March 18, 2006

Sometimes I have doubts.....

I played in a 180 person No Limit Texas Holdem Poker event at Poker Stars yesterday, and played pretty damn well for the most part. I made it down to 27 players, finding myself 8th in chip count, and knowing that 18 places cash! Should have been a cake walk into the cash, right?

So why the hell did I make that silly all-in call when I flopped an open ender, when we were down to 19? Yep... out on the bubble, and no damn reason for it, other than my own silliness....

Posted by fatbill at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2006

Getting past a bad call....

I went to the club last night for some no limit texas holdem poker action. I like going to the club, because I like the guys, and the action is normally pretty good, especially after playing against online idiocy alot! The players at the club generally are better, and you can generally expect a high level of play.

Last night however, I got knocked out by what I would consider a bad call, more inline with what you can expect online in a $5 game......

I'm short at $1000, with the blinds at 100/200... I have one limper, and look down to see pocket 7's. I move all in ( table is down to 6 ). Big Blind ponders for a while, and decides to call. Ok, to be expected if he has a big hand, right?

He has QTo! He's NOT getting 2/1 on his money..... I expected, and did get sucked out on, when a ten hit the turn.... sometimes the game just just loves rewarding poor play.....

Posted by fatbill at 10:46 AM | Comments (0)

March 16, 2006

online poker, suck outs and bad beats...

Well let me start off by saying I HATE FULL TILT POKER. Ok now that we got that over with i'll explain recent events that happened to me and made me rather upset. The first sit n go I played my kings ran into aces, any poker player knows how bad that hurts. The next tourney had 45 people and I was sent to the rail after my A-A was cracked by a-q os in 42nd position, that felt really good when the 3rd queen hit the river.

Seems like no matter what I do at FTP I get sucked out, or ran into a wall. Im beginning to think its my luck, but who knows. When you run into spots with the best hand time and time again it will soon pay off....

As for the kings it was just a bad spot, shame on me....Until next time...

Posted by wilcone at 04:26 PM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2006

Keeping the streak alive....

Well, after a good day Monday, I followed it up with a couple of cash's yesterday in some No Limit Texas Holdem Poker Multi Table events!

Took a 2nd in a 3 table, and 14th in the 180 player event, so ended the day up quite a bit. Was not happy with play in the bigger event, and probably took a hit that I did not need to, but thats poker...

With that success, I sat down last eventing and played a couple of events since the wife and grand daughter kicked me off the TV.... did not fair too well. I got sucked out on with pocket 8's when an A hit on the river ( guy called with A2o... whadda ya do? ). We'll see how things go today! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:46 AM | Comments (0)

March 14, 2006

It feels so good to finally place....

I played in a MTT of sorts at Poker Stars yesterday. It was a No Limit Texas Holdem Poker 180 Player mini-tourney for $20. The top 18 places cash. These take a few hours to complete, but if you are patient, and play solid, you can make it worth your while.

I held my own throughout most of the event, but one bad beat took me down to about $750 mid-way through the tourney. I kept patient, and battled my way back to about $2500 when things got down to around 35 players. THEN, I got some luck! I got AA and QQ in back to back hands! AA held, and QQ made a set, and I was over 10K and in good shape after those!

By playing somewhat tight, I was able to get into the top three, when I got QQ again.... unfortunately, I got called by A9, and a A flopped... but hey... third paid well! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)

March 11, 2006

Not a good week...

I have played at the club the past two nights, and have not had much success..... Thursday night, I played pretty well. I was patient, and played solid hands, keeping alive, and growing my stack when it was getting low. When we were down to 7, we played a long time and no one wanted to go away! Finally this hand came up:

I have AQ and decide to limp.... player to my right limps.. next player goes all in. I decide to call the all in. Third player calls the all in also! They have 9's and 6's! Guy called his entire stack off with pocket 6's with TWO All-in's in front of him. Of course he hit a six to take it down ( read yesterday's article ).

Last night, we are playing with 2000 in chips with 45 minute levels. I played the following hands: 7's, Q's twice, A's, AQs, and AKs

I lost every one of those hands except the A's! My AKs got knocked out by AQo...... ugly night.....

Posted by fatbill at 11:32 AM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2006

The Truth About Bad Beats

I thought this article was pretty much right on.....

The Truth About Bad Beats
Alan Bloomfield

If you play poker you've been there before and you know exactly what I'm talking about. You get your money in the pot as a huge favorite only to lose the hand when your opponet catches that miracle river card.

Most players, including myself, get mad or upset when this happens to them. You say to yourself, or the player that just gave you that bad beat, "How can you call with that hand" or "why were you even playing that?"

Most poker players get upset at their opponet for making a bad call and then winning the hand. In reality, you should be glad that you are playing against such an opponet because they are giving you a great opportunity to win money.

Bad Players Give Bad Beats

Usually the people that are giving bad beats are bad players. It usually takes a bad call or a bad play for a bad beat to happen. If it wasn't for these bad beats, bad players simply wouldn't play poker.

Think about it, if bad players lost every time they got their money into the pot they simply would quit playing. Is this what we really want? The answer is no, because if there wasn't someone out there trying to give thier money away, this game would be impossible to beat. The only people playing would be solid players that never make mistakes. Then the only people making money off of poker would be the casinos.

Not only do the bad beats keep the bad players in the game, in a way it prevents them from improving their game and becoming better players. The luck that's involved with poker can convince a bad player that they might be good. These bad players can have a winning session because of a few bad beats. Then on nights they don't win they can also convince themselves that it was just bad luck that they had a losing session.

Good Players Suffer More Bad Beats

Good players will suffer more bad beats than they will ever give out. The reason is good players get their money into the pot when they are ahead more often than when they are behind. This is the reason why good players are good.

Good players will pick their spots and make better decisions to get their money in as a favorite. When you are constantly ahead and everybody is trying to outdraw you, they're going to get lucky every now and then.

Conclusion

Poker players need to think more long term than they do short term. Think of a poker session as a life long project. Whenever you do take a bad beat and lose a big pot, think long term instead of short term. If you get your money into the pot 1,000 times in that same exact situation how many much money am I going to win? Just an example, if you get all your money in the pot 1,000 times with AA vs. QTo for $300 a pot, you are going to win about 836 times and lose about 160 of them. Over a 1,000 hands you will win about $202,800. So don't get upset over the 160 times you lose that hand and just continue your life long session and wait for you next opportunity.

Alan Bloomfield is a winning poker player and also runs the website www.pokerall-in.com

Posted by fatbill at 11:02 AM | Comments (0)

March 09, 2006

Congress and Online Gambling Ban...

Ok... enough is enough! Congress in it's infinate wisdom, is considering a bill ( H.R.4777 ) that will ban online gambling, INCLUDING ONLINE POKER!

As always, congress is much better at knowing what is good for you and I, than you and I are.... big brother at it's finest!

SO, what can you do about it? PLENTY!

Go HERE and let your Representative know that this is bullshit, and you dont intend to let them impeed on your 1st Amendment rights!

Another place to make your voice heard, is in the Wall Street Journal's online Poll on this subject! Click Here to vote and let those idiots in Washington know what you think about their bullshit attempt at imposing their morality on you!

Posted by fatbill at 08:41 AM | Comments (0)

March 03, 2006

Played well and had some luck

I played some no limit texas holdem poker last night at the club and fared pretty well!

There was a point just after the 6th level, where I was down to $1825 with the blinds at 300/600. I got lucky! First hand after this blind increase, I got AQ and pushed my stack... I got called by Pocket 9's and spiked a A on the river to stay alive! Two hands later, I got those 9's and doubled up again, just before we combined into the final table!

I played pretty tight at the final table and when we got down to 6, the following occured....

I'm the BB (500/1000) player under the gun makes it 4500... small blind calls... I look down to find Pocket A's! I push all in for $11K... UTG player folds after much deliberation... small blind calls with KJc... Aces hold up, and I find myself the chip leader!

Few hands later, the player that called me with KJ pushs his remaining $2200 in, and I call... small blind and big blind both call. Flop comes T 8 6 rainbow... ugly straight looking possible... I push all in ( I have pocket A's again ).... both small and big fold after much whining ( they both have gut shot's, which is what I wanted to avoid at this point ). A's hold... gut shot's would have hit!

I really didn't see much in the way of hands after this, and we got down to the final three with me only having $17K out of $69K..... I got Pocket J's, and pushed the stack.... unfortunately, the BB had Pocket A's! What are the odds playing 3 way of that?

Posted by fatbill at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

March 02, 2006

WSOP Mania at Full Tilt

Full Tilt Poker has been all about the big events and big players since they're inception, so it's no suprise to me that they are going all out to send players to the WSOP! Here is some information on what they are doing!

Last year, our WSOP promotions were an incredible success. During the Main Event, Full Tilt Poker had the biggest presence of any online poker site. It's fair to say that we took Las Vegas and our competitors by surprise. Of course, we can't take that for granted this year. Far from sitting on our laurels, we analyzed our entire WSOP strategy, and fine tuned our tournaments and games to maximize their impact.

On February 15th, we launched Main Event Mania with five components. Last week, we added another, King of the WSOP. In the coming months, we'll introduce other promotions to keep the bandwagon going.

$1 Million WSOP Main Event Seat Giveaway

This year, we're giving away $1 million worth of WSOP Main Event seats for free. We will hold five monthly $200K WSOP 20 Seat Freerolls starting in March. The top 20 finishers in each tournament will all win a seat to the Main Event in Las Vegas. 20 seats a month for five months – that's a total of 100 seats!

Players will have several ways to qualify for the monthly Freerolls without ever buying in:

Earn 10,000 Full Tilt Points for that month – and players get to keep their points.
Be one of our top WSOP point earners for that month. Players earn WSOP points in qualifying WSOP satellites.
Daily Freerolls that send players to the monthly Freerolls.
We want players to know that free really means free at Full Tilt Poker.

$10 Million WSOP Main Event Mania™

This promotion is an overlay available to anyone who wins their WSOP Main Event seat from Full Tilt Poker. If one of our Main Event seat winners goes on to win a spot at the final table, we'll reward them with $50K. If they finish in the top three, we'll give them $100K. If they win the whole tournament, we'll hand over $10 million, in addition to the projected $10 million Main Event top prize.

The message here is simple: With an extra $10 million up for grabs, why would you play anywhere else?

Weekly $1,000 WSOP Main Event Seat Qualifier

Every Monday at 9PM ET until July 10th, we're running a Weekly $1,000 WSOP Main Event Seat Qualifier. This tournament's special distinction is that a player's chance of winning a Main Event seat is higher than in any other tournament we offer. This event is designed so that for every 12 players who enter, one will walk away with a WSOP Main Event seat.

Players can buy in buy in directly for $1,000 + $60, or satellite in for just $4 + $.40 or 50 Full Tilt points. Again, winners will receive a $12K prize package to the Main Event.

Weekly WSOP Main Event Guarantees

From now until July 13th, Full Tilt Poker is running at least two WSOP Main Event Guarantees per week. These tournaments will send more than 100 players to the WSOP Main Event. The buy in is $200 + $16, and satellites start at just $4 + $.40 or 50 Full Tilt Points.

King of the WSOP

With all the great players on our site and so many seats up for grabs, we fully expect a number of Tilters to win more than one Main Event seat, and, whoever wins the most, will be crowned the King of the WSOP.

The King will receive first-class airfare to the Main Event in Las Vegas, an upgraded suite at the Rio, and 24 hour per day access to a limousine. In addition to the royal treatment in Vegas, when the King begins his one-year reign at Full Tilt Poker, we'll crown the avatar of his or her choice. So, whether they're a donkey or a shark, it's good to be the King at Full Tilt Poker.

Posted by fatbill at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)

February 28, 2006

New Poker Room...

I just signed up, and put up an endorsement for a new poker room at PokerHeaven.com

I found the interface to be clean and efficient, and the play fast. There are settings to allow you to configure the site to your location and preferences. There are daily freerolls as well as MTT and Single Table events.

I'd give it a look if you are searching for new opportunities! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

Poker Bust Outs.....

I ran across a site while doing some reading at PokerNews.com. The site is located at PokerBustOuts.com.

It is a site promoting a documentary about the 'other' side of the Poker Life... the one NOT shown on the television shows. There are Quicktime and Windows Media movie preview's on the documentary that you can view also...

They say that they create "... documentary films focusing on the pitfalls of professional and recreational gambling. Whether at the casino or on the internet, the explosion in the popularity of poker has led to the ruination of many lives. Sometimes, however, it's hard to see past the glamour and glory we see on television. Our mission is to shed some light on the darker side of the sport..."

You really didnt think it was all glamor did you?

Posted by fatbill at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)

February 24, 2006

Not a good night....

I played in a small MTT No Limit Texas Holdem event at the club last night, and I must say, althought I've had nights with bad cards, last night took the cake! I won a nice pot early in the first level, and did not win another hand the rest of the evening!

I spent most of the evening folding 72 and 74......

In the 5th level, while quite short, I found myself in the BB with 3 limpers in front of me. I had 85c, and checked.... the flop came 8 3 5 rainbow. There was a raise of $400 and two folds to me, and I pushed my stack of $1100 into the middle. After a few minutes of thought, the original better called... he showed a set of 3's... what are the damn odds?

Posted by fatbill at 10:23 AM | Comments (0)

February 20, 2006

MTTs on party poker

I Played some texas holdem poker in 2 multi table tourneys today feeling good until my (river) luck went bad. Hit trip 5s on the flop and got stabbed with trip kings on the river. Had a-q run down by A-A in the BB twice today ( unbelievable) so im gonna take it easy for the next couple of days and focus on other things. Cant believe twice in one day i got hit by 2 outters ( didnt mention my qs vs js earlier) thats another story in its own....

until next time

Posted by wilcone at 01:00 AM | Comments (0)

February 18, 2006

On calling with QJo

Really now.... in 90% of circumstances, do you really think you have the best hand with QJo, when faced with an all in? Is it REALLY worth putting 1/2 your stack at risk to find out if the other guy is bluffing?

QJ in ANY circumstances is an iffy hand, and surely not worth the price of admission to any type of raise, especially an all in, but damned if I don't see people making this call.... like was done to me last night. ESPECIALLY after not playing ANY hand for over an hour, and seeing a stack wittled from over 5K to 3K..... amazing things are seen in this silly game....

Posted by fatbill at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)

February 17, 2006

another mtt, another silly call..

So i played good down to the second table and I get a-q suited against the blinds with 2500 in chips, blinds are 1-200.. I go all in, some shmuck calls me with j-7 offsuit and hits a jack ....

When will bad calls and lucky draws stop being rewarded?

until next time.....

Posted by wilcone at 02:52 PM | Comments (0)

Had a good night for a change!

Played in a small MTT at the club last night, and finally had a decent night. It helped that I had a lot of good hands that hit, but I also played well overall.

I made good decisions on what to play, and when, and I knew when to let a hand go when I could have gotten into trouble with it. I also had some hands hold up, which for me, is a totally new experience! ;-)

It's nice to stick around a pot with Pocket 6's and hit the trips... Made quite a bit with that last night on three different occasions!

Posted by fatbill at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)

February 15, 2006

Online sit and gos

Although OVERALL I have had a pretty good run and have placed well in MOST of the sit n' gos I've entered, i would have to say that the play is sloppy and aggrevating.

When you play your top game and lose to some idiot who hits the river OVER AND OVER you begin to think ... is it my luck or is it a bad call? I would say im a 70-30 favorite going into the river 90% of the time, yet they draw out.

I understand that it takes some gamble to win but Miracle cards are not a gamble, they are a suck out.. and I will get my revenge soon enough!

Posted by wilcone at 12:32 PM | Comments (0)

February 12, 2006

WPT Merchandise

There is a new Store that has exclusive rights to sell WPT merchandise online and offers some pretty nice stuff! If you are in the market for such things, its a definate MUST SEE.

Click HERE for World Poker Tour Store merchandise and information.

Posted by fatbill at 08:33 AM | Comments (0)

February 10, 2006

Played well last night...

Went to the club for some texas holdem poker last night, and played pretty well, all things considered. The table I was at was pretty tight, so there was not a lot of action. We did not eliminate a player until just before the final table, whereas the other table eliminated 8 players to that point! The result of that, was that 7 of the final 9 came from our original table!

I really had pretty shitty cards, and had to make the most of what I had. One thing of note was that I played three hands against one other player last night, and in EACH of those three hands, we had the same thing, and ended up chopping! How weird is that?

I ended up going out 6th, on a hand that I normally would have folded in the position I was in. I was somewhat short, but not in trouble, and under the gun, with Pocket 4's. I thought that I could push my stack and get everyone to fold, since I had not played a hand in quite a while. Unfortunately, I ran into Pocket Q's! oops!

Posted by fatbill at 11:56 AM | Comments (0)

February 09, 2006

About Online Texas Holdem Poker

I am starting to believe, that with the anonymity of the online world, people play texas holdem poker online far stupider than they would in real life.

For those people, I have the following thoughts...

- A3o is not a hand to call in middle position when faced with a 4x bet

- You really should not call with 35s from ANY position, regardless of chip stack, but especially when it's a 12x bet

- AK is not all that great a hand POST flop. Remember it's calld Anna Kornakova... nice to look at... never wins...

- None of us really believe you have a good enought hands to have gone all-in the last 7 hands in a row....

- It probably was NOT a good move to call an all in bet on with only and open ended straight draw, going into the river...

these are just some of my personal observations and musings... I'm sure there are more....

Posted by fatbill at 10:02 AM | Comments (0)

February 07, 2006

The REAL Vegas 'Big Game'

There is a lot of hype over the 'big game' that is currently being televised, where players buy in for 100K and the elite of the game play nightly at the Bellagio. That game has been going on for quite some time, and has been, up to now, mainly a private affair...

There is an even BIGGER 'big game' in town! Texas billioniare Andy Beal rode into town to renew his big game against the 'corporation' of Vegas Poker Pros, that include Both Brunson's, Ted Forrest, Howard Lederer, and others.

The Corporation bought in for $10 million. The stakes were negotiated, with the blinds start at $25,000-$50,000 making the limits $50,000-$100,000.

Swings of over $1 Million daily are not uncommon!

Posted by fatbill at 09:32 AM | Comments (0)

February 05, 2006

Online Multi Table Tournaments

I am really starting to hate playing in any of the MTT's online! It gets awful frustrating to get sucked out on time after time, after time.....

Case in point...

I played 4 multi table No Limit Texas Holdem Poker tournaments yesterday at Poker Stars..... In each of those tournaments, I pushed my stack all in, with the better hand being 3/1 favorites. In EACH of those cases, the inferior hand hit ON THE RIVER, to knock me out.

Not on the flop....

Not on the turn....

ON THE RIVER EVERY DAMN TIME....

ugh

Posted by fatbill at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)

February 04, 2006

Pot Limit Texas Holdem Poker

I played Pot Limit Texas Holdem Poker at the club last night for the first time that I can remember. What a hoot! The action was faster and more intense than ANY No Limit Texas Holdem game I've played in! We had three players knocked within 20 Minutes of the start! We were down to the final table in the second level!

For some reason, most players felt that they HAD to bet pot with each bet. There were VERY few flops seen with small bets, or limps... VERY few. I'm not sure I like the game... especially if it's played like this...

.... ya, my Pocket Jacks got knocked by Pocket Q's.... ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)

January 29, 2006

Played a Texas Holdem Poker Freeroll

The club had a Texas Holdem Poker Freerolls the other night that was a lot of fun to play in. I decided to loosen up a bit in the early levels, and see if I could get something going.... I never did, and found myself short within two levels. I hung in there for a long time, pushing twice with AK, and taking down the blinds, and getting doubled up by the chip leader with a pair of Tens, but nothing other than that......

Once we got down to the bubble, I ran into A's, that almost took me out, but I hung on with a couple of lucky Wins, including my 4's over 3's...

At the final table, I doubled up early, but just never got much in the way of cards until I was in the BB ( 600 ) when I was down to 1800. There was a call under the gun, then a 1800 bet... I pushed when I looked down at Pocket J's! The original caller, went all in... I knew then I was up against A's or K's.... it was A's, and I was sent packing....

Posted by fatbill at 01:15 PM | Comments (1)

January 21, 2006

Played Texas Holdem Poker at the club...

It had been since before the holidays that I played Texas Holdem Poker at the club with the guys, so I decided I needed to go and play a little. There was a two table MTT going on and the action was pretty good, as were the players.

I played well, but just had one of 'those' nights. I get K's, and someone with AK hits an A on the flop.... I get AK, and someone goes all in in front of me.. I lay it down to his Q's not wanting to risk the night on a race ( it was early ). I made correct reads, and played well, just had one of 'those' nights where the Texas Holdem Poker gods did not look kindly on me...

Oh ya... my 9's got taken out by 10's....

Posted by fatbill at 09:49 AM | Comments (0)

January 19, 2006

2006 World Series of Poker Satellites

Poker.com wants to send you to the 2006 World Series of Poker main event.

Starting in late December, we will be running daily satellite tournaments giving players the chance to be in Las Vegas in July 2006 for poker's most prestigious event.

Grand final satellite winners will be awarded a $12,500 package that includes their buy-in to the $10,000 WSOP main event, a Poker.com VIP gift bag and $2500 travel & spending money.

Here's how the satellite structure works.

There are 4 levels of satellites Qualifiers >> Quarter Finals >> Semi Finals >> Grand Finals

Give Poker.com a serious look!

Posted by fatbill at 10:49 PM | Comments (0)

January 18, 2006

A day to forget.....

I played Texas Holdem Poker in 4 MTT's yesterday, and got hosed in every one of them! What a horrible day I had!

Aces got taken down by 4's.... Kings taken down with runner runner flush.... The only bright thing I can say about the day, is that I did not enter into a race when I did not have the best hand going in! Now, I'm not sure thats a big deal, considering my luck, and track record of races...

I am trying to decide if I will continue Playing the MTTs, or go back to playing Limit Texas Holdem Poker in the ring games....

Posted by fatbill at 06:42 AM | Comments (0)

January 14, 2006

MTT Success as of late...

I have been playing some Texas Holdem Poker Multi Table events lately, as I mentioned, and I have been having some pretty good success! I've played 6 MTT's in the past two days, and WON two of them, and cashed in another two. I've managed to increase my bankroll 5 times as a result, so I'm pretty encouraged!

One of the events I cashed at was a 20 table MTT with 180 people. I came in 9th, but took a really bad beat, with my Pocket Aces got cracked on the river by a set of Jacks. I take that hand, and I'm pretty much in the top 5 with 4 times the win.... sigh....

I have still dabbled in some Limit Texas Holdem ring games, but I dont seem to play those with the same disipline as I do in a tournament setting. I know that is simple a mind set, and that I will have to get past that to have success in the ring game type of play.

I'm working on it..... ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 12:15 PM | Comments (1)

January 13, 2006

Multi Table Texas Holdem Poker Tournaments

I have been having some success playing in some lower buy-in no limit texas holdem poker multi table events. I have managed a couple of 2nd place finishes, and have cashed about 50% of the time so far.

I Think I will put my limit texas holdem poker ring game experiment on hold for a while until I see how far my run on the MTT goes!

Posted by fatbill at 06:59 AM | Comments (0)

January 07, 2006

Multi Table Texas Holdem Poker

I have not played much texas holdem poker since before the holidays, and frankly, the last time I Played I was terribly dissapointed once again. My son things I'm the un-luckiest person around! WHY? Because I rarely win any type of race, even though I go into them with the best hand. Time after time, I get sucked out on the river after making the correct read, and pushing with the best hand.... I know the odds are supposed to be in my favor, but it's pretty tiring to get sucked out on 90% of the time.

Anyways, I decided to play a couple of Multi Table Texas Holdem poker tournaments yesterday. They were both low limit $5 buy in. One was a 45 player event, the other was a 27 player event. I was doing VERY well in the 27 player, taking a good pot on the first hand, after hitting a set of 9's on the flop... I played patientely, and was rewarded...

In the 45 player event, I was not catching many flops, and when I got pretty short, I pushed with a pair of Q's. I was called with KJo... who of course hit a K on the river to knock me out.... again....

So, back to the 27 player event.... I made it to the final table with a moderate stack, somewhat shy of average, but the big stack had a HUGE advantage, with 30K+ and the next big stack being 8K, so my 4K was not bad. I was NOT the sort stack for a change.

I sat tight for a while and let people beat on each other, and waited for some premium hands to play. When we were down to 5, I made a couple of moves, and found myself with 12K. That original big stack was replaced with another player.

I ended up going heads up with the original big stack player, going in as the dog, but after a few hands, I had the lead. We went back and forth for a while, when I pushed my stack with a small pocket pair, only to find him with a BIGGER small pocket pair! ;-)

After the results I have been logging over the past couple mouths, I'll settle for second! Texas Holdem Poker is a strange game!

Posted by fatbill at 07:27 AM | Comments (1)

December 30, 2005

Full Tilt Poker Goes MAC

Full Tilt Poker announced recently that they are now MAC COMPATIBLE.

There has been a lot of problems for those poker players that wanted to play some texas holdem poker online, and owned mac's! Most software's were not compatible and they were basically out of luck, OR with extremely limited options.

Well, NOW players are able to utilize their MAC, and play against the NUMEROUS pro's at Full Tilt! CLICK HERE to give Full Tilt Poker a try!

Posted by fatbill at 01:02 PM | Comments (0)

In Playing Texas Holdem Poker

I played in a small Multi Table Texas Holdem Poker Tournament last night at the club. I thought I was playing very well, and making correct reads for most of the night. I made a number of correct calls, AND a number of correct lay-down's when I needed to.

After the first break ( end of level 3 ) I was up almost double the starting chip count, and feeling really good about my game. Shortly after resuming play, we were down to 20 players, and my table got broken up and we got integrated in to the other two tables.

At this point cards went TOTALLY south for me! I got really nice hole cards, but hit absolutely nothing on the flops, and found my 'Nice stack' dwindled down to under 4K by the next break. Shortly after this break, I was moved to even out the tables.

Cards STILL were poor, but I was able to hold my own for a while. Once blinds got higher, I was starting to see my stack dwindle because of the blinds and ante's. Even with stealing some blinds, I was hurting.

Down to 2K in the BB ( blinds 400/200-25 ), and I get t7o. The small just calls ( he's the big stack ). The flop comes 6 j t. The small bets 1K. I dont think he has shit, and he's been known to make moves and bluff a lot. I go over the top all-in. He has to call the small amount remaining, and turns over A8o. I was correct in my read, he had NOTHING, and I had a pair of t's.

He of course sucked out the A on the river.....

Posted by fatbill at 12:52 PM | Comments (0)

December 26, 2005

Played Texas Holdem Poker

I went to the club with my son for the annual Christmas Party Tournament of No Limit Texas Holdem Poker. THere was a really good turn out, and because of the Party, we started with 5000 in chips instead of the normal 3000.

Play was pretty even keeled for the first few rounds, and because of the amount of starting chips, players were not going out as fast as normal. After level 6, I still had 5K in chips!

Then this hand happened..... I'm dealt QQ in middle position. The Chip leader comes out for 4X, and I decide just to call. The big Blind also calls, and everyone else folds. The board is a 10 high rainbow. The chip leader makes it 1500... I go over the top for another 2100 going all in! I'm figuring, there are only a couple hands that have me beat, assuming no one hit their trips.

The big blind folds, and the chip leader calls... she has pocket aces..... thats my luck.... none.

Posted by fatbill at 09:55 AM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2005

Thoughts on Limit Texas Holdem Poker

I thought I would write some thoughts about the differences I have witnessed playing Limit Texas Holdem Poker online. This is something different for me, as I have concentrated mainly on No Limit Texas Holdem Poker, in both my Online, and my offline play.

Normally, I play tournament texas holdem poker, in either sit-n-go formats, or in some sort of satellite event. I also belong to a private poker club that concentrates mainly on tournament style play, to prepare it's players for big events. In both of these formats, I generally play No Limit Texas Holdem, and have become accustomed to that style of play.

I have played limit texas holdem poker in casino's in the past. Mainly when the local casino's were just getting poker rooms started up, and they did not have, or allow, No Limit action. In most cases, Casinos offered stakes that were of the $2/$4 or $3/$6 betting on the low end, up to $10/$20 on the high end. Frankly, I thought playing limit poker in these places was terribly boring, Probably because my style of play is a bit tight.

To explain a bit further, Stakes of $2/$4 means that the Small Blind is $1 and the Big Blind is $2. Betting starts out at $2 max bet, with 3-4 raises allowed. After the turn, the maximum bet is increased to $4, again with 3-4 raises allowed.

A fellow player that I talk to frequently from my club, has been tracking his progress for his online limit texas holdem poker play. He plays a lot of hands, and usually plays 3 to 4 tables at a time at a certain limit blind stake. His results were interesting enought to get me thinking that it was something I should try to see if my results were any different. I went out and purchased Poker Tracker@ to keep track of my play, and set out playing in some small stakes limit games online. Usually I play two tables at a time, as it is easier for me to keep track of play that way.

The first thing that I noticed about Limit Texas HOldem Poker, is that MANY more players stay to see flops than in No Limit Texas Holdem. Not only that, but many more players stay in a hand much longer in limit play. It is highly unusual in No Limit TExas Holdem poker for more than two players to stay in a hand through the river, IF play even gets to the river. In Limit play, no only does play get to betting after the river, but it is not unusual for 3 or 4 players to be in the hand at that point.

I believe that this is true partially because the cost of seeing addional cards is not as prohibitive in limit play. In NO Limit Texas Holdem, to see the turn or the river, you must be willing to risk a substantial bet, usually 4 to 5 times the big blind, to see a card. In Limit Texas Holdem Poker, it is not uncommon for that same card to only cost you ONE big blind. Since the cost is so low, players are more apt to stay to attempt to catch those low percentage plays.

This style of 'river rat' play can be extremely frustrating for most good players. If you hit a hand on the flop, you can not get weaker players out of the hand in limit, due to the cost of play mentioned above. The same hand played in No Limit Texas Holdem would be so costly to continue for a weak hand, because of the amount of the bet, that it would be folded most of the time. This is part of playing online that you must adjust to, and if you do, it can be highly rewarding. Remember, odds are, that river rats will only hit their 'hopeful' hands a small percentage of the time!

Posted by fatbill at 10:33 AM | Comments (0)

Diamond World Poker Classic at Bellagio - 2005

Well, things are heating up in the No Limit Texas Holdem Poker $15K buy in Championship at the 2005 4th Annual Five Diamond World Poker Classic. They are down to 120 players, and one of the all time greats, Doyle Brunson is in the running for the $2Million Top Prize!

Here are the top ten chip counts as they sit now:

1. Patrik Antonius - $644,700
2. Darrell Dicken - $542,200
3. Alan Goehring - $434,600
4. Doyle Brunson - $418,000
5. Phil Laak - $364,100
6. Barny Boatman - $330,500
7. Ron Kirk - $321,900
8. Jeff Littlefield - $307,500
9. Don Zewin - $305,300
10. Jeff Rine - $299,000

The action picks back up at Noon Vegas Time today....

Posted by fatbill at 09:46 AM | Comments (0)

December 12, 2005

POY Race Just got Hotter

The race for Player of the Year just got hotter, as Men 'The Master' Nguyen just passed John Pham to take the top spot! Men's performance at the 5 Star Classic, which includes TWO final table apperances in No Limit Texas Holdem Poker, pushed him ahead of Pham by 124 points.

A more in depth article on this can be found at PokerNews .com

Others still in the hunt, and with a good chance at POY honors include: Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, Tony Ma, Gavin Smith and Max Pescatori.

The Main event at the 5 Star kicks off today with the $15,000 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker Championship! This event could go a long way in deciding the POY race.

Posted by fatbill at 09:01 AM | Comments (0)

December 10, 2005

WSOP Showboat tourney

Chris Reslock wins the WSOP Circuit Championship at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City, winning $335,235, a gold-and-diamond ring, and entry into the 2006 WSOP Tournament of Champions. John Juanda finished in second place, earning $186,240.

Seems Juanda's luck is about the same... bad. He has just not had much luck in either WSOP Circuit or WPT events.....

Speaking of the WPT.. the Five Diamond World Poker Classic is drawing to a conclusion, with the main event, the $10,000 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker event, scheduled for Monday the 12th.

The $5,000 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker event concluded yesterday. There were 253 entries, with the following results:
1 Tom Franklin $434,025 900
2 John Gale $252,325 750
3 Scott Bohlman $126,165 600
4 Bill Corrigan $72,090 450
5 Peter Moore $54,070 375
6 Kinjal Shah $42,055 300
7 Johan Storakers $30,040 225
8 Amir Vahedi $24,030 150
9 Steve Zolotow $19,225 75

There was also a $2,500 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker SENIORS event yesterday, drawing 135 players. They are down to the top twenty five:
1 "Minneapolis" Jim Meehan 76,850 Chips 0 60 4
2 Paul Kroh 74,675 Chips 0 61 5
3 Stephen Pearce 46,200 Chips 0 64 8
4 Thomas Lock 39,250 Chips 0 64 7
5 John Esposito 35,400 Chips 0 61 4
6 Tommy Grimes 33,975 Chips 0 60 3
7 Ralph Levine 33,300 Chips 0 64 4
8 Victoriano Perches 28,150 Chips 0 61 3
9 Robert Miller 27,200 Chips 0 64 5
10 Robert Bright 25,250 Chips 0 60 8
11 Allen Hicks 24,725 Chips 0 60 6
12 Patrick Heneghan 23,350 Chips 0 61 2
13 Greg Back 22,350 Chips 0 60 7
14 Adrian Thomas 22,250 Chips 0 60 2
15 Marsha Waggoner 20,600 Chips 0 60 1
16 Henry Nowakowski 20,225 Chips 0 61 1
17 Dennis Waterman 19,450 Chips 0 61 8
18 John Smith 19,375 Chips 0 64 6
19 Mickey Seagle 18,275 Chips 0 64 2
20 Thor Hansen 17,675 Chips 0 61 6
21 Walter Villemeyer 13,950 Chips 0 64 1
22 Ron Faltinsky 13,205 Chips 0 61 7
23 Larry Chinchic 11,900 Chips 0 60 5
24 Phillip Matthews 10,000 Chips 0 64 3

Posted by fatbill at 09:15 AM | Comments (0)

December 09, 2005

Getting back into it...

I have been under the weather somewhat of late, and have neglected things here, so lets see if we can do some updating....

There are two major tournaments going on in the Atlantic City area right now...

2005 Trump Classic Poker Tournament, and
2005 WSOP Tournament Circuit-Showboat Atlantic City

Pretty unusual for two Texas Holdem Poker events to be held at the same time in the same area, but I'd assume that Trump is trying to capitalize on the players being in town. Most of the events in the Trump Classic, are $300 buy in events.

THe WSOP Circuit event is winding down, with the final group in the main event being held today.
Here are the chip counts and seating positions for all ten players headed to Friday's final table:

1. John Juanda - $213,200 (seat 4)
2. Nick Schulman - $152,100 (seat 6)
3. Chad Moore - $148,900 (seat 5)
4. Chris Reslock - $124,000 (seat 2)
5. Dan Tolly - $94,400 (seat 10)
6. John Spadavecchia - $81,200 (seat 1)
7. Dan Shak - $65,200 (seat 3)
8. Julian Studley - $38,800 (seat 8)
9. Eric Panayiotou - $33,200 (seat 9)
10. Mickey Appleman - $9,000 (seat 7)

Juanda has a pretty good chip lead, and is going to be hard to unseat!

Posted by fatbill at 10:23 AM | Comments (0)

December 02, 2005

Playing Texas Holdem Poker Online...

My results thus far, from playing texas holdem poker ring games online have been less than impressive. I'm having a difficult time adjusting to the river rat mentality of most of the players that I've run across in the lower limits at the poker rooms I have played at.

It is hard for me to imagine someone coming over the top of me TWICE with something like K8s when I'm holding rockets.... and THEN getting rewarded by hitting a straight on the river. Now, if this was an isolated issue, I'd say no big deal, but yesterday's sessions were ALL like that! Rivered, Rivered, Rivered..... it was ugly and I was not pleased.

I decided to buy some software to help me analyze my play, and compare that play over a number of hands. We will see how it works out, and if I like it, I'll post my findings, and what I am using.

Posted by fatbill at 11:23 AM | Comments (0)

November 30, 2005

Playing Limit Texas Holdem Poker

So I have decided to try an experiment, playing Limit Texas Holdem Poker online for a while and charting my progress. I have started out playing .50/1.00 Limit Texas Holdem Poker, with two tables open each session.

So far the results have been mixed. My first session lasted a bit over two hours, and I lost half my stack.

Later on that evening, I played for almost two hours, and brought my stack up to +13BB for the day, winning back what I lost earlier plus some.

Played another session for a half hour and lost big... down 25BB...

This morning was a disaster playing! I got sucked out and beat at every turn. Trips taken down by flush or straight on the river three seperate times. Other hands just not hitting anything.

I lost a HUGE chunk of the stack, being down 40BB now, and have to consider replenishing...

Posted by fatbill at 10:27 AM | Comments (1)

November 23, 2005

Live Texas Holdem Poker

There will be another LIVE texas holdem poker event on FOX Sports Network tomorrow, thankgiving day! I read the article HERE at PokerNews.com and here is a slice of it that shares the proposed lineup:

"The list of players lined up for the event looks like it will be one of those sit and goes that you don't want any part of! Confirmed entries for the event in Monte Carlo include former World Champions Phil Hellmuth and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, who will be joined at the table by fellow professionals John Juanda and David "DevilFish" Ulliot. Three other players have been extended invitations, Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen and Mike Matusow, but we'll have to wait until showtime (live at 6PM on the East Coast) to see what the actual final lineup will be. "

Posted by fatbill at 11:55 AM | Comments (0)

November 18, 2005

The River is the devil!

Down to four people in Texas Holdem Poker, with blinds at 800-1600 with a 200 ante it folds to me, everyone is playing pretty tight. I get k-8 suited so i move all in.....i have more than the big blind does. He calls instantly so i know im behind, he has A-kos. Flop comes 8 K rag TWO PAIR! Then running tens to give the opponent the higher kicker with his two pair, DOH.. I couldnt have played better, but the river is the devil. It ran me right off the table. But im 3/4 in cashing on thursday nights with 20 guys so I know my game is sharp, i guess i wait until next week :-(

Posted by wilcone at 01:32 AM | Comments (0)

November 15, 2005

Texas Holdem Poker Online

I have been playing texas holdem poker online a bit lately, mostly in SNG's. I've posted before, how I normally do not do well playing online, since I continually get sucked out by bad plays hitting on the river to be rewarded.

I've got back into playing online texas holdem poker SNG's mainly because some of my friends at the club have been talking about their luck of late.

Ok, so I make a deposit, and try my luck....

First 4 SNG's I play, I get sucked out on.. but in all fairness, a couple of those were in cases where I mis-jugded and went in with an inferior hand.
Down to $12.

Played in two small ( $5 ) multi table SNG's. (The Multi Table Texas Holdem poker SNG's are nice because they are like mini-tournaments, ranging from 27 to 180 players! ) Anyways.... I came in 1st in one, and 2nd in the other. Bankroll now ABOVE my initial deposit!

Have played in three tournaments since then, and had NO luck, in fact, have had nothing but BAD luck.

Technically, my winning percentage is not that bad. I've cashed in over 20%, which is well above average, and my bankroll is still good. Well just have to see how things progress.....

Posted by fatbill at 09:49 AM | Comments (1)

November 12, 2005

Texas Holdem Poker Decisions

When you play a texas holdem poker tournament, you are constantly faced with decisions that affect, or COULD affect your continued play. It is not always the cards that you DO play that can have the biggest influence on the night, but sometimes its the cards you DO NOT play that do.

I'm playing Texas HOldem poker last night, and I have AK in the BB. I have a short stack all in for 2400, and another caller. I'm torn on the decision to play or not. I really dont think the short stack has me, but I am not sure about the other player. Ultimately I fold, only to discover that my AK would have not only been dominant, but would have won the hand.

Later in play, when down to 8 players, I have AQ in the BB, and have one caller who is short moving all in. This player will make this play on a HUGE variety of hands. I have the Big Stack calling. I lay the hand down. They both have small Pocket pairs, and the flop hits a Q.... I would have won and taken the chip lead.

From here, my stack gets eaten slowly by blinds and ante's, until I push all in with A6h, and get knocked by AQo.

It was not that hand that determined my tournament.......

Posted by fatbill at 11:08 AM | Comments (0)

November 11, 2005

Played some Texas Holdem Poker .....

... last night at the club, and boy did I suck!

I have to re-think my style, and make some changes in my game. I can no longer play as tight as I have been and expect to grow my chip stack to where I need to to compete.

Texas Holdem Poker is a game that is more suited to an aggressive style of play, for the most part, and thats part of the game that I have been lacking.... that is going to change....

Posted by fatbill at 07:36 AM | Comments (0)

November 10, 2005

WSOP Champions Results 2005

The results of the WSOP Tournament of Champions No Limit Texas Holdem Poker event are as follows:

1 Mike Matusow $1,000,000 528
2 Hoyt Corkins $325,000 440
3 Phil Hellmuth Jr. $250,000 352
4 Tony Bloom $150,000 264
5 Steven Dannenmann $100,000 220
6 Grant Lang $75,000 176
7 David Levi $50,000 132
8 Keith Sexton $25,000 88
9 Brandon Adams $25,000 44

The foxwoods event is also in full swing. Unfortunately the guys from the club did not have much luck at Foxwoods, but we have new events to look forward to now!

Posted by fatbill at 01:10 PM | Comments (0)

November 07, 2005

The other night

Well i played at a texas holdem poker tournament at the club last thursday. Played fairly well, throwing away good hands to stay in the tourney. I was staying away from harms way as much as possible....and once i got to the final 3 i went all in. Other than that the tourney was fun, had aces three times, and got called twice. Hoping to have a good game this thursday so i can build my way back into a major....With the way ive been playing, it shouldnt be hard :-D

Posted by wilcone at 11:14 AM | Comments (0)

November 06, 2005

More Texas Holdem Poker

So we went last night to play some no limit texas holdem poker at a friends house, that holds a cash game each saturday night. We have played texas holdem poker there for about a year, on and off, and know most ot the players there.

It should have sunk in early that this was not my night, as I could not get much to hit and I watched my stack go to half by the time we merged into the final table. I played poket K's twice with all in mover. Was called once, so I doubled up.

Late in the game I called an all in with JJ when the BB was already all in being real short, and the flop coming up rags. The turn came a 10, giving both players I was in with a pair of them. Thats three tens out there already, but you know what hit the river? A FUCKING TEN, of course. They make a ONE outer to bust my J's!

Sometimes I really don't like texas holdem poker....

Posted by fatbill at 05:46 PM | Comments (0)

November 05, 2005

Texas Holdem Poker

The son and I went to play some no limit texas holdem poker at the club the other night, and there was a really good turn out. There really were no weak texas holdem poker players in the field, and the action showed it.

In the early levels, I found myself playing a LOT more hands than I usually do when I play a texas holdem poker tournament. I'm pretty tight as a rule, but I was getting some nice suited connectors that I was unable to make hit.

I finally got a couple good texas holdem poker hands before the end of the thrid level, and got almost back to even.

Unfortunately, once we got down to the final table, I stopped seeing ANY type of playable hand. I got to the table with about 5500 in chips, which was just shy of the average. There were three other people that were shorter than me. Sadly, I watched my stack just get chipped away, as I could not hit any type of hand, or just got such garbage that I could not play.

when were got down to 6, I finally got something worth playing, in AJs, and pushed my measly few chips all in. The stack was not enought to scare anyone, and I got two callers, which COULD have put me back in the game. I got nothing, and a pocket pair of 5's held, and I was sitting on the sidelines watching my son play ( he was still in, and in good position, but I'll let him tell his own tale! )

Thats just how texas holdem poker goes.... up and down with the fate of the cards!

Posted by fatbill at 01:50 PM | Comments (0)

October 28, 2005

!/2 the chips

Well entering the final table I wasnt short, but I wasnt the biggest stack at the table,i was simply healthy. After a few calls and going up and down in chip size I was the chip leader with over 1/3 of the chips. Thats when i just hit a zone, i made every right call i couldve. I was calling and losing all ins for 5200 and still didnt dent my stack. I had a real good run of cards towards the end with aces twice, full houses, and just high cards. I snapped off 6 of the 20 players by myself leaving me heads up with a very good player. We played for about 45 minutes and he was up then i was up and then i just got sick of sitting there, so with a difference of 80 we chopped. I was very happy with my play, and hope to continue this in teh future.

Posted by wilcone at 12:01 PM | Comments (0)

Queens got snapped

Played some No Limit Texas Holdem last night at the club, and there was a really good turnout for the night, with a bunch of tough players in attendance. I played pretty well most of the night, making good decisions, but playing relatively tight. I was up and down most of the first few levels, but managed to stay in the game, with enought of a chip count to be in no trouble.

When we got down to the final 10, I was around 4400 in chips and for once NOT the short stack at the table. Blinds were 300/600 and I was the BB to start off the action. The guy next to me and UTG makes a move and pushes all in with his short stack of 2300. Everyone folds to me, and I look down to see Pocket Q's. I make the call! He has pocket 9's, so I'm in good shape!

Flop makes my set of 9's, but with two clubs. Turn and River give him a straight, and I'm fucked....... again. This game is enough to drive you crazy.

Good news, is that Wilcone made it to the money as the chip leader, and ended up chopping 1st place money!

Posted by fatbill at 10:51 AM | Comments (0)

October 24, 2005

Is the luster of poker fading?

I was reading an article where the title caught my attention. It was called GSN Ups Ante as Poker Fades read the article there...

Here is the basis for that:

"Travel Channel's "World Poker Tour" was down 17 percent in total viewers watching first-run episodes during its 2005 season, compared with 2004, according to Nielsen Media Research. ESPN's "World Series of Poker" is down 14 percent season to date. CNBC's "Heads Up Poker" tournament is down 18 percent. And among the three iterations of GSN's own "Poker Royale" series, most are similarly down. "

Is it maybe that there are too many damn networks trying to show poker that is the problem? Maybe its simply dillution of the game, and not any specific lack of interest?

Posted by fatbill at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)

October 22, 2005

Played Texas Holdem again

I played in a small texas holdem league satellite at the club last night where there were only 12 players, so we had two tables of 6 to start. The table I played at had good players, but most of us play pretty tight, so there were really not that many big pots, or any that put anyone at risk.

The interesting thing about the table, was that there were less than 15 Face cards flopped for the FIRST THREE ROUNDS combined! It was just unbelievable! Basically, everyone started playing small connectors and all because that is what was being flopped!

I got down to 1700 ( we started with 3500 ) when just before the end of level 3 I got involved in a big hand with AQ where I hit the A, and out kicked the other player who had AJ. That hand brought me back to almost even at the end of the thrid level.

Once we combined into one table, I was again pretty short... around 2K..... I really didnt see much in the way of hands, untill I got Pocket Q's in late position, so I pushed my 1300 all in. The Small blind ( blinds were 150/300 ) folded, but after a couple minutes thought, the BB called with K9s!! WTF??

Of course, he hit a nine on the flop, AND another 9 on the river to suck out on me.... how do you make that call to an all in, when you are not even getting 2/1 on your money??

Posted by fatbill at 02:58 PM | Comments (0)

October 20, 2005

Festa al Lago IV No Limit Hold'em

The 2005 WPT Festa al Lago IV No Limit Hold'em $10K buy-in event is down to the final 39 with some familiar names on the board!

Our local michigan Guy, Thom Werthmann is in 18th Place!!

1 Ernie Scherer $ 675,000
2 Gavin Smith $ 497,500
3 Tony Grand $ 457,000
4 Mike Gracz $ 402,500
5 Dan Harrington $ 375,000
6 Young Phan $ 362,500
7 Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson $ 359,000
8 Joe Clapper $ 323,000
9 Khanh Hua $ 287,000
10 Steve Brecher $ 276,500
11 Barry Greenstein $ 244,000
12 Thomas Lock $ 241,500
13 Jeff Brock $ 233,000
14 Darrell Dicken $ 230,000
15 Massoud Nikjouian $ 228,500
16 Jan Sorensen $ 223,000
17 Abraham 'Avi' Gray $ 223,000
18 Thom Werthmann $ 220,000
19 Don Barton $ 218,500
20 Toe Sanders $ 198,500
21 Minh Ly $ 195,000
22 Kathy Liebert $ 190,500
23 Sam Rashid $ 190,500
24 Davood Mehrmand $ 187,000
25 Arnold Spee $ 168,000
26 Bill Edler $ 154,500
27 Craig Hartman $ 144,000
28 Gus Hansen $ 143,500
29 Scott Lundberg $ 132,500
30 Neal Matthews $ 108,000
31 Don Zewin $ 92,000
32 Mark Cole $ 80,000
33 Bob Feduniak $ 78,000
34 Wayne Lewis $ 70,500
35 Jim McManus $ 57,000
36 Danny Shiff $ 55,000
37 Rodeen Talebi $ 55,000
38 Eskimo Clark $ 53,000
39 Matt Lefkowitz $ 42,000

Posted by fatbill at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)

Played some 7 card Stud

I took a break from Texas Holdem poker last night, and played in a newly started 7 Card Stud league at the club. My son asked me 'Are you seriously going to play 7 card stud?'! LOL

It was difficult to explain to him that when I was his age, that was THE game that we all played in our little home games. There were a lot of variations in the game, but it all came down to deriviates of 7 card stud!

It was different, that is for sure, and playing a tournament style 7 card stud was a lot different than I remember from playing in our home games! It took me a few rounds to get my bearings, but after that, things seemed to fall into place rather quickly. I really didnt do that badly, all things considered. At least I was not among the first few that got knocked out. And when I DID get knocked out, it was because I was rivered going in with the best hand!

I dont see myself giving up texas holdem poker for 7 card stud, but it's nice to play different games for a change!

Posted by fatbill at 11:25 AM | Comments (0)

October 17, 2005

Foxwoods Seat Event

Yesterday was the finals for the foxwood seat event that I qualified for on Thursday. There were 12 players vieing for a seat to FoxWoods on Nov 5, for the $1000 Buy in No Limit Texas Holdem event.

It was a highly competitive day to say the least, with a lot of top players, and it was a lot of fun! ;-)

I really never had great hands most of the night. Pocket J's was the best thing I saw, but I got that 3 times, and it paid off tow of the three. Had AJ a few times, and that paid off each time, including an important hand when we were down to 4 players, when I hit the nut flush with it.

I was really not able to get involved in many big pots, but I was able to keep myself in the game by being patient. At one point I was down to 1200, but battled back to over 7K with 4 to go. Unfortunately the chip leader had more than half the available chips, and he took out the other two contenders, leaving me heads up. At that point I only had 4400 chips, to his 38000! LOL I opted for a deal and settled.

Patience and persistance... it's held me through the last two events!

Posted by fatbill at 09:21 AM | Comments (0)

October 14, 2005

Played really well....

I played no limit texas holdem in a mini satellite last night, where the top 3 won entry into a tournament awarding seats into an upcoming WPT event at Foxwoods. Everyone started with 3000 in chips, and the blinds were 30 minutes.

I really played well, but seemed to get my cards early in the event, bringing my stack up to 4500 in the first couple levels. Then things seemed to go cold for me. Good hands to raise or call with, never connected with the flop, and I found myself down, at one point to 1200 in chips.

Making the best of hands that I got, I kept in the game, yo-yoing between 1200 and 2000 for over 45 minutes. I never got anything going, but I kept in the game, and kept my patience.

FINALLY, I got AJs and decided to push with it! At this point, we were down to 11, and the next out would see us combining tables. Let me say, that the previous 3 hands to this I had A rag and tossed them!

My AJs got called by a big stack ( remember, I had less than 2K ) with AQo. I thought I was in for it, but luck was with me, and a J hit the board and held! Now I was up to 4500 again!! and thats were I was when we moved to a final table.

I really did not play many hands at this table, as I had the Chip leader to my right making large raises at every opportunity!

On the Big Blind, this hand came up when blinds were 400/800 with a 50 ante:
Guy under the gun calls for 800 ( he has less chips than me )... Lady in middle position goes all in for 5800. Everyone else folds to me. I look down to find pocket Queens! I really had to think on this. I'm pretty sure the guy under the gun is going to call, and I have to think one of them has a big hand. I just cant let Q's go, so I call. As I suspected, the guy under the gun calls also! IT's A HUGE POT!

Guy under the gun flips J's, and the lady flips 6's! I'm in a dominant lead! Fortunately for me, my luck holds, and no one improves, so my Q's hold up, and I'm not over 13K in chips!

I play tight from here on out, but ALMOST lost my tournament to the chip leader with we were down to 5 players.
I'm the BB for 800 and the chip leader is the Small for 400. He just calls, and I look down to see A5o, so I check. Flop comes THREE KINGS. He checks, and so do I. Turn comes a 9. He bets 800, and I call. River comes an A!! I make the boat. He bets out 2000! I think for a sec and just call.... thank god I didnt raise, when he turns over the FORTH KING!
That hand hurt and I was down to 6K now!

Fortunately, for me, I didnt have to play another hand, as first the chip leader, then another player knocked the 4th and 5th position players out, and the remaining three of us all gained entry to this Sunday's event. I'm looking forward to it!

Posted by fatbill at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)

October 08, 2005

Poker Alliance?

I read an interesting article at Rolling Good Times about a group trying to set up an 'alliance' of poker players, in essence a lobby, to combat pending and future legislation to ban poker playing.

I think it's a great idea!

"The Poker Players Alliance says it wants to sign up tens of thousands of recreational poker players, each of whom would pay $15 in dues.

The group would lobby federal, state and local officials to help fight a potential federal ban on Internet gambling and stop raids on community poker games by state and local law enforcement officials.

As a call to action, the group has created a Web site and is publishing magazine ads and writing articles in trade publications. The pieces detail a rash of police raids on community poker games in recent months -- many of them organized to benefit charities.

To hear founder Sam Gorewitz tell it, poker games everywhere are under attack by overzealous federal and state prosecutors looking to curb a pastime that's as much part of American culture as baseball.

"We feel the government should not be telling people what to do," said Gorewitz, a poker player and former marketing executive in Washington. "In our eyes, poker is legal. Our main objective is to keep it legal. We want poker players to be able to play poker in the venue of their choice." "

No mention or link to the groups site.. I'll keep an eye on this....

Posted by fatbill at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)

October 04, 2005

Online Tournament

Well I played in my first online tournament in a while yesterday. There was 583 people roughly who started, and i couldnt have played better. I put my money in with the best hand when I had it, and dumped my hand when I didnt. I lasted for two and a half hours and came to my doom... I had around 19,000 in chips or so, and played my ass off. It came down to the final 3 tables of 8 when I was dealt a-k of spades, after a raise I pushed them all in only to run into pocket 10s...and to be honest I liked my odds even if he had a pair, I still had two overs to race with and didnt hit either....The most important thing is that I played the best i've ever played, and thats all that matters to me...because sooner or later im gonna get the victory playing like I did, and thats pretty much the just of it.

Posted by wilcone at 06:40 PM | Comments (0)

Sick of online play

I am totally fed up with playing texas holdem online! EVERY time I play in any type of tournament online, I end up getting rivered by some buffoon calling me with shit cards and hitting!

Case in Point: I go all in on the button with Pocket Q's.... the idiot on the BB CALLS me, with K4o, and of course rivers a K... totally a bullshit call, by an obvious idiot.

I know all the retoric about wanting idiots to make those calls... unfortunately, online play awards them all to often...

Posted by fatbill at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

September 30, 2005

2005 Player of the Year Update

With the year winding down, I figured it was a good time to update the CardPlayer@ Player of the Year standings.

The Top 20 are:
Rank, Player, Location, Points, Final Tables, Winnings
1 John Phan Long Beach, CA 4,212 7 $1,086,977
2 Ted Forrest Las Vegas, NV 3,448 7 $1,119,028
3 Maciek "Michael" Gracz Raleigh, NC 3,360 2 $2,119,960
4 Erick Lindgren Las Vegas, NV 3,192 6 $1,010,711
5 Michael Mizrachi Hollywood, FL 3,081 3 $2,302,899
6 Phil Ivey Atlantic City, NJ 3,032 5 $1,731,016
7 Hieu Ngoc 'Tony' Ma El Monte, CA 2,710 7 $1,139,278
8 Chris Ferguson Pacific Palisades, CA 2,700 6 $1,446,893
9 David Pham Cerritos, CA 2,612 5 $587,354
10 Amir Vahedi Sherman Oaks, CA 2,586 7 $604,299
11 Mark Seif Incline Village, NV 2,552 4 $832,229
12 John Hoang Alhambra, CA 2,501 12 $398,107
13 Minh Nguyen Lake Elsinore, CA 2,416 11 $486,122
14 Antonio Esfandiari San Francisco, CA 2,344 4 $459,246
15 Jess Yawitz St. Louis, MO 2,340 2 $455,911
16 Charidimos 'Harry' Demetriou London, United Kingdom 2,320 3 $406,005
17 Todd Witteles Las Vegas, NV 2,280 3 $477,920
18 Blair Rodman Palm Springs, CA 2,272 5 $488,640
19 Paul Darden Jr. New Haven, CT 2,224 6 $459,596
20 Farzad Bonyadi Aliso Viejo, CA 2,220 2 $748,490

John Phan has a pretty solid grip on first, a position he has been in for most of the year, but Ted Forrest is coming on strong.

Posted by fatbill at 09:57 AM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2005

Normal things are happening...but anywho

Well let me start by saying I couldnt have played any better than I did, and thats my honest opinion. I had a couple hands of bad luck, actually really really baad luck. Flopped the beginning of the straight when someone had the higher end, that cost me big. Gained back a little and went in with a-k off a raise, that cost me a little as well...after that i was so short stacked that I couldnt do anything at this point ( 5th level or so ) went in with a mediocre ace and lost to a pair of paint cards...and thats how it went, just that fast. But the vision I had on the table and the instinct I had was good, other than the straight. It felt good and I think im ready for another one very soon, the feeling is coming back to me......and thats a problem for other people.

Posted by wilcone at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2005

Can I catch a break?

I played again with the guys at the club Sat night, and thought I played pretty well. I made no major mistakes, and what hands I played, I got what I could out of them.

Things of note.... We got down to the final 10, and I was one of three short stacks. I sat on my stack for a round, when this hand came up.
With me in the BB for $300, I checked my option to three limpers in front of me. The small made it $600, on an flop of 6 3 J rainbow. I had pocket 6's, so I went all in. He called, and my set held up so I doubled up and had some life.
Next hand, I limped with QJo. Same guys makes it 3x on a flop showing a Jack high. I thought about it for quite a while, and decided that based on past betting for this player, that he was on a draw. I called... he was on a flush draw, and didnt catch, so I doubled again, and now had enought chips to sit tight for a while.

We played 6 handed for what seemed forever. Chips going around the table, but EVERY all in, holding up for the shorter stack. Finally a player got knocked out, and shortly after that, with 5 remaining, this hand came up.
PREFLOP, guy under the gun goes all in. He has me out-chipped. He's a solid player, but not really that well off, chip wise. He's been known to make this move with any big card. I had AJo, and I called... he had A4o.... of course, a 4 hit on the turn, and I was out.

I can not catch a break with things get down to the wire.. and I'm steadily finishing 5th and 6th....

Posted by fatbill at 11:04 AM | Comments (0)

September 17, 2005

Texas Holdem Poker at the club

Well, the club is back up and running, and I got to play some Texas Holdem again, after taking over a month off. It's nice to have the club back operating, and seeing and playing with the guys there once again. The new setting is very nice, and it can accomodate 30-40 Texas Holdem players with no problem.

I played pretty tight all night.. largely because I either did not have hands worth a shit, or when I had marginal hands that I may have liked to limp in with, there were big raises in front of me.

It got down to me under $2K with the blinds at $600, and I was in for the big blind with K9s. There was an all in in front of me, and I was being moved to a new table after this hand ( to balance ). If I fold and move to the new table, I'm coming in with less than to blinds. I felt my only move here was to move all in and take my changes. I got lucky, as the other player had pocket tens, so I had an over. The flop gave me a K, and It held. Now I move with a somewhat decent stack, at least enought to make someone think if I made a move.

Play got down to the final 6, and I was just not getting hands. I finally got AQ, but the big stack bet out 2400 ( blinds were 400/800 ). I only had 2900 chips, so after a minutes thought I moved all in, knowing he would call for few extra chips. What I did not expect to happen, did... the Big Blind moved all in.
The Big Stack called with QJs, I had AQ, but unfortunately the Big Blind had AKo... .none of us hit, so the AK held, and I was sent packing....

Posted by fatbill at 10:23 AM | Comments (1)

September 14, 2005

50 Million Poker Players?

In an article I read recently the World Poker Tour estimates that there are 50 people playing poker! Thats 50,000,000!

The popularity in Poker, especially Texas Holdem Poker, has also contributed to a huge explosion in the book publishing business! The Las Vegas Business Press, in an article you can read HERE says:

"Poker's upsurge in popularity has been a jackpot for the publishing industry. New York City-based Cardoza Publishing is reporting a tenfold increase in sales for its poker-related titles and USA Today estimates that 60 poker books will make print this year."

Also, somewhat suprising.... "According to Huntington Press Publisher Anthony Curtis, the national leader in poker publishing is not Cardoza but Henderson-based Two Plus Two Publishing, run by Mason Malmuth and David Sklansky.
Gambler's Bookstore owner, Howard Schwartz, reads one of the many new books on poker. He says his store now has 250 separate titles on the card game, double the number in stock a year or two ago.
Between them, the pair have written 26 of Two Plus Two's 43 poker titles."

And now with the increased number of events from this years WSOP being shown on tv, I dont see things cooling down any time soon!

Posted by fatbill at 09:02 AM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2005

Texas Holdem and a stupid way of playing it...

Well my girlfriend and I wanted to do something the other night, so we went to a fair. Mind you, the only reason I went was to play Texas Holdem.

When I walked in they said that it was limit, which i understood...but this was outrageous. First you pay $2 to see your cards, if you wanna see a flop you pay 2 more, then to see the turn you must pay 3 and the river was 5. You can check, but if you didnt have the money than you had to fold.....i didnt like that concept but i played a hand. I got dealt a-q and called, flopped my ace and got outkicked after $20 spent into that pot. My luck was running shy so i took off as fast as i could, i cant play texas holdem like that, When I play i wanna be in a tournament.....

Posted by wilcone at 02:08 PM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2005

Reading your opponent

Ran across a good article by Daniel Negraneu talking about reading your opponent. You can read the entire article HERE

The opening states:

"You've no doubt heard the myth about needing a poker face to play the game well. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Poker isn't about reading facial tics. It's about reading people."

He embelishes on this further:
"The truth is, an elite player doesn't focus much on body language. Instead, he tries to understand how you think based on the hands you play and how you play them."

Posted by fatbill at 07:51 AM | Comments (0)

September 09, 2005

Lots of online poker sites

I was just looking at some news feeds and reading some articles and realized that there are just a TON of online poker sites.

I have never heard of most of them, and never seen them advertised any place. How do they exist if they aren't visible?

I think that a lot of folks figured they would open their own room to get in on the 'poker craze', but never had a clue about how to market an online company....

Hard to say.. but from what I've read, there are over 300 poker rooms on the net today!

Posted by fatbill at 09:35 AM | Comments (0)

August 29, 2005

Have not played Texas Holdem much

The past month or so has been pretty hectic for us around here, what with vacations and all. As a result, I have not played Texas Holdem poker in quite some time, especially LIVE poker. I played a little online texas holdem in the beginning of the month, but got tired of the river suck-out syndrome, and decided to take a break from that...

Now that vacations are all done, and school is back in swing, I expect to get back into the grove of playing a LOT more. I'm particularly anxious to get back into playing live poker with the people at the club.

Posted by fatbill at 08:50 AM | Comments (0)

August 16, 2005

New Poker Game coming

There is a new poker game coming out for the Xbox and Playstation this fall. Its called World Poker Tour 2k6. The game is supposed to mimic the actual WPT, including commentary from Mike Sexton and Vince VanPatton.

There are several pros that endorse, and have contributited advice and style to be incorporated in the game.

Looks like it may be a good game for those that want some practice play.

Posted by fatbill at 07:41 AM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2005

poker game around my neighborhood..

Well I figured since I havent played in a while i would join a local game last night. I couldnt have asked to play better, I mean every good hand I had HIT good. I managed to take about 4 people out and become chip leader with 4 people left and coasted into the finals. Hell I even got pocket aces, and took a guy out that had a-q....it was a beautiful thing.
Then deceided to play a second game, which was a bad idea on my part. I should have just toaken my money and run, but i cant say i played bad. I got a-k with a preflop raise, I got re-raised so I pushed and ran into aces....thats just how the luck goes, guess I'll just have to wait till next time.

Posted by wilcone at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)

August 12, 2005

Folding pocket Jacks>

I read an interesting article entitled Poker Strategy Doesn't Have One 'Sacred' Way to Play

The author makes a compelling case for folding pocket jacks in the big blind in a limit game..... I'd give it a read. He goes into pretty good lenght to explain his logic using not only common sense, but some solid math to make his case....

even so, it would be a hard hand to drop pre-flop... ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 07:25 AM | Comments (0)

August 10, 2005

Not been playing much...

I have really not played very much the past few days.... dont you hate it when real life stuff gets in the way of playing your favorite texas holdem game? ;-)

I read an article that pretty much sums up my thoughts on playing online.... read it here

It is entitled "Four reasins I hate Online Poker" LOL

His four points?

1. It's Boring
2. It's too SLOOOOOW
3. I dont trust it!
4. It's addicting!

maybe #4 is the real reason? ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:03 AM | Comments (0)

August 06, 2005

Played SNGs yesterday online

I decided to sit and play a number of SNG's yesterday... both single table and multi-table ones. I normally play two at one time, so I keep my mind active and my attention in the game....

I cashed in three of the 6 that I played, including one of the two Multi-Table games. I won one of the single table games, coming from WAY behind, which was very nice.

Overall I was up for the day, which is a very good thing! LOL

Even with winning 50% of the games I played, the ONE bad beat STILL sits in my mind... aint that usually the case?

Its down to the final 7 of a 3 Table NL Texas Holdem game...

I come out with a 4X bet with Pocket Qs.... everyone folds except the button, who re-raises me another 5X.... I move all in for $3500.

He yas KJo!! KING JACK OFFSUIT? There is an article on here about how this hand is so misplayed and thought of so mistakenly...

Anyways... he of course hits the damn K on the river sending me away. I hate when bad play is rewarded.

Posted by fatbill at 12:10 PM | Comments (0)

August 04, 2005

Comeback at the horseshoe, day 2

Well after losing 100$ the first day at the poker table, it was time to win me some money. I walked in the poker room and had an hour wait so i watched the table and did some research of the play. It was all older gentlemen, so with my tight play i was sure i could win some. I started off down to about 100 and made an excellent read on a guy, he tried to represent the ace and i wasnt buying it..so that took me to over 180. Then I was down to about 130 after 2 or 3 hours and got a-j of spades with a newcomer betting pre-flop, I CALL. I flopped 2 spades and he bet 20, I call again. He didnt like that I was calling so smoothly, but I spiked my flush on the turn...I CHECK, one of the best checks i've ever made...he calls me all in, oh well "OK" I said, I call with the NUT FLUSH!! Needless to say I doubled up to about 350 off my initial 100 buy in, i walked off the table thanking binions for giving me my money from the first day back. I will be going back there a.s.a.p

For all of those who have never played at Binions Horseshoe it is a great casino. The poker tournaments and tables are amazingly run, some of the best poker games I've played in, especially the tourneys. SO i recommend playing there if your any sort of a texas holdem player!

Posted by wilcone at 12:03 PM | Comments (0)

Day 1 at the horseshoe..

Well i deceided that i was going to play the 1-2 $100 minimum single no limit texas holdem table. Playing rather tight and winning pots here and there i was only down about 20 off my 100$ buy in. One crucial hand had me thinking, it was me and a new face to me playing heads up in a hand. I had 99 in the hole, with a flop of 7-4-2 i raised 30, he raised me 30, well i might as well bet my last 50 so im all in. He had NOTHING, a-q offsuit! Well the ace spiked on the river and i gave the devilish stare, like HEY MORON NICE CATCH.......

Posted by wilcone at 11:59 AM | Comments (0)

Playing in home games...

Well I deceided to play in a 12 man home game last night, mostly weaker players. Starting off i got rivered for 1/5 of my stack and worked all the way back up to just under leading the pack. I got dealt A-K and raised the blind 3x, figuring i havent raised a hand all night and these people know i play stronger hands. I had one called ( a very weak player) that called me with j-9 suited. I flopped my king but he flopped a flush draw, so for 1700 in chips he deceided to chase it down risking over half of his stack. Needless to say my king didnt hold up. And then i deceided to play in a short handed game out of boredom....

about 6 of us played and i was doing rather well, considering the amount of hands i played.I got raised 400 preflop and had pocket 10s, flopped my 10 and there was 3 clubs on board. Knowing i was ahead i just checked which was my mistake, but he had the ace of clubs so he had a mean draw. I couldnt pair the board to make my trips last. THATS POKER THOUGH.

I've found that i have to change my game when playing weaker players, having flopped strong hands all night and not winning pots was making me angry. But it wont bring me down, its people like that who are just keeping my money safe for next time.

Posted by wilcone at 11:16 AM | Comments (0)

Playing in SNG's online

I was a bit bored yesterday, and had not played texas holdem in a while, so I decided to get in on a couple of SNG's ( sit n go ) single table tournaments online yesterday.

Things went as I remembered them.... players sucking out large on the river, after making questionable calls.... some things never change in poker!

I lost on AK 5 times, and only had one pocket pair ( Q's ).... will have to try again! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)

August 02, 2005

Wynn Casino Poker Room

On my trip to Vegas, I went to the Wynn Casino to check out the new place. I must say, that it is an impressive venue, but it reminded me of other high end casino's like Bellagio, Venitian, and Mandaly Bay in it's overall setup.

Prices there are pretty steep, so it's not a place for the casual gambler to play. Table stakes are generally $10 and $15 minimum bets at most games.

I did go by and check out the poker room there. It was VERY nice, and had a lot of action. There are games there for every taste, and at every level of play.

I was suprised to see No Limit Texas Holdem games go from 1-2 all the way up to $50-$100. It would take quite a stake to sit in on some of those babies!

Didnt see any 'stars' while I was there, unfortunately......

Posted by fatbill at 08:04 AM | Comments (0)

July 27, 2005

Off to Vegas....

We are off to Las Vegas in a couple of hours, so we wont be making any entries for a couple of days...

We plan on playing a few Texas Holdem Tournaments while we are there, and I'm sure Wilcone will be playing in some No Limit Texas Holdem ring games....

With luck, we will have some success stories to report on when we return!

See ya Sunday!

Posted by fatbill at 08:59 AM | Comments (0)

July 26, 2005

Noble Poker added

I've added Noble Poker to my recommended listing of Poker Rooms. You can read the review in the ONLINE POKER SITES REVIEWED link here or on the right.

One of the reasons, was this interesting idea for players that like Sit-N-Go type tournaments. ( SNG's are single table tournaments )

Noble poker will pay 1 MILLION DOLLARS to any player that can win seven consecutive low stakes SNG tournaments! 1 MILLION DOLLARS!!

6 in a row will net you $75K... and 5 in a row will net you $25K

That aint a bad deal at all!

CLICK HERE if you want to get in on this, or want more information....

Posted by fatbill at 09:18 AM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2005

Texas Holdem game last night

I played in a small Texas Holdem tournament last night for cash. There were only a little more than 20 players, and there was to be an optional add-on after the end of the thrid round. We started with 3000 in chips, and the add-on was for 1500 more.

Things went pretty well for me most of the night, although I did not see that many decent hands. Early on, all the connectors that I tried to play never hit, and I went down about 1K by the end of the second level.
Finally got some luck, when I got dealt 78o in the big blind, and there were no raises. On the turn I made the nut straight, and got back all those chips I lost trying to make something happen early.

After the add-on, cards were still pretty cold, but I managed to make what I did get pay well, and when we finally got down to the final 9, I was sitting pretty well at just over 6000.

I never had a hand to play at the final table. NOT ONE... I watched my 6K dwindle down to 1600, when I pushed with QTd... 4 diamonds on the turn, but the river offered me no help, and I was out 8th....

That is the nature of the game. I'm not really dissapointed, as I made NO mistakes and lost NO big hands. Some encouragement heading into Vegas in two days! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 08:54 AM | Comments (0)

July 22, 2005

Played well pre-Vegas!

I played in the same Cash game last night as Wilcone, fortunately I had a little better results! ;-)

I was short and down to $1025 when I was the Big Blind for $400. I had nothing, 57off.... the flop came 226.... I moved all in, as I was only up against two other players, one being the small blind. I took a chance that they would think I hit a Big Blind special.... they did, and folded, so I was able to double up.

Next hand I get KK with one player ahead of me moving all in. I call! He has QQ.... we both hit a set on the flop, so I double up again! Now I'm over 4K, and we merge into the final 9.

I was doing well, and at one point got the stack up over 6K, but took a huge hit when my AQ did not hit and I had to fold after calling a pre-flop raise....

All in moves with AKs, and JJ both went uncalled....

I was down to just over $3K when the player before me made it $1600 to go ( $800 big blind )... I had Pocket 9's... I either fold, or push, as calling would leave me only $1500... I decide to push...

Unfortunately he had Jacks! I dont catch, and am out 6th...

Posted by fatbill at 09:40 AM | Comments (0)

Rather upsetting night

I played in a low end cash game with some good players, but I let myself get down to the felt and thats not good. I sure hope my vegas experience is gonna come through for me, lady luck left me and she doesnt seem to wanna come back.

Posted by wilcone at 12:19 AM | Comments (0)

July 21, 2005

Phil Laak beats poker bot...

There was a 'competition' held at Binions Horseshow recently, pitting several 'poker robots' against each other in Texas Holdem. The winning poker bot, named Poker Probot, came out victorious.

This bot then went on to challange Phil Lack in a Limit Texas Holdem game.

Laak beat the computer in a three hour contest, by adjusting his style to what he saw the computer doing: Playing too aggressively.

'Humans do it better'

Posted by fatbill at 10:12 AM | Comments (0)

July 20, 2005

INteresting article...

I read an interesting article at ESPN, that I thought I would share. You can read the entire article Here

One of the most interesting parts:

"Much has been written about the huge amounts of money many players are raking in, week after week, especially on the Web. But the fact is, in real life, such people are few and far between.

Since there are very few, if any, reliable studies available that demonstrate the percentage of winners -- and big winners -- from among the tens of millions who play the game, you are probably wondering how I "know" this. Well, as it turns out, there is one group that can -- and does -- track this kind of stat, though they are not about to publicize the results. That group consists of online poker site management, two members of which revealed to me at the WSOP that what intuition suggests must be true -- only 8 and 7 percent, respectively, of all players on their sites finish the year in the black. And I'm not talking about deep in the black, either. The vast majority of those winners are not about to give up their day jobs."

Posted by fatbill at 09:15 AM | Comments (0)

July 18, 2005

Getting called by questionable hands...

I played in a live Texas Holdem tournament this past weekend that was a satellite into a bigger event for the upcoming Aruba Classic on the WPT. I played pretty well, all things considered. I really did not have that much in the way of cards, but got lucky playing several 'junk' hands in the blinds, so I was able to keep my chip count up. When I did get the 'big hands' I was able to capitalize on them, and make some modest gains in the chip stack....

Play got down to the final 7, and the table was being pretty tight. Only three would get the automatic buy-in to the next event.

With a stack of 2700 Chips, and under the gun, I was dealt AQ, which was the best pre-flop hand I had had since we combined into the final table. Since the blinds were 800, there was little point in calling. I would have to push or fold. I decided to push it. I had not played a hand in a long time, and figured people would recognize that fact. I had previously pushed from this position and shown Pocket Rockets, and was counting on people to remember that, as I made it a point of commenting on it at the time.

Frankly, I was just figuring to pick up the blinds and antes, which would have been a nice boost to my stack, figuring to cover my next big and small blinds....

Everyone folded to the Big Blind. He had me covered, but to make this call, EVEN with his big blind, would mean committing more than half his stack. After a few minutes of pondering, he says, "You probably have me dominated.... but I call"!

HOW the hell can you make a call with the thought in your head that you would be dominated??

He had pocket 5's.... unfortunately, the board turned up 5 complete rags, and his 5's held.

Posted by fatbill at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)

July 12, 2005

Play Free Texas Holdem

So you have heard and see all the hype about Texas Holdem Poker, and you want to look into playing online, right? There are a few things to consider when you start your online play, lets see if we can address them!

Playing for money or playing free?
Everyone wants to win money. RE READ THAT! EVERYONE WANTS TO WIN MONEY, especially poker players.

The fact of the matter, is that if you win money 20% of the time you play, you are ahead of the curve!

There are those out there that win consistantly, and earn a very good living out of JUST playing online texas holdem! These players are normally referred to as the 'Sharks'

Now, are you capable of being one of them?
Just because you know the rules of the game, does not make you a shark! There are a LOT of sharks playing Online Texas Holdem, in most EVERY poker room on the net. Sharks prey on OTHER fish!

If you are a beginner, you definately should NOT play for real money, until you get the experience and skills necessary to compete with the 'sharks' out there! So, how do we get those skills, and gain that experience? You start by playing FREE TEXAS HOLDEM, thats how!

Every major poker room on the internet offers you the opportunity to play texas holdem free! EVERY ONE OF THEM. You are able to play not only free texas holdem in ring games, but there are free texas holdem tournaments that you can enter and get a feel for the game. Realize, however, that when you play free texas holdem, the players are VERY loose and carefree with their play, UNLIKE playing for real money. It's very easy to risk 'PLAY MONEY', but when its YOUR money, its a totally different story.

There is absolutely NO reason for you to risk your hard earned cash, until you have sufficient skills to compete in the money games. Even if you have money to burn, its senseless to just throw it away... you will do enought of that EVEN when you have the necessary skills and understanding of the game! ;-)

Every game costs money to learn, and Texas Holdem is definately no different. Realize this, and accept the fact that it will cost you to learn to compete at higher and higher levels.

Choosing the Right Poker room for Free Texas Holdem.

As I mentioned, EVERY poker room that we recommend on this site offers free texas holdem play. We recommend these poker rooms because they are HONEST, FAIR, and run a good game. You can read more of our thoughts on each by looking at the Online Poker Sites Reviewed link on the main page. While I like playing at each of these poker rooms, I would suggest one of the bigger ones to start out. You will find more action, as they have more players. Look at PartyPoker.com, PokerRoom.com, or

PacificPoker.com for starters. There are links to each poker site on the main page under ONLINE POKER ROOMS WE ENDORSE.

When you have selected the poker room that appeals to you, you simply have to download their free software. NOTE: The DOWNLOAD IS TOTALLY FREE! There is ABSOLUTELY no risk in this download! It is NOT in the interest of the poker room to mess around with your computer and risk losing you as a player. Besides, We would not endorse any poker room that would play games with spyware or virus'.... that would hurt OUR credibility also!

Once you have downloaded the free software, you will be asked to create a USERNAME, and PASSWORD for access to your account when you play. CHOOSE YOUR USERNAME WISELY! Once it is created, it is what you will be playing under, and getting known at the poker room by. Creating cute names that paint a target on your back may not be the best idea! ;-)

Once you have the Username selected, and entered the appropriate information, you can start play.
MAKE SURE YOU LOOK AT PLAY MONEY GAMES!
Look for games that have reasonable limits. I dont suggest you start playing No Limit Texas Holdem on your first attempt! Play a nice limit game, so that you can get used to the interface, and the betting style of the site. Once you are comfortable with that, you can start playing other versions of the game.

To supplement your play, take advantage of the free texas holdem articles and strategy guides that we have put together on this site. They will give you some insights into the rules of the game, as well as tips for playing. These can be found on the main page under POKER ARTILES/INFORMATION - Texas Holdem Poker Articles.

Posted by fatbill at 01:22 PM | Comments (0)

July 09, 2005

Questionable calls, and whos making them...

I played in a satelite tournament at the club this evening, with about 20 people who bought in... I played one of the best tournaments i have played in a long time, and got unlucky... With blinds at 2-400 with an ante i raised it to 2600 all in, and im not a loose player ( and people know that). I raised this with A-J unsuited, and everyone but one person stayed in the hand. "SHE" called me with a-9 suited in spades, now any good player who knows how tight I am woulda folded at that point...Thats over 3 times the blind.

This is one hand that will run through my head, i played this hand correctly..i put people to a decision, the fact of the matter is that she caught a 9, thats all a measely 9. I HATE ACE RAG, no reason for her to call that much money but I guess i'll have to sit and wonder about this one for a while. I can not beat on myself for playing this hand wrong, but i cant stop thinking about it....so in case your wondering I only like american cheese with this whine.

Posted by wilcone at 04:13 AM | Comments (0)

July 05, 2005

Dry spell? or is it?

So i played in a tournament with 3 tables of play at the club. I was starting out fairly well when i flopped an open ended straight flush, it drained me when the turn gave the other guy a full house, and my straight flush never came. So i was dwindling holding my own for most of the tournament when i caught k-j in the hole, so i went all in hoping i wouldnt run into an ace....well thats exactly what i did, and i cant say i was upset by the call but i was upset i called that straight flush draw. Well ill be going to vegas in a couple of weeks and im hoping that all goes well and i come home with many stories, until then...

Posted by wilcone at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)

June 28, 2005

Played at Poker Room for the first time

I signup and play at EVERY poker room that I recommend on this site, so I decided yesterday to go sign up at PokerRoom.com and see what they had to offer. I was IMPRESSED!

Not only do you get a good signup bonus for your first deposit ( 20% ), but you AUTOMATICALLY get TWO FREE entries into Texas Holdem Tournaments! Thats a nice touch, I thought. New players expecially will appreciate the fact that with free entries, you can experience a Texas Holdem Tournament without putting in ANY of your own money!

They also have a Poker School, with articles and advice from their pros AND with contributions from players! The articles were well written and helpful.. definately worth the read!

Their interface took me a little while to get used to, since it's different than any of the other rooms I've played in, but thats to be expected.

Their table graphics are nice also!

Looking forward to putting in some more time in there!

Posted by fatbill at 09:40 AM | Comments (0)

June 25, 2005

Played some Live Texas Holdem

After not playing any live games for almost two weeks, I got the itch last night! ;-)

I went to the club and played in a small No Limit Texas Holdem freezeout tournament... there were only 24 players...

I really did not play badly... I only made one error and that was one in judgement on what the other player had.
I had A6o and the board came A Q 6, giving me two pair..... the other player had AQo in the hole, and I just could not put him on that... that cost me a third of my stack.

Couple other hands I played 2nd best hand.... but really did not play that many hands, and had the Nuts on the few that I did play....

Problem was, that when we were down to 11 players, the cards just went cold for me. I went all in short stacked and got lucky by hitting a flush, but I was so short, I really only had enough survival chips to last another round or so...

Got down to the final 9, and I just got dealt crap hand after crap hand.... mainly things like 23 and 34... it was ugly.... I finally had to push from the Big Blind with K6h.... got squished....

Posted by fatbill at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)

June 22, 2005

In a little slump, or am I?

Lately not playing is maybe freeing my mind and making me think more about what im doing. I havent even played online in forever, and i dont know why i havent played in person. I plan on playing sometime this week or upcoming weekend just to play, im having withdrawls! Although the last couple of times ive had bad luck in my cards, i still manage to beat out 1/3 of the field makin the final table when i do play.....but its all downhill from there! So wait for my upcoming post and I will let you know how it panned out!
UNTIL NEXT TIME!!!!

Posted by wilcone at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)

June 20, 2005

Have not played much lately

I really have not played much Texas Holdem of late... just have not felt like it, and really felt I needed a break to clear my head some.

I have played a couple of S N G's online, but have not done much there lately.

It's been over a week since I played a live game, even at the club. I had the opportunity to play in a Texas Holdem tournament on Saturday that had over 100 entries, but just did not feel like I had the patience to sit through all of what I anticipated would be initial poor play. ( I have played in this event in the past.... 25% of the field were not sure what beat what ).

I should be primed to play this weekend... we'll see....

Posted by fatbill at 09:58 AM | Comments (0)

June 15, 2005

Played a LOT online today

I played a lot of Texas Holdem online today!

Played 4 Sit N Go Texas Holdem NL games.... took 2nd in two, and got knocked early in the other two....

I decided to play a $10 No Limit Texas Holdem tourament, and it ended up having over 200 players! They were paying 27 places.

I am SO very pleased with the way I played in this tournament, I cant begin to tell you! LOL After spending two weeks getting sucked out hand after hand, it was finally my turn to get some luck!!!

I played very tight, until I got short. When I was short, I pushed and either had the best hand, or got lucky as hell on the flop and hung on. I just barely made the money!

With just a few good hands, I built my stack up to a good size, and was able to make the final table of 9!! I made a pretty loose call there that knocked me out 9th, but overall I can not complain.

I'm heading to the casino tomorrow, so I'm hoping some of this luck follows me there!

Posted by fatbill at 09:56 PM | Comments (0)

June 14, 2005

Playing through a losing streak

Just like going on a 'rush', where you see nothing but great cards, and everything seems to go your way, the poker gods can switch things on you, and they can go bad just as easily!

You play a lot, and for a long stretch, you seem to get nothing but crap hands. THEN, you get a couple good hands, only to be beat by a hand that is JUST a little better. You get pockts, and flop a set, only to get beat by a bigger set. You play great hands, where you make the correct read, and get your chips in with the best hand, only to get rivered, time after time.

If this sounds familiar, you probably play poker a lot! The nature of poker is such that you will have ups and downs. To play poker seriously, you must face the fact that theses will occur. That does not make it any easier to face, its just a fact of the game.

The first think you have to evaluate, when you get into a playing funk like this, is if YOU are playing poorly!
Are you making good decisions?
Are you playing TOO many hands trying to force something to happen?
Are you making calls when the odds on the board say you should fold?
Are you NOT being aggressive enought when you DO have a hand.

If you want to seriously analyze what is happening to your game, you MUST honestly answer these questions to yourself. If you are not aware of any of those things going on in your game, ask someone you play with a lot, and see what THEY think of your recent play.

If you answer these questions honestly, and you determine that you really are not playing poorly, you still have a serious challenge! You have to keep your spirit and deterimation up so that you can play through the slump! Being able to keep up a positive attitude and patience for the game is vital to overcome a losing streak. Cards WILL turn, but you can not force them. If you continue to play smart, you will minimize your loses, and be ready when the cards start favoring you once again.

Posted by fatbill at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2005

Had another horrible night...

I went to the club to play, since the family was out.... There was a small 2 table No Limit Texas Holdem tournament being played, and we started with 3000 chips and 30 minute blinds...

Early on, I lost a big chunk of chips with AJc, when the flop showed two clubs. I called the Flop bet, as well as the Turn bet, but didn't catch....

Two hands later, I get pocket 9's, so I limp in.... flop comes 9 J 3.... first player makes it 2x... I re-raise to 4x..... everyone else folds, and the first player calls... I call 2x best on both the turn and the river.... he has Pocket J's! Lose to a bigger set...

I'm down to half my original stack, and we've only played 30 minutes.... Cards went south for the next hour....

I made only ONE mistake.. and it was not in a hand I played, but rather one I did NOT play.... I'm big blind ( 150 ) and the player under the gun comes out for 500. There is one caller, and it comes to me. I have ATs...... I only have 1200 in chips left... I feel at this point, I have to push or fold.... after much thought I fold... the flop comes A 7 7.... the Turn comes a 7.... I would have taken it down with a boat...

Two hands later, I get Pocket 7's... I push with 1025.... the Big Blind calls... he has K's, which hold up.....

My luck is not improving....

Posted by fatbill at 08:41 AM | Comments (0)

June 11, 2005

Out in THREE hands...

I went to the club last night to play in a Texas Holdem Tourname w/re-buy, and was really looking forward to playing, as I had a great day online....

FIRST hand, we had two all in's! Guy to my right, on the small blind flops two pair K's and 8's, and moves all in. He gets called by another player who has KJ, giving him ONE pair of K's..... Turn comes J.... 1 hand.. one player out....

THIRD hand, I'm on the button, and I call a small raise with A2's. There are four players in the hand....
Flop comes A 2 9... I flop two pair! There is a 200 Bet ( blinds are 25/25 at this point! ). I call! Guy in the Big Blind comes over the top for 600! The original raiser calls... and I call....
Turn comes a 3... board is a rainbow.... I move all in.... the Big Blind has A9s.... I'm done!

I'm not sure I should have called, but I knew I was taking a gamble with that hand. He was the Big Blind... so it was difficult to put him on that hand. I actually figured he had 92 giving him 2 pair that were lower. I've played with him many times, and he is an aggressive player that will bully from position. I figured the Aces were a dead issue, or a one outer at best...

The SAFE play would have been to fold, as I would still have 1750 of my original 2500 chips... I just could not put him on that hand.... I made a bad read!

Posted by fatbill at 09:38 AM | Comments (0)

June 10, 2005

Good day online!

Played in two Sit N Goes today at Full Tilt and had a really good run in both games, for a change!

Took 1st in one, and 2nd in the other!

The one that I won, I had the chip lead from 6 players on, and never gave it up.... I had the chip lead in the other, but took a couple beats that put me a 2/1 underdog. Went all in with A9, and got wacked when the straight hit the board...

Maybe, JUST maybe, things are changing for me! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 03:24 PM | Comments (0)

Could not get anything going...

I played Texas Holdem last night at the club. We had a two table satellite type game going, with a lot of the regulars, who are all good players.

I never got untracked! I never got my chip stack above 3000 ( started with 2000 )....

I played well, I felt, with the hands I was dealt, and got the maximum out of the hands I played. Problem was, I didnt get that many hands to play! I tried to play a few hands that had 'potential', but either never caught a flop, or ran into big raised that the hand would not substantiate calling the bet.

I really didnt get any bad beats all night, I just didn't get the cards when I needed them.... SOMEHOW, I managed to make it to the final 9....

I got down to 1500 with the blinds at 300/600, and was looking for something to make a move with. When I got under the gun, I had A9h ( which was the best I'd seen in a LONG time ), so I pushed all in, hoping people would fold to a bet under the gun. One of the big stacks called me with AJo..... I floped a couple hearts to give me some hope, but the turn and the river blanked, and sent me packing....

some nights are just like that... ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)

June 09, 2005

Played Texas Holdem Online...

Played in 5 Sit N Go Texas Holdem games yesterday online at Full Tilt Poker. I'm really liking it there for SNG's, but they lack other types of tournaments on a more regular basis....

Of the 6, I finished in the money in 3: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

I am satisfied with finishing in the money in half of the ones I entered. I pretty much figure that if I average hitting the money in 20% of the events I enter ( online and off ) I am doing better than even.

Posted by fatbill at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)

June 05, 2005

Runner-Runner does it again

At the last minute, we decided to head to the club for some poker action. We knew that there was a texas holdem tournament going on, so we figured we would get in on it.

Pretty poor showing, as only 20 people were there for the tournament, but there were a number of solid players in the field... We started with 3000 in chips, and 30 minute blinds....

Early in the game, I caught pocket threes, and called the modest bet pre-flop. The board came K 3 7... I hit a set. The intital bettor came out for another 3x bet.... I went over the top double his bet... he moved all in.... instinctivly I called.... he had a set of K's...

Fortunately, I had him covered, but I was cut almost in half early in the first round, and had to really play selective from that point on.

I got involved in only TWO more hands... had KJs and the board comes out J78.... two diamonds.... I bet 300.... two callers.... the turn comes a rag... the river another diamond.... you guessed it... he hit a flush, staying in with 2 3!

Final hand, I have AQo..... I'm the big blind.... there is a 500 bet in front of me, everyone else folds... I know the player well, and know the hands he'll bet out like this. I'm sure I have the better hand. I move all in for another 500.... He calls... he has KQo!

The board flops rag J rag.... the flop comes 9 10... he sucks out a straight.... exactly the way my luck has been running of late....

Posted by fatbill at 10:06 AM | Comments (0)

June 04, 2005

Calling ALL IN with A9o?

I played pretty well in the tournament last night at the club. It was your standard texas holdem freezeout style tournament, and had a pretty good turnout.

I really had poor cards ALL night, so I spent most of my time mucking, and watching other people play. I had Three pocket pairs all night: 6's, Q's and A's.... I folded the 6's to an all in in front of me.... The Q's got me a moderate pot, and the A's got me the blinds and ante's..... other than that, I was just maintaining a stack hovering around 2K, and waiting.

I had not played but ONE hand for two levels at the end, and that was the Pocket A's.... It got down to the last 7 ( top 4 paid ) and I got A4S..... I pushed my remaining 1800. The Button folded, the small folded, and the BB ( 400 ) called with A9o! I'm scratching my head to figure what he was thinking.... I hit the 4 on the flop... the turn is a rag..... the river gives him a 9, of course, and sends me packing in 7th.... AGAIN

Posted by fatbill at 10:55 AM | Comments (0)

June 03, 2005

Played well in a SNG last night

I played in what turned out to be a 12 handed Texas Holdem SNG last night at the club. No one wanted to go to 2 tables of 6, so we just crowded around the table and got to it!

I played a bunch of loose hands early, mainly suited connectors, trying to hit something on the flop cheap. Nothing was hitting for me, and I got stack down a bit, and had to tighten up some.

I pretty much hovered around the initial chip stack amount for the better part of the game, getting AK to pay off a couple of times to maintain the stack. .

Once we got down to 6 players, I was VERY short. Blinds were 400 and I only had a bit more than 900 in the big blind. I had 96o! two players limped in front of me, and I took the free flop! The flop came 882, and everyone checked! The turn came a 9, giving me two pair. I figured no one hit the 8, so after they both checked, I pushed my remaining 525. One player folded, and one called me with AQ. He did not hit, and I more than doubled up.

NOW, I go on a mini rush! I hit the NEXT 4 hands in a row, and we are down to 4 players, and I have almost 6K!

We got down to heads up, with me having 7500, and the other player had 13000.... cards went cold for me, and we'd been at it for over 3 hours.... We settled on a chop....

It was nice to FINALLY get in on the money ( top three paid ) after going out on or near the bubble for the past few weeks consistantly!

Tonight there is a big game at the club... I'm optimistic for a change! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)

June 02, 2005

After taking a few days off...

I decided to wonder over to the club last night, and play a little texas holdem. I had not played since the weekend, and was getting bit by the bug again! ;-)

Got involved in a Texas Holdem No Limit SNG that ended up having 12 players! Thats a table full! Not only that, but I ended up dealing the thing ( I also played, so was one of the 12 ). Thats a lot of players to keep track of, but fortunately, it was a table full of good and experienced players!

I squandered a good portion of my stack away playing connectors and small pocket pairs that never hit. It was a risk, but if they hit, they usually hit BIG! ;-)

I lost on AQ twice! I'm starting to dislike that hand! LOL

Moved all in with AKs when I got down to about 700 chips ( started with 1500 ), and only had one caller. She had 67S... the same suit! Fortunately, I hit a K on the flop, and took down a good pot.

I played AQ against the Big Blind. The flop came 2 a 7, He moved all in on me. I could not put him on a big hand. He will push from his position with just about anything, and I had top pair, AND a good kicker. I figured him for A rag.... unfortunately, he had Pocket 2's and hit a set!

When I got down to 300 chips, I pushed from the small blind with AQ again! AGAIN I hit an A on the flop.... The big stack made a straight on the river.... I'm down....

I'm not liking AQ much right now! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)

May 30, 2005

Playing AKs.....

I played some Texas Holdem last night at the club in a small freeze out tournament. For most of the night I got garbage for hands. I won a small pot playing 24s when I hit the flop for a flush.... I normally would never consider playing that hand, but they let me limp at a low blind rate! ;-)

Got pocket aces just before we merged to the final table, and took a nice sized pot to bring me over 4K going into the final. The average stack at that point was about 5100.

Unfortunately, I really didnt see much in the way of hands at the final table, for over an hour. I finally got dealt AQs, and called a 2x raise to see the flop. The flop came A rag rag, and I pushed my last 2400 chips in. Fortunately, the Big stack had A rag ( not matching ) and called me thinking I was making a short stack move! I doubled up, and was back over 6K in chips....

NOW.. the trouble hand for me......

I get AKs ( Diamonds ) in the big blind, and have two limpers in front of me.... I did not raise.... THAT was a mistake, but I've really had poor luck with big slick, and wanted to see if I hit anything before getting involved.

The flop came Jd Td 9c.... Four to a flush, a gut shot to a Royal, a gut shot to a straight! The button pushed for 2500..... I thought for a few, but figured I had 13 outs at LEAST. He had Pocket Q's.

I have 19 outs! ANY q, ANY A, ANY K, ANY DIAMOND......

Turn and river were rag rag spades..... now I'm down to 3K....

Played a few more hands and get Pocket 8's under the gun, again in the big blind. The button makes it 3x ( 1600 ), the small calls, and I push my 2K. They both have to call, as it's only another 375 for them to see the flop. Flop comes K 4 5 rainbow..... it's checked. Turn comes another 5.. it's checked down.... River comes a 4... it's checked..... river hits the original raiser who made his wheel......

THRID time in two tournaments I get wacked with Pocket 8's!

Posted by fatbill at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)

May 28, 2005

Played Online and Live

I played in two Texas Holdem tournaments yesterday.

One was an online Texas Holdem freezeout at Full Tilt and one live Re-Buy event at the club....

At Full tilt, there were just over 100 players, but it moved pretty fast, as they do a good job there with 10 Minute blinds. I was in real good shape throughout this event, and hanging in the top ten most of the way ( 18 places paid ).

It got down to 27 players, and I was dealt Pocket Q's in the big blind. Blinds were 120/240. Everyone folded to the player on the button, who raised to 480. The Small folded. I went over the top of the button for 960. The button called.

The flop came K73..... I checked... the button bet 1000. I AGAIN came over the top ALL IN, for 3500! I was called, and the guy had the MIDDLE PAIR of 7's!!

Now, normally, that is what you want, right? Until the idiot gets lucky and spikes a 7 on the river.....

HOW DO YOU MAKE A CALL LIKE THAT?

I ran against a similar result playing in the live event. With two limpers in front of me ( I'm on the button ) I made it three bets to go, and got called by both. I had Pocket 8's. The flop came 8 A 3! Hit the set! I push all in! I get one caller, who of course had an Ace, with A7c. There was ONE club on the board.

He, of course pulled runner-runner club to crack me with a flush....

I dont blame him for making the call with top pair... but I'm really getting frustrated getting rivered every damn time I hit a set.

Ironically, I got knocked out 11th later on in this event with the SAME pocket pair! AND, I hit the set on the flop, AGAIN.... unfortunately, I ran up against pocket 9's, and HE also hit his set on the flop....

Posted by fatbill at 10:03 AM | Comments (0)

May 25, 2005

Rivered... AGAIN!

I played in a small texas holdem tournament at the club.... a little more than 20 players. I held my own most of the event, and made it to the top 8. I have been knocked out 7th the last THREE events I have played at there!

Under the gun, I get AJs. I'm sitting on only 1875, which is the short stack. Blinds are 200/400 with 25 ante, so Im soon to be down to 1200....

I have NOT played a hand in at least a hour....

I push my stack all in....

TWO people call me... one big stack calls.. she has Pocket 7s... the Small blind calls with Pocket Q's!

The blind comes rag, rag, Jack... so I'm in it!

The turn comes A! I have Two pair! Aces and Jacks!!!

The river is a QUEEN! He hits a damn TWO outer and I'm going home...

It is just unbelieveable sometimes HOW many times I can get hit on the river like this.... I think its time for a break....

Posted by fatbill at 11:16 PM | Comments (0)

May 23, 2005

Stuck in a rut...

I played in a texas holdem freeze out tournament yesterday. I had positive expectations about playing, and I have been playing pretty well. I'm being diciplined, and making the right reads for the most part, and staying away from trouble hands....

I made the final table, again, but finished 7th... AGAIN! Thats three times in a row now... its getting depressing! ;-)

I played right, but when it was down to 7, I was not in great chip position. I moved all in with 3K ( bb at 1K ) with a pocket pair of 4s. Not a great hand, but I was on the button, and everyone folded, leaving me against only the blinds. The Small folded... the big blind called me with Q8o! I still question HOW he made that call. I had played very few hands, and when I did play, I had BIG cards, AND, he KNEW that....

Needless to say, he hit an 8, and sent me packing....

Posted by fatbill at 01:11 PM | Comments (0)

May 22, 2005

Running up against Aces...

I played in a big Texas Holdem Tournament at the club last night. It was a decent buy in tournament, and had a very nice payoff for the top three... There were very few 'fish' in the game, and most of the players I have played with a number of times, and knew they had a solid game...

Mid way through the 4th level, I was in the big blind, and a very short stack pushed all in.... I had Pocket Tens. The numbers were there for me to make the call regardless, but I was not certain that this was not a push by the short stack, to make a move. I called... she had Pocket Aces! My bad luck, and a hit to the stack....

I played pretty solid for most of the night. I pushed a couple of times early, with AKs and picked up enough blind and ante money to keep me going through the levels.....

It got down to the final table, and I was one of the short stacks once again. I was in the 2 set, between my son and another very solid/aggressive player. I was in the blind, and had A9s, which I would normally not play hard, but I just had a feeling.....

The bet was only two times the blind, so I made the call. Three players stayed. The flop came an Ace, AND two clubs. The original bettor, again made a two times bet. I felt committed, with the top pair, AND the nut flush draw, so I called. This took me down to 1400 in chips with the blinds at 300/600. The turn was a club, giving me the NUT FLUSH!

I MADE A MONUMENTAL MISTATKE HERE! I blurted out 'ALL IN' OUT OF POSITION! I have no idea where that came from... I know better, and it was a foolish, thoughtless mistake. Everyone folded of course, and I had to settle for the pot. It was a nice pot, but it COULD have been a LOT nicer!! I felt like an ass....

Several hands later, I am dealt AK on the big blind.... The bet is 1200 ( again 2 times ) I call. The big stack pushes ALL IN. The original bettor folded, and I had to seriously think on this. I only had 2200 chips left, and the blinds were about to go to 400/800. I knew the guy was solid, but his he had been playing things like A7s the last hour or two, and using his stack to advantage. I made the call... he had POCKET ACES.... ugh... I'm out 7th....

Posted by fatbill at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)

I am at a loss of words.....

Unfortunately I dont listen to myself at the poker table, and thats a problem.. I played a certain hand horribly and it cost me, and then lost to a kicker right after.
I lost half my stack CALLING A GUY WITH A BETTER HAND, i shouldnt have done that. He raised a lot and I knew I had the best hand, I told myself im all in, and I still called.. I dont understand why I dont listen to myself and just do what the hell i want!!
I now realize this will never happen again. I'm so steaming pissed at myself I cant begin to explain, as im sure you can tell just by reading this....but I will work on this and continue my game as I should THE SMART WAY.

The final 3 got paid out and i played for about 6 hours to get knocked out 5th....a little something more to spruce up my evening! Did I mention it was a 150 buy in? MARINATE ON THAT FOR A MINUTE

Posted by wilcone at 02:31 AM | Comments (0)

May 21, 2005

Sucked out four times!

I played in four texas holdem no limit sit-n-go events yesterday... actually, two single table, one 3 table, and one small tournament.

I was sucked out on the river AGAIN, in three of those events, playing the best hand, and pushing the other guy into making silly calls, that the poker gods rewarded..... that gets frustrating, to say the least.

I did get caught one time with a guy slow playing aces. He played it perfectly by not betting big when an ace hit the board. I had AQs, and the board paired them both. I pushed, and his Set took me down. I played what I felt was the best hand from what the betting was, and got caught. I had to congradulate him on his play!

I think it's important to recognize, at least for me, that you are NOT going to win every time you enter an event! It just is NOT going to happen. I've heard from pros that if you do well in 20% of them, you are ahead of the game, and that is starting to sink in for me.

I'm looking forward to playing in a live event tonight... I think the odds are in my favor! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 09:18 AM | Comments (0)

May 20, 2005

Making the right move... at the wrong time!

I played some Texas Holdem again last night at the club... a simple two table satellite event, with 20 players... but most were very good, solid players....

I only played aggressively when I had solid hands, and then, only when I hit on the flop. This was working fine for most of the night, and got me to the final table in good stack position with about 3500 chips, about average.

I played AQo, from the big blind, mainly because the raise was not prohibitive ( 3X the blind ), and the raiser was the big stack, who was not only loose, but pushing his stack around at people all night. The player to my left also called.

The flop came A Rag Rag.... While I hit the flop, I wanted to see what the other two had. The player to my left checked, and the big stack made a 4X bet, which was not unexpected. I called.. I just didnt think he hit top pair, probably one of the rags..... the Other player called also.... This is where I made my error...

Next card comes another rag, but gives the opportunity for an gut shot straight.... instead of making a move here ( I was down to around 2400 at this point, and up against the two big stacks ), I checked, and Really don't know why.... Everyone checked.... The river paired one of the rags..... I pushed all in.... the player to my left called... he of course hit his set on the flop. He played down THREE 4X bets with 56o... and hit on the river....

Thats the second night in a row that that same player river ratted me, and knocked me out..... I WILL pay that back! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:45 AM | Comments (0)

May 19, 2005

Stupid online players...

So i woke up this morning and wanted to play some cards. Not long into the tournament, and not playing many hands i got dealt a-q suited so i smooth call. The flop comes a-k-q, ok i have two pair wtf....this guy goes all in and i called he had a-k......wasnt the happiest camper but hey TWO PAIR NO FLUSH WTF, i shoulda folded but i couldnt bring myself to do that......it was a 5 dollar game so im not stressing it any, but it still makes me mad for making that call..

Posted by wilcone at 03:33 PM | Comments (0)

Venting about the river....

I played two Texas Holdem sit n go's today... and had almost the EXACT same circumstances in both...

5 TIMES I got busted ON THE RIVER with a flush... 5 TIMES...

There has to be some sort of rule against this, doesn't there?

sigh.....

Posted by fatbill at 02:30 PM | Comments (0)

On taking (bad?) Beats....

I played texas holdem in a sit n go yesterday at Empire Poker... got down to the final two, and we went back and forth for a while before I finally pushed my stack with A5c.... he had AKo! The flop comes 55K!! I hit a set! Of course, he rivers a K to take me out....

So I decide to go to the club last night to play, and we have a small Texas Holdem satellite with about 20 players.... I was not seeing anything for hands! I played JJ, and TT and won modest pots with both, but went a long time between hands, and started looking like a muck machine! I got down to under 1K ( started with 2K ) and pushed with Pocket 8's, against a player I figured had a couple overs.. I was right, and my 8's held, pumping me back up to about 2700....

Several hands later, the Big Stack pushes all in under the gun.... I'm sitting on ATh.... this player is loose, and has played loose all night, getting lucky hits, so I figure he's putting a move on. After a few minutes of thought, I call. I was right! He had K2o!!

Of course, he rivers a K and knocks me out.....

ALL you can do in the wonderful game of Texas Holdem, is make the RIGHT read, and the RIGHT call. You get your chips in with the best hand, and then it's up to the poker gods!

Posted by fatbill at 10:50 AM | Comments (0)

May 16, 2005

Clueless

Lately i've been playing rather good, not making many mistakes, i ran into a set when i had ACE KING, TOP PAIR....yah so then i have to wait and i got one hand i played, it was a-10 of clubs against k-10 off suit, i doubled up to 1000 in chips, as i was at 500 :-( It wasnt a great night. Then i had a big raise by a guy, i put him on a low pocket pair as i had jack-queen suited in hearts...well he had pocket QUEENS so i couldnt do anything but get a straight, and i didnt! So therefore i made some mistakes i have to work on and ill be back to myself, stealing stacks....

Id have to say i did get one guy good, i had pocket 7s and limped in, blinds were 100-200 i flopped a set but he flopped top pair, so it was a beaut!! I bet 200 on the flop, 400 on the turn when i got my boat, and 600 on the river lol i suckered him in for some chips, he was real low after that but...about 3 levels later (30 min) i was out!! SUCKS BEING THE SHORT STACK AND MISSING YOUR TARGET, im gonna have to not do that again ;-D

Posted by wilcone at 01:26 AM | Comments (0)

May 15, 2005

Out on a ONE outer...

In last nights texas holdem tournament, I played very solid for a change! ;-)

I got some hands early, that allowed me to build up a stack and not fret the blinds, letting me wait for good opportunities to play...

I got REALLY lucking, making a horrible call on an all in from another player early in the game. I had AJs... the flop came K-Q-Rag... I was on the button. The only other player in the hand went all in for 1600... I was sitting on 5K.... after a lot of thought, I called, thinking he probably had two over's, maybe hitting a K on that flop. It really was a loose call, one I should not have made, but I had a real hard time letting it go....

He had Pocked K's giving him the set! I was in deep trouble here...

BUT

The river hit a 10 giving me the nut straight, and him a horrible beat... I felt so bad I apologized numerous times.. but he's a good player, and knows how things go....

I get moved to the final table, and I'm at 7500... really good shape with only 60K in play... for the next TWO hours, I get ICEY cards, and watch my stack dwindle to under 2K to the blinds... the ONLY hands I saw that could even be considered for calls to see the flop, the big stack made HUGE bets on ( 5K ), and I had to get away from them...

I finally make my stand with KT in the Big blind ( 800 ) and push my other 9K in making it 1800 to go.. I get two callers.. one is also short and cant cover that bet..... A Ten flops...... my K out kicks hit J and I win a good pot, bringing me back to 5K....

I take a couple more small hands to bring me up again to the 7500 count.

With 4 left, a somewhat loose player makes it 3K to go.... I have AQs, and know he will bet with any Ace.... I push all in for 6800.

The big stack, who is on the big blind, calls! The intial caller folds....

Big Stack has Pocket Qs, so I have an over with my Ace, and he only has a ONE OUTER with his hand! I spike an ace!!!

HE HITS THE ONE OUTER!!!

Posted by fatbill at 01:00 PM | Comments (0)

Another bad beat and lucky draw...

So im playing in a texas holdem tournament fundraiser for the fireworks show this summer in my area. About 20 guys signed up, and again it was great competition. Pretty much i played decent the whole night, except my kinks vs aces, i got my butt handed to me.

So after that beat i was the short stack at the tournament once again. Down to 11 people and i get a-j off suit. I call the small blind hoping the big blind will raise because he is a very aggressive type of player. The flop came 8-9-J, giving me the top pair with top kicker so i moved all in. He called almost immediately with a 9-3 OFF SUIT!! Needless to say he spiked a 3 on the turn ending my play for the night, what a lucky draw huh?

Posted by wilcone at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)

May 14, 2005

Chip and a chair....

Well i deceided to go to the club last night and play a little Texas Holdem Poker. About 25 guys showed up, mostly players that are good and i enjoy playing against. I started off not losing any pots, but splitting about 7 all together for the night.

I got hit early by a boat on the river to my turned flush, which got me down to the felt. I had about the lowest stack in the whole tournament, and then i made an impact....

I saw A-k about 6 times raising every time and getting some nice pots in. Saw k-q and a-q about 4 times a piece. Had pocket 9s SEVERAL times, and even got to see aces.

I found myself around middle stack going into the final table, which is unusual for me always being the short stack! I started to hit cards like crazy and was taking guys out left and right, gaining a lot of respect at the table. I wasn't showing that i was bluffing by any means.

As we got down to four players, i took 2 of them out leaving me heads up with a guy. We played for a little bit, and he was about to be even with me and it was 4am, so we deceided to chop and go home.

I had a 3-1 chip lead over him to start, but began to run dry as we reached heads up. Im not disappointed in my play at all, i came back from 1000 in chips to over 20K, then to 55K and the chip lead! Id have to say that im playing better than ever and am looking forward to another game SHORTLY!

Posted by wilcone at 10:52 AM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2005

Two online texas holdem tournaments...

I played in two texas holdem tournaments today online... was a little bored, as I had not played in a couple days...

I played patiently as usual... it paid off in the first game, and althought I really did not have that many good hands to play, I played what I had pretty well.... I ended up 2nd!

The second tournament got down to the top 30 ( out of 95 ) when I got pocket 6's on the button.... I called the two times bet.... flop came a couple of 9's.... the one better bet another two times bet.. I called.... Turn was a rag... we both checked..... River was a 6 giving me the boat! I pushed all in!

He had 4 9's!!!

Posted by fatbill at 02:57 PM | Comments (0)

May 12, 2005

Playing the short stack

With my style of play, I find myself entering the final group ( money positions or final table ) with the short stack a lot of the time. As a rule of thumb, I play pretty tight until I get a hand that I can be comfortably aggressive with....

Mainly, I play tournament structures of Texas HOldem, either multi or single table events.

I try to exercise patience when I play, to allow for those hands to 'come' to me over the course of the game. I am not a player that likes to see a lot of flops with marginal hands. One thing I have been looking at harder, of late, is my hand in relation to my table position.

The problem is, that when you are NOT getting good hands, you can find yourself very short when the blinds start getting up there! When the blinds become risky to your stack, you have to look for 'that hand' that will allow you to push your chips and hope for the best. NOT always the best thing, as sometimes you just don't get 'that hand'...

I have had a certain amount of success playing this way, and probably cash 40% of the time or more, but end up winning less than 10% of the time. There is some area of compromise in my play that will help me minimize the number of 'short stack' experiences. My experience in trying to loosen up my game have not been fruitful, as I never seem to hit the flop when I try to play suited connectors or small pockets.

I know that I have to make some adjustments to my game, I'm convinced that this is an evolutionary process with all players.....

Posted by fatbill at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)

May 09, 2005

Cashed in the Home game

Played in the normal saturday night texas holdem home game. Since I had been doing pretty well online, I figured I'd continue my play in this game.

We only had 11 players this time, which is a few down from normal, but it was a pretty decent game.

I really played VERY few hands for the first few hours. My strategy was to wait out the 'river rats' and 'calling machines', of which this game has several. The hands I played were premium, and I did well enough with them to hold my own as I patiently waited....

When it got down to 5, I knew I could not continue to sit, since I was close to the short stack. Hands were not exactly coming for me at this point, but I was able to maintain, and the blinds were not enough at this point to really concern me... I had about 6K ( we start with 5K ).

We broke for dinner at about 9, and I was the short stack with 4 players remaining. I had 5K, Next was 14K, 19, and 21K.... I needed to start playing....

By 10, I was the chip leader! ;-) I sucked out a big pot ( I flopped two pair ) by hitting a boat on the river... Two hands later, I made the big stack pay dearly for being a river rat, and took him for over 10K.

When we got down to the final two, our stacks were nearly identical.... he proposed a chop, and I accepted, cuz I didnt want to be there into the wee hours, as it was Mother's day the next day!

Posted by fatbill at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)

May 07, 2005

I WON one!

After that horrible day yesterday... I was pretty much put off with texas holdem! I just figured it was not my day!

I got bored! ;-)

So... I went into a sit-n-go, on a whim from my laptop, early evening, while I was watching some tube... Things were pretty normal in the game, but everyone was playing pretty tight. Going into the last 5 players, I was the short stack ( no suprise there! ).

Once it got down to the final 3 ( the money places ) I was the big stack! ;-)

It gets down to heads up.... we are going back and forth... so this 'person' types into the chat room 'you suck dude'! I'm like WTF is THAT all about??

It pissed me off.... but instead of getting made... I got even.... three hands later, I was sitting at the table alone when my A6s held against his KTo! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 08:57 AM | Comments (0)

May 06, 2005

What a horrible day...

I played THREE tournaments today.... and I got my butt handed to me in each one of them on bad beats!

You would think that the odds would be in my favor in at least ONE of those games, wouldn't you?

ATs gets knocked by a straight on the river....

QQ gets knocked by an A on the river....

KK gets knocked going up against AA....

I think I'll go watch tv! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 12:54 PM | Comments (0)

Online Texas Holdem play....

I was really into playing yesterday, so I went looking for some action. I had really wanted to play a texas holdem tournament, but I could not find one worth the effort, so I eneded up playing in a couple of single table games.

I got blasted out of the first one on a bad beat.... things happen in poker....

I was short stacked in the second one, mainly due to not hitting any flops with things like AK... but I was patient. PATIENCE PAYS OFF in texas holdem! I waited out the game, and it got down to 4 players, when I moved my short stack ALL IN with AA... trippled up.. two hands later, I hit another big flop calling another short stack who had been playing strange all game, with a K10. That brought it down to 3.... the money positions! VERY soon, I played a few more hands, and ended up the chip leader!

I was pleased with myself for the patience, and coming from short to leader like I did!

With two remaining, I moved with ATs.... ran up against AQ and got knocked... but.... Overall I was pleased with my play, AND the outcome!

We'll see what today has to offer, as I'll be playing in a few more events. I'm trying to cram in a bunch of action into a short time frame, and to some extent, experimenting with my play... ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 08:57 AM | Comments (0)

May 03, 2005

The problem with Online poker

So I play in a $25 buy in texas holdem freezout tournament.... I check from the Big Blind with J3 to a caller in early position... the flop comes 456! Small bet from another player, so I call... turn comes a 2 giving me the straight!

Player bets 3x the blind.. I move all in... the guy has 37!

WHAT the hell is the guy doing calling with a 37o???

incredible things are seen when playing online poker....

Posted by fatbill at 02:36 PM | Comments (0)

Another online tournament

I played in another texas holdem tournament online at Empire Poker. The entry fee was $25 so there were only 70+ entries, but they were mainly better players, from what I saw...

I grinded.... with the cards I was seeing, thats about all I could do! LOL

I had such a bad run of cards throughout the game, that I really could never get my stack going. When I got involved in a couple hands, I played them correctly, but most of the time I got rivered.

I was able to hang on and make the final table, but my stack would not allow me to do much. I pretty much got blinded to death with awful cards. When I made my last ditch move with A6s, I ran up against AJ, and the jack hit... buy bill!

Posted by fatbill at 09:06 AM | Comments (0)

May 02, 2005

Underdog a big factor....

Well i played in a special texas holdem tournament with 22 guys...and needless to say the first hour and a half was stone cold, nothing worth playing other than defending blinds and little pots here and there. It really didnt start up until right before we merged tables and took a break. I went all in with A-K with the last 900 in chips i had, i was VERY low stacked. I got 3 calls, well shit i didnt like my odds. My buddy while in showdown told me he folded a king, i was against king-7 suited and pocket jacks. Well thats 3 kings gone, so i had one out other than aces, which i hit on the river. Well after i was getting hot we had to merge :-(

So it was down to the final 9 people, and these people were no fish. I started to dwindle, then fire shot out under me, i got a-q three times i went all in each and got nice pots. I got Bullets ( a-a) 3 times which i got nice pots from and a-k about 3 times. I was really playing good, making the correct reads EVERYTIME! A couple people got knocked out and it was down to five people for over an hour, everyone was playing very tight, which gave me an advantage. These people know i dont come in unless i have something massive. And i had fire power to back it up. Two of the three went out at the same time, making one lady i was playing with a huge chip stack. The other guy was a 2-1 favorite on me. We played a few hands, being able to steal some and catch nice cards for that short time was nice. I doubled up off the other guy with a-7 off, he thought i was bluffing ;-) he had a-4 :-o That evened me and him up, but she had both of us 2-1 in count.

We played for about 45 minutes with the three of us and blinds were at 500-1000 with a 100 ante. Everyone folded around the the big stack on the small blind who raised me 4,000 preflop. I had pocket 8s and i moved all in against her, she had pocket 10s, good night wilcone. But i do have to say i put up one hell of a struggle and im damn proud of how i played. So until next time dont under estimate the guy with the lowest stack, he could come back and be in front of you!

Posted by wilcone at 02:12 AM | Comments (0)

May 01, 2005

Went to a friendly game last night

Went to the weekely cash game that I used to play in before joining the club, last night. Had 14 people playing, mostly familiar faces.

They FINALLY decided to cut down the initial chip count to 5K ( from 10K ) and started the blinds at 25/50 instead of 5/10. Like I had been trying to tell them for months.. this helped speed up the game!

I played well, but went out 7th. I probabaly could have played the hand differently, in retrospect, but, hindsight being what it is....

I had not played a hand in almost an hour. I just was waiting for some sort of decent hand, and I was not getting anything.

Finally got Pocket Kings! Two players limped in, and the player on my right made it 400 ( blinds were 100/200 ). I thought for a few seconds, and made it 1200 to go! The player on my left, who was the big stack, called..... the two limpers folded, but the player who initially bet 400 called.

The flop came 3-8-3.... the player on my right checked, and I moved all in. The player on my left folded. The player on my right called! He had a Set of 3's! He called a 6x raise with a A3!!!

That ended my night.... I'm still wondering what the hell he was thinking making that initial call!?!

Wilcone grinded most of the night, and ended up taking 2nd, but I'll leave that account to him...

Posted by fatbill at 11:14 AM | Comments (0)

April 30, 2005

Super Satellite last night...

I went to the club and played in a 'super satellite' last night. It was a texas holdem freezout tournanment, and we had about 30 players.
Started with 3K in chips with 30 minute levels... pretty standard there, and the blind levels were standard as well...

I played tight ( my usual style ), but I have started to play more aggressively when I have a good starting hand ( my defination of that would be the top 15 or so starting hands ), or after I see a flop WITH a good hand. In the past, I was content to just see the flop with a limp in if possible, and not get too aggressive with betting.

I changed that last night!

When I had a good hand I put out a standard 3X bet. Ya, I only pulled in blinds in a lot of cases, but it took some of the risk factors out of getting boned on the flop! LOL

I really did not have that many hands to play. I think in the first three blinds I played 3 hands. It's boring, but I was able to maximize my few good hands, and kept my chip count pretty even throughout those rounds.

After round 4, I got more good hands in a rush ( it's funny how that always seems to happen ) and was able to push my stack up above the average.

When things got nearer the final table count, play tightened up quite a bit. Blinds were still relatively small ( 25/100/200 ) so I was not in any jeapardy of being blinded, but the small ante was adding up.

I made the final table with only about 4K in chips ( middle of the pack ), but I was able to pull in a good pot with an AKs when the flop pulled a K. I pushed all in, and everyone folded. I moved the stack up to about 5.8K.

Several hands later, I moved with another AK when the flop came up Q rag-rag.... I was called by the chip leader who called my opening bet with a Q4o ( getting called with that bet, from him, is another topic for discussion that I will leave for another time ). I really felt he didnt hit, as he had been calling with crap hands, and pushing his stack around to intimidate players. Unfortunately for me, he made the Q's, and I didnt hit!

As a side note... wilcone ALSO made the final table! He played solid all night, and really made very few mistakes, so thats encouraging!

Posted by fatbill at 10:33 AM | Comments (0)

April 29, 2005

Played an online Tourney

I played in an online tournament of No Limit Texas Holdem at Empire Poker today. There were 110 entries, so it was a bit of a grind.

I played very well, made very good decisions on what NOT to play, as well as what TO play in a variety of situations. I was up and down quite a bit throughout the tournament, but I REALLY caught a good string of cards mid-way, putting me in the top few in chips.

When it got down to 30 players, the cards went cold, so I just tightened up, and waited patiently. Thats a lot easier said than done, but I managed to do it fairly well.

I managed to make it to the final table, but I was THE short stack. NOT an unfamiliar position for me! ;-)

I waited for a hand... and got it on the BB when I was down to 3K in chips ( average stack was 9K at that point ). Fortunately for me, when I pushed all in, I was called by TWO players, and tripled up! Shortly after that, I caught another good hand, and was up to over 10K.

I waited again, mainly because there were about 5 of us that had about the same stack size, and every position in the event meant additional prize money!

I got pocket 8's late, and again on the BB. A player that had been tilting pretty badly pushed all in... I called him, since I had more than enough to cover his 3K bet, AND because I figured he was pushing a couple of face cards only. I was right! He had QKo!

The flop gave me a set!

Unfortunately, the turn and river gave him a straight! ;-(

Two hands later, I got JJ, and pushed again. Again up against two overs, which hit.... so I got bounced in 7th.

Going to go to the club to night to play in a super satellite.... feeling good about how I'm playin!

Posted by fatbill at 04:05 PM | Comments (0)

Played some single table Texas Holdem

We went to the club tonight and played in a few games of texas holdem, mainly because we had not played in almost two weeks, and we needed some playing time.

Took a horrible beat in the first game.. had pocked Aces, and KNEW I had the guy beat... that is until he rivered a set.... guy was catching that kind of thing all night... At least Wilcone played well! He ended up taking third, after making a great comback from the felt.

Second game went pretty much the same... move in with the best hand, and get sucked out...

Third game got down to four of us, me being the short stack. I got dealt AKo in the big blind. First player made a standard raise. I moved ALL IN with my AK... My decision was right, he had JTs... of course he flops a ten, and I dont catch anything... oh well, thats texas holdem!

Posted by fatbill at 12:49 AM | Comments (0)

April 26, 2005

Fun little game with the boys...

So after bowling a couple buddies deceide to play in a little stupid Texas Holdem game. Now, most of my friends are not to serious and will just about call or raise with nothing. I hadnt seen anything but aces and i moved all in, but noone would call me. I got ace-8 suited on the button and deceided it was destiny with 4 people left, with 2 big stacks. Well i ran into pocket queens and couldnt hit an ace, im glad i lost to my buddy who knows what hes doing but it still sucked seeing as i havent played cards in about a MONTH! oh well thats poker i guess, its not like it hurt to lose that one, but id like to win them all.

Posted by wilcone at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)

About Cigars ( and poker )

Smoking a good cigar while sitting at a poker table is probably one of the oldest impressions people have, when picturing the game of poker being played in a back room. A smoke filled room.... a table of men chomping their cigars, and a stack of chips....

I recently sampled a cigar that I was so impressed with, that I put up a page here as a recommendation for them. They are a new cigar out of florida, and will soon be written up in a couple of magazines, including Cigar Affectionato.....

If you enjoy a good smoke, that is smooth and easy to enjoy, even if you are not a 'traditional' smoker... I'd suggest having a look at what they offer!

Posted by fatbill at 09:03 AM | Comments (0)

I decided to play online some...

As I mentioned previously, I decided to play some online texas holdem, and entered a couple of sit-n-go single table games.

( Normally I play two at a time, so I don't get bored )

I played tight in both, and was doing well... one table was loose as a goose, and one was tight as hell.

Down to 5 players in the Loose table, and I'm one of the chip leaders.... I get AKs in position.... I call, and get check raised by one of the loose players.... I move all in, knowing he will go with just about anything from watching him. I was right, he had A5o.... Unfortunately, he catches the wheel on the river ending my game.....

Down to 5 players on the Tight table.... I get Pocket 10's.... I call the modest raise... flop comes 10 rag-rag... I move in..... I'm called by a pair of 4's.... he hits runner-runner to make a flush....

sigh.... you do the right thing, at the right time, you move in with the best hand, and thats about all you can do...

Posted by fatbill at 08:57 AM | Comments (0)

April 25, 2005

Have not played...

I have not played a single hand of texas holdem poker in more than 8 days.... I think I'm going into withdrawl! ;-)

The wife and I went out of town for a few days to get away, and spent a couple nights at a casino mid state. They had an active poker room, which I looked in on, but they only had limit games. I just was not in the mood to sit for long hours scratching out a few hands where you would be called down to the river on every hand. I was hoping they would at least have a No Limit table like most of the casino's are starting to do these days.... no dice.

So, instead, I spent two days tossing the dice... that was fun... and profitable! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 09:47 AM | Comments (0)

April 18, 2005

About playing KJ...

I was looking for some interesting news articles for the blog, when I ran across a GREAT article at pplayer.com about playing KJo!

It is definately recommended reading!

WAY too many people get blinded by the paint, and push chips with this type of hand. AND.. going ALL IN PRE-FLOP with these cards is usually suicidal.

I hear people touting 'I have two over's' all the time, in justification of playing these types of cards, and frankly, thats simply rationalization, not smart cards.

Read what this article has to say about this.... it will save you a lot of chips! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:55 AM | Comments (0)

April 17, 2005

Need to work on my stamina

I played in a rebuy event last night that started later than normal... about 7:30. It had 50 Minute levels throughout the first three levels where there were unlimited rebuys. This took forever!

Once the rebuy period was over, and the REAL tournament started, people generally tightened up quite a bit.

I was in decent chip position ( about average ) and playing tight. When the blinds got up and an ante was introduced, I was getting down around 3500. Fortunately I got pocket 10's and the big stack called my all in with AQs, and my 10's held when I caught a set. A couple hands later I caught Pocket Aces, and found my stack up over 8000, so I was pretty comfortable for the time being.

I was having one of those nights, where I could not flop anything that helped my hole cards, and started dwindling my stack away, and with the blinds at 400/800 and a 75 ante, I moved all in with QJo, from the blind, when someone looked to be making a move to steal them. Unfortunately, that move was made with Pocket Aces, and I found myself out of the tournament at 14th.

I would never play a hand like that under normal circumstances, and I really was not in THAT bad of shape. I had 4400 left if I just gave up my blind, and could have easily gone on for at least another couple of rounds, hoping to catch a hand.

The problem? It was 4AM and we'd been at it since 6PM the previous day, and I was tired. Not sure what the answer is, but it's a definate stamina problem for me at that hour, and one I have to work through, or face similar results down the road

Posted by fatbill at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)

April 15, 2005

Not so fruitful...

My son and I decided to go play some texas holdem last night at the club. Since it's been a while since he has played, I decided to go also, even though I had played quite a lot the night before...

We played in a couple of No Limit Texas Holdem WSOP qualifiers. Unfortunately, I was not really on my game, and the cards were not as kind to me as the previous night, even though I tried to maintain my patience. I was not having any luck hitting any flops, and really won very few hands... went out early in the first game, and the second.

Decided to sit in on a two table 'club credit' game with 18 players. I held my own for most of the game, and made the top 5, but had a pretty bad run of cards at the end, forcing me to go all in with 89o when I was short and in the BB. Ran up against JJ, and that was it for me!

Posted by fatbill at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)

April 14, 2005

Return to my Texas Holdem style

I went to the club last night ( there is legal drama there that I will leave for another day, or at least until more information comes forth ) and played in a single table game. I had not played since the weekend, where I was dissapointed in how I played in that Texas Holdem Tournament....

I went back to my normal tight/aggressive style, and really did not play many hands outside of those when I was the BB, and just played against limpers. The table got off to a screaming loose start, with people making HUGE bets, right out of the box with the blinds at $25/$25. I mean... betting $500 on a $25 blind is a bit excessive... I just watched! ;-)

I played when the cards dictated it... I folded when I thought I was beat, I raised when I was pretty sure my read was good and I had the best of it... I was able to hold my own for most of the game, but when it got down to three players, I found myself short.

Thankfully, the big stack called an all-in when My pocked 9's held to double me up. Right after that hand, I moved pre-flop with AKs, and picked up some early raises. I took out the small stack, and when we got down to heads up, the stacks were almost identicle in size...

I got A8s, and called the raise pre-flop... the flop came Q 8 3 rainbow.... he raised... I moved all in figureing the odds of him having the Q were slim... I was wrong of course! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

April 12, 2005

Holdem Poker Scratch Offs

Well i was on my way home from a friends when i stopped at the local party store and seen these Texas Holdem Scratch offs. 5 dollars a card, but it seemed interesting. I deceided i would get a couple just because i have never played this kind before. The whole object is you're heads up with the card pretty much, and they teased me every time.

The first hand i was dealt J-Q off suit against pocket 8s, they gave me three of a kind which gave him his boat. The second hand i got dealt A-Q of diamonds against 10-K of hearts. I got a full house off the flop, he turned a straight flush, and i rivered 4 of a kind, talk about a teaser 4 ACES!! The third hand i got pocket 9's against 10-J of clubs, I rivered the straight and he turned and rivered a flush AGAIN to beat me. Then i got dealt pocket 8's against 8-9 of hearts, and this time i got two pair, and he rivered his straight WIERD! Every hand was for over 10,000, talk about the disappointment.

Posted by wilcone at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)

April 11, 2005

Saturday Night Satellite results

I played in a Texas Holdem satelitte saturday night that offered a couple of seats to the upcoming Mirage WPT event in May....

I've been replaying my game that night, and have decided that I took too many risks and played too loose. Normally I dont even look to see flops with a number of hands in the first several levels, and I was doing it a LOT in this event. Silly thing is, I have no idea WHY I deviated from my normal 'tight agressive' game.

I was looking up silly hands like A4s, K9s, Q9s, and never hit a flop. It was an aggressive table, and the cost of seeing those flops took a big chunk of my stack in the first several rounds. I managed to get my stack back up around 'average' in the 5th round, only to see it dwindle away again by playing too loose.....

I was playing well leading up to this event, and was looking forward to it.... the way I was playing leading up to the event was NOT the way I played IN the event. I think my brain took a vacation.... largely due to the lack of sleep from playing untill 4AM the previous night, I'm sure.... I'll have to make sure I am better rested before I attempt the next event....

Posted by fatbill at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

April 09, 2005

Played a LOT of Texas Holdem

Went to the club last night and played a LOT. Thats what I like about being a member of the club.. you can ALWAYS find a good game of Texas Holdem, against some very good players!

Played in THREE single table texas holdem table events for club credits.... took a second and a thrird, so I was up for the night.

Played in one other single table event for the WPT Satellite scheduled for tonight... I already have an entry, but figured the credits were always good at the club.

I'm happy with how I played, and how things worked out for the most part. I really only made one error, and that was when I was short stacked and playing only against the big blind from the small. I hit the flop, and moved, hoping that the big blind didnt catch... he did! LOL

I am really looking forward to tonight's event with the way I'm playing, and looking for vindication for the poor showing I had the last time!

Posted by fatbill at 12:52 PM | Comments (0)

April 08, 2005

Got back to Texas Holdem

Well, after a week off I got back into playing texas holdem at the club on Wednesday night! It felt good to sit down to some serious card playing, and the week off helped clear the mind!

Played very well all night, which was encouraging. I was patient, and pushed when I needed to but really did not make a major mistake all night.

Played in a two table satellite for this weekends Mirage Tournament, and won an entry. Had some luck along the way, which felt good after the beats I had been taking... looking forward to playing this weekend now!

Posted by fatbill at 07:42 AM | Comments (0)

April 06, 2005

Bullets with no lead...

I deceided last night i would try to play a little online tournament, hence my last post about the horrible run im having. I actually am having a great start, up aroun 500 in chips. I get dealt aces, and i get raised by the player in first position....ok im all in fuck the raise. Im called after no hesitation with pocket 9s, he must think im a shmuck. ANYHOW I LOST, to TRIPS.

At least i can say THIS TIME i lost on the flop, didnt even come on the river!!

Posted by wilcone at 03:51 AM | Comments (0)

April 05, 2005

Bad beats and lucky draws...

I havent been playing a lot of poker lately, and frankly havent wanted to. I've had the worst luck of cards and beats i was disgusted. I understand that its poker but its horrible the way it happens. So i deceided to play some online poker, in a three table tournament, didnt make one mistake all tournament. I was dealt J-4 of spades in my blind, not the type of hand i like to play, but i flopped the draw....so i played it out. The turn was an 8 pairing the board so i figured he had 3 of a kind, making my flush golden or so i thought. The river gave him his ace to pair his trips into the full boat, disgusted i havent played since. BUT I WILL BE BACK, and im gonna fight harder than ever, maybe its my gameplay or something but im gonna fix it!

Posted by wilcone at 10:46 PM | Comments (0)

Back from Phoenix

Just got back from Phoenix, after a week off, and ABSOLUTELY NO POKER!

Damn, it hurts just typing that! ;-)

Went to one of the local casino's in Phoenix one evening trying to find a texas holdem game, and was somewhat dissapointed. The casino had probably the LARGEST Poker Room I have seen... must have been 60+ table, but the wait was so long, we didnt bother playing.... The problem with the place was that there were NO other poker rooms at ANY of the other casino's in the area, from what we were told by limo and taxi drivers... so anyone wanting to play, had only one place to go....

If we had more time, we might have waited out the long list and sat in on a few hands.... Oh well... theres always action at the poker club and not much wait to get in on a game! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)

March 30, 2005

Played some Texas Holdem

Since I am leaving for Phoneix today, and wont be playing any texas holdem for a few days, I decided to go to the poker club last night and play a little!

Played in three WSOP satellite single table events, and even though I did not come out a winner on any of them, I started seeing the bad card streak going away. I actually went ALL IN on several hands and did NOT get sucked out! LOL

Played a loose game last night, which is NOT my style at all, but it was sure fun! Calling with things like QTo out of position and hitting is a rush! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 09:40 AM | Comments (0)

March 28, 2005

My luck continues to be bad...

I sat around waiting for the family to arrive yesterday, kinda bored, and still steaming about the bad night I had Saturday in that Texas Holdem Tournament..... I decided to go online and play a sit n go single table game of Texas Holdem.

I made the decision BEFORE I logged in that I was going to play tight and ONLY top hands.....

AKs cracked
AA cracked
AK0 cracked

I'm gone..... ;-(

I have do play through this, I know that... but its a bit frustrating! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:55 AM | Comments (0)

March 27, 2005

My worst texas holdem night...

I played in a texas holdem no limit tournament last night at the poker club.... it was the worst experience I've had playing texas holdem that I can recall, and my memory is good!

40+ guys buying in at $150 for two seats at the upcoming mirage event for a $1500 seat and expenses.

How my night went:

FIRST hand, I get KK.... think the night is gonna be good!
WRONG.... cracked by a straight on the flop....

This was simply an omen of things to come....

I was cracked playing:
AQs TWICE
AJ2
JJ
AKo went all in and got beat by QQ.

FIRST person out of the event. I've NEVER gone out of an event like that, and make the final table 2/3s of the time....

A sad night when you play 6 of the premium hands, NEVER get a flop, and get your ass handed to you..... Poker is a great game..... I think I need some time off! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:23 AM | Comments (0)

March 26, 2005

Won my way into tonights satellite...

I played in a couple single table texas holdem events at the poker club tonight, trying to win my $150 seat into tonight's tournament. Up for grabs tonight is a seat at an upcoming Mirage $1500 buy in event, plus expenses, so its a very nice package.

I was playing solid, and did not make any mistakes, but found myself pretty short stacked with 4 remaining ( 11 person table ). I went all in with J-10S when I was in jeapordy of being blinded out, and hit a lucky J on the flop that held up.

Having enough chips now to stand a while and look for some good hands ( $2200 chips with $200 BB ) I got dealte a K2 off... I quickly folded. The big stack made a $800 bet. The other short stack moved all in.... to my suprise, the SECOND big stack ALSO moved all in, AND, the Big Stack quickly called!!!

I walked away from the table to grab something to drink and have a smoke, and as I was coming back, all I hear is 'It's over'!!

HUH?

To my suprise, the Big Stack's hand held, knocking the other two players out of the game, and giving me a seat! ( Two seats and a free roll were awarded )!

Talk about backing into a seat!

Posted by fatbill at 12:06 PM | Comments (0)

March 24, 2005

Texas Holdem playing style

I played some Texas Holdem at the poker club last night, and while I was not unhappy with my play, I began to realize that I need to make some changes in my style to be successful.

I've always been a pretty tight player, only being aggressive when I have a good hand. This style of play has proven sucessful in getting me to many final tables at the satellite events. The problem has been, that I rarely get there with one of the big stacks so that I can capitilize when I'm in the final few.

I played in three single table events last evening, and ended up Third in each. I was one of the chip leaders in the middle of the game in each case. The problem is, if cards begin to be marginal, my stack starts to get just chipped away by blinds and ante's to the point that I'm forced to make a play in later rounds with hands that are not the nuts. Since at that point my stack is not as significant, I get called often by the bigger stacks due to the value factor, and usually get sucked out.

It's time to review my strategy and style, and come up with a compromise that will help me move into the next level....

Posted by fatbill at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)

March 23, 2005

At a friends house.

We play sometimes for "FUN" with the occasional bragging rights over at a buddy of mines. Usually about 8 guys sit around and it lasts an hour maybe 2, depends on the players. My buddy and I get into a pot early on into the game. I raise in small blind position to 300 with blinds at 100.. He goes all in. I know hes bullshittin me so i debate it and deceided SCREW IT I CALL. As i figured he had K-Q OFF. He rivered the straight and i even caught trips, well thats poker. Luckily i had more than him to begin with so i just coasted it through and ended up actually Splitting with him at the end.

Posted by wilcone at 04:51 PM | Comments (0)

So I played some Texas Holdem online...

I was bored yesterday, and decided to go play some texas holdem. I dropped a few bucks into my EmpirePoker account and settled into a couple of sit-n-go single tables...

Usually when I do the single tables, I play two at a time, since I tend to play a bit tight, and get bored easily.... Played in a $20 and a $10 this time. It's pretty interesting to watch what you get dealt in two simultaneous tables... lol

Played well at both tables, but only got cards in the $20 game, and managed to make the money.... unfortunately, at the $10 table, I went out on the bubble, going all in with a marginal hand, which hit a straight, only to be knocked when the flush hit the board... gotta love the river!

I think I'll go find some action at the Club tonight and play with REAL people! LOL

Posted by fatbill at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)

March 20, 2005

Poker Blog I follow

I am an avid reader of everything poker related, either in print, or on the net. As such, I keep up with a couple of poker blog's out of personal interest.

It's no secret to many, that I follow Daniel Negreanu's Poker Blog on a daily basis. I like Daniel!

The other blog I follow daily is The Las Vegas Poker Blog done by flipchipro. This is a VERY well done and informative blog of mainly Vegas Poker events, but with some nice insites and articles. A definate good read!

Posted by fatbill at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)

Jacks are no good....

I played in a 54 person tournament earlier this evening at the poker club where us poker heads hang.. I waited it out and finally caught me some cards, POCKET JACKS.. The guy raises to 600 i smooth call him. Flop comes rag rag rag, nothing of face value... He bets 1000 so i go all in thinkin jacks are overpairs, just when i did it, i knew....RAN INTO BULLETS! He made the 4 card flush to his POCKET ROCKETS and i go buhbye. Pretty simple story, but what are you gonna do? Just when u think your in the lead, you find out how far behind you are. What really blows my mind is i KNEW to FOLD!! but i second guessed myself, WELL THATS WHAT I GET! I SHOULD ALWAYS LISTEN TO MY GUT INSTINCT!!!!

Posted by wilcone at 01:15 AM | Comments (0)

March 16, 2005

Taking a break

We have not been around much lately, mainly because we have taken a break and gone to Florida for a few days of RnR and some golf! ;-)

Last played on Sunday night, and it was a fruitful night for me at last.... won my entry into this weekend's Satellite to the Bellagio Tournament.

It will be a No Limit Texas Holdem Freezeout tournament, so I'm sure it will be a good one. The club should be sending two or three members to this event depending on the participation....

Posted by fatbill at 07:33 AM | Comments (0)

March 12, 2005

Playing through a rut......

The last several days I have been playing, and just getting horrible cards. You expect to much the vast majority of your hands if you are playing serious tournament style Texas Holdem, but what I've been seeing goes well beyond just that...

I spent the last two days calling/betting VERY playable pre-flop hands... AK, AQ, AJ, pockets.... and having to fold them after the flop is coming up rag-rag-rag.... it is getting frustrating...

I know that you can not always win... and that you go through spells where the cards are not kind to you, so I am contemplating my options.

Do Take a break from play!
Do I play through the 'rut'

I am not playing badly... there are limits to what you can do when you are not seeing good hands and flops, so I'm hesitant to stop playing....

Like I said... I'm conteplating! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 02:55 PM | Comments (0)

March 11, 2005

One of those days...

We went to the club last night to play Texas Holdem, largely because we were taking a friend to try to qualify via the club's New Player Tounrament.

I played two mini-satellites, and spent BOTH games playing 'second best' hands... it was scary... cracked repeatedly with AJs, AK, AKS, QQ, 77...... it was not meant to be for me this night!

Wilcone played well, and finished in the top three of the second go around... he got me, when his TT hit another ten on the flop to bounce my two pair....

BTW... our friend won the new player tournament, and now is a full member of the club! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)

March 10, 2005

Another Sit and Go story....

Well as much as i'd like to talk about on this subject, my words are minimal. I sat down on the SNG for $5+1, which is pretty cheap. 25 to the winner, 15 for second and 10 for third. WELL IT WAS THE FIRST HAND, 10 guys at the table and i get dealt pocket queens, so i throw a teaser raise for 275,( we started with 800 ) and was raised to 350. Well everyone folded leaving me to deceide, so i moved all in. The other guy sat for a few minutes thinking about it, finally called and had kings!!!! well thats my story, simple and easy....first time ive ever lost on the first hand. But i guess with his reraise now that i think about it, he prolly thought i had aces :-D

Then with no hesitation i sat in another SNG table and not only took first, but sat in another one and got first again. As you can tell i was upset by losing to kings and had to get my money back.

Posted by wilcone at 01:29 PM | Comments (0)

Played in another Satellite

Went to the club last night to play a little texas holdem poker... since the club will be sponsoring a Super Satellite to one of the WPT Bellagio events coming up, they decided to offer a mini-satellite for a couple of buy-in's for that.

Next weekend, there will be a big texas holdem tournament for seats to the $1500 No Limit Texas Holdem Event at the Bellagio on April 10th. That will be a nice event, and everyone wants a piece of it, needless to say!

To seats were offered, and it got down to the final three, myself included. Cards had not been kind to me at the last table, but my stack allowed me to hang in there.

I get an A8s, and since I'm first to act, I push my stack all in. THe big Stack folds... I'd been taking him all night... the other player hesitates for a minute, and calls me for $3K.... she turns over 9Js! I'm ahead, but scratching my head trying to figure out what I'd get called with a J9!! The main reason I suprised, is that I had been playing SUPER TIGHT, and had not played a hand in over an hour.

I should not be too suprised, as this player called me from the big blind two hands earlier with a 57o!!

Needless to say, the J9 outflopped me, and I was out....

Posted by fatbill at 10:23 AM | Comments (0)

March 09, 2005

Funny thing happened, 2nd time ever....

I deceided that after working all day that i would play some online poker. I bought in for 25, in a 25$ No Limit table. Played tight for a while waiting for the GOOD cards to come. And as i wished i got ACES in the hole. I was raised 2$ preflop by a guy, so i re-raised him to 4$ thinking i was ahead. He went over the top of me all in for around 30$ or so, and everyone else folded. Without any hesitation i call, i mean shit i got ACES, WELL so did he lol. Thats the second time ive had monster cards and ive been called WITH THE SAME CARDS. Needless to say we split the pot and went on with our business :-)
What really sucks is i was hoping to take his whole bankroll on that hand, but im glad i got to keep mine.

Posted by wilcone at 02:20 PM | Comments (0)

March 07, 2005

REAL poker differs from 'TV Poker'

You can read the full article Here

Most of the article talks about the hand that Dan Harrington won with at the WSOP in 1995.... however, it makes a VERY valid point, that most people SHOULD take into account:

'One of the worst things is the way the apparent constant action could sucker you into the bad habit of playing too many hands. That's all editing. So many hands are folded. It's what the best players do. A lot.'

Television is a wonderful medium for the promotion of the Sport of Poker, but most people probably do not stop to consider the fact, that they edit out MOST of the hands played, in favor of 'viewability' for it's televised audience.

Top pros fold.... A LOT in tournaments! There are also just a TON of hands that never SEE a flop in texas holdem play. This of course makes for boring television.... but do NOT think this is how YOU should play, just because you 'saw it on tv'.

The next point is equally important:
'Another thing you don't get from television is the context in which plays are made. It is not just the cards that make a hand, no matter how they analyze it on television. '

You dont see the 'history' of how players have interacted over several days of tournament play. You DONT see who has previously made moves on who, and if one player is tired of being pushed around by a stack. These guys remembers every play another player has made in a tournament, and 'store' this information for use later in a tournament when analyzing how to play a hand. Television can not show this.... and the commentators do not always include this in their analysis of play....

Posted by fatbill at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

March 06, 2005

WAY BEHIND

Was playing in a RE-BUY tournament, which i hate a lot. Played with 30 people and outlasted over half the crowd. I ended up gettin a lil lower trying to make a move with my pocket 5's figuring i was ahead. BUT I WAS WRONG, got called with king jack, jack came story of my LIFE! BUT thats poker, u gotta roll with the punches....but it really hurts when u get knocked out dont it?

BUT i when i woke up i got some action in :-D

Deceided to play online a lil bit...got some hot cards and played them slower than you ever thought possible.But this hand especially made me happy, seeing as when i slow play i usually get busted :p

When the blinds were low at like 10-15 i got dealt aces in the big blind, so i check because noone raised. Flop comes Qd,As,Qs so i flop the nuts automatically so i check, he checks ( im heads up with one guy) turn comes a rag so i bet 15 he raises to 30 i raise to 45 he calls so the pots around 160 or so. River came a spade, praying he got his flush i bet out 175, got a call from the guy and he was not happy. But do you honestly think i coulda got more money playing it any other way????

Posted by wilcone at 02:36 PM | Comments (0)

Last night was not how I envisioned...

Went to a game last night, that was 3/4 members of the poker club I belong to, and put on by one of the members so that we could play, since the club was closed for the weekend.

Had 27 players.... 45 Re-Buys, and 50 Add-Ons, so the pot was nice!

Played pretty well, and pretty tight, largely because the cards were not all that great.

Was not even averaging 2 hands a level, but was making the hands I DID play pay off....

Down to 12 players, and I got moved to another table.... unfortunately, I was getting down to the felt about then, AND was moved into the Big Blind spot.

Low and behold, I get dealt Pocket Qs!! A large stack bets double the Big Blind... the small goes all in, but is short stacked, so is not calling the full raise... I push my remaining stack, which is basically a re-raise of another 1500.... I get called, of course...
I'm up against AKo, and A5o, so feeling decent about the hand... Flop is rags totally! Turn is another total rag.... but... of course, the damn River hits an Ace, sending me packing..... UGH!

Posted by fatbill at 09:35 AM | Comments (0)

March 04, 2005

Thursday Nights are boring, so...

I decided to head to the club and see if there was anyone playing!

There was a heated New player tournament going on.. and actually quite a few folks looking for a game.

Played in three single table games....

Game 1

Got flopped a set on my FIRST hand staying in with A4s on the button... nice way to start!

Dealt Pocket K's on the second hand!! Unfortunately, someone was dealt Pocket A's, knocking my ass out on the second hand! LOL

Game 2

Just a HORRIBLE run of cards... didnt see a face in well over an hour, and got blinded to death.... ugh....

Game 3

Played tight.... got some early hands, but could not get a flop... got down to the felt, and had to go all in. Got TWO callers! ;-) Had AK, and got really lucky, flopping runner-runner to make the nut flush and stay alive!

Nothing much dealt for the next hour, but stayed alive with some small pots and ante steals...

Once it got down to 3 players... we passes the same ante stack around for a while, and decided on a chop.... so I was at least able to get back to even for the night!

Since the club is closed this weekend, one of the guys orgainized a game for us all to play in. Looks like there will be about 25 TOP notch players from the club participating, so it should be a good time!

Posted by fatbill at 09:37 AM | Comments (0)

March 02, 2005

Played Some poker last night....

Well, the Poker Club is going to be closed this weekend, so we decided to head over last night to see if there were any games going on. Found a dozen like minded members, and we were able to get a couple of 'friendly' games going, for club credits.

The son wound up taking a split for first in the first game.. and I split with a friend for first in the second one, so it was a good night! ;-)

In the second game, I was down to the felt, and went all in with a couple suited rags... ended up hitting the flop and trippling up!

Next hand I get Pocket K's, and double up AGAIN! After winning a couple other medium pots, I called an all in with my A9o, to the short stack's K8o, and hit an ace to take him out.

My buddy and I were dead even in chip count at the end, and we were just passing the same stacks back and forth, so we decided to get some sleep, and just chop! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)

February 27, 2005

Interesting hand....

There was a hand that was worth mentioning from the final table last night. 10 Players at the final table, one short stack, and a couple other stacks that were low.
Short Stack is first to act, and moves all in pre-flop for 2300 ( blinds are 300-600 ).
The big stack folds.
Second High stack calls the 2300.
Next player folds.
4 player moves all in over the top for 4800.
Next player folds.
I'm sitting on pocket 6's.... three all in bets in front of me... I gotta give it up...
Big Blind Calls the 4800!
Player that called the 2300 CALLS the 4800!

4 player's in the pot... two all in!!

Short Stack has Pocket 7's
Next player has AKs
Next has Pocket 10's
Big Blind has Pocket Q's!

I had Pocket 6's, and another player that folded has Pocket 10's!!

5 Pocket pairs in one hand! what are the odds!

Pocket Q's held, btw....

Posted by fatbill at 01:32 PM | Comments (0)

Played well last night...

Went to the club again last night, and got involved in a three table texas holdem tournament. The competition in these is pretty stiff, as it seems to bring out some of the best in the club to play in, which is why I belong! ;-)

I feel, that in poker, as in most competitive endevors, playing against people that are 'as good' or 'better' than you ALWAYS pays off. It may not pay off immediately monetarily, but it pays off in experience gained, and bringing out the best in your game.

Anyways.... it was a rebuy ( ONE ONLY ) so it lasted till the wee hours. Once we got down to the final table, I was in decent shape, but not among the chip leaders, so I had to tighten up quite a bit. I had made my ONLY big mistake just before we merged, by NOT seeing a flush hit the board, and making a big bet with the nut straight.... While this was an error on my part, it DID wake me up for the remainder of the event!

Most of the final table I was getting rags after rags, until I finally hit a couple big hands and doubled up. When it got down to the final 5 ( 3 places paid ) it got REAL tight, with the chip leader ( 2-1 over everyone ) started using his stack to his advantage. I got a big hand ( AA ) and made an ALL IN call over the top against a bigger stack... my Rockets held, and I was in good shape, and crippled his stack. He went out a couple hands later, as the blinds got to him and he was forced to make a call. Took out the 4th chip spot with pocket Qs to her flush draw, which fortunately, she did not hit...

The remaining three of us went back and forth for an entire level, until the chip leader called the short stack's all in, and lost... momentem changed and my cards started falling short for me... the couple good hands that I had ( AKs, and AJs back to back ) could not get any action, even though I was the short stack.... ended up pushing them in when the board hit two pair for me, only to get cracked by the chip leader hitting the wheel... such is poker!

Posted by fatbill at 12:12 PM | Comments (0)

February 26, 2005

Played a little Texas Holdem

We were bored, so we headed over to the Poker Club to see if there was any Texas Holdem action.... It took a while, but after 9PM there were enought people to get some games going. It was nothing exciting, but I was able to get in on a few single table events.

Played in a 'friendly' early, while we waited for players to arrive... this one was for club credit's, which are always nice to have. Dealer did not seem to like me, judging by my cards, and I ended 4th.... a sign of things to come....

Played in another single table ( 6 man event ) which is a cumlative qualifier for the 6 man event at the WSOP.... you guessed it... 4th again... same dealer... same cards....

The last game I attempted was a single table WSOP main event qualifier... different dealer... pretty much same run of cards, but I managed to squeeze off a 3rd so I got a free pass into another one...

All in all, it was a fun night, but not very productive... but at least not an expensive one! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:49 AM | Comments (0)

February 23, 2005

Went looking for a game...

So we were bored last night, and decided to head on over to the club ( metropokerclub.com ) and see if anything was shakin, or if we could scare up a game or two. Luckily there were a dozen or so like-minded addicts there, and we were able to get in a couple of 'friendly' games. I was not all that fortunate in either....

First game, I made headway early, and took the chip lead, only to get pounded a couple times with good hands I could not let go... finally got knocked by my son. I went all-in with a pair of Jacks, after the flop came up three undercards. He called me with two diamonds ( there were to on the board ), on a flush draw... of course he got lucky, and hit the flush, EVEN after I made a set.....

The second game went worse than the first.... not great cards, and I was forced to go all in with an ATo.... got my ass knocked to two pair... EARLY EXIT for me!

Looking forward to playing this weekend at the club... lots of satillites planned, and the Plazma's should be up and working by then!

Posted by fatbill at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)

February 22, 2005

Local Poker Clubs

There is a recent article in CardPlayer Magazine by Bob Ciaffone ( Poker Coach ), that talks about 'grassroots poker' and how it is being played everywhere these days! The article touches on how Texas Holdem Poker Tournaments are being played in bars and clubs around the country for 'prizes'. Mr Ciaffone, goes on in the article to mention a club that is in the Detroit area called the Metro Poker Club. I happen to be a member of that club!

Playing in local games with friends has always been popular, and it serves the dual purpose of allowing friends to get together, AND to play some cards. These games are generally controlled stakes 'fun' games.

Playing in a more orgainized structure, like a local club is a lot more intense! Something like the Metro Poker Club where you play for tournament seat prizes is a pretty incredible experience! Not only do you gain tournament play experience, but you generally play against more people that KNOW and APPRECIATE the game, than in some 'fun' game.

The Benefit? You learn more, and you learn faster.... especially if you are as competitive as I am! ;-) I would MUCH rather play against GOOD players, than against sloppy players. WHY? Good players will test your SKILL... sloppy players simply test your patience! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

February 20, 2005

Blinded by the paint..

I was recently involved in a 100 person charity game that made me rather upset early on in the tournament, due to players lack of experience and game play i found myself playing cards mad. So i was forced to leave the tournament room to clear my thoughts. The tournament was run very well, but people were acting as if they never played the game before, moving out of turn, arguing about make believe rules and so forth. I was playing rather crazy the first couple hours due to this frustration. These guys didnt know how i played, so i let them wonder by mucking my hands when making outrageous raises. They prolly thought i had aces everytime ;-). Further in this article ill explain some of my situations in game play....

I got the pleasure of having the chip leader at my table, raising every hand. Most likely because he was the big stack at the tourney, and having a hot run of cards. Well i had pocket 5's and i wanted to play them as he raised before it was my time to act, so i moved all in over the top of him (thinking i had the best hand). Only to find out he wasnt bullying, he had A-Jos. Well my 5's held up and doubled my stack, we like to call that a C.D.U (courtesy double up). But that was only the beginning of my streak. So after i doubled up on the chip leader i was in position to sit and wait and just play my position as the blinds gained slowly on me.

After milking the game for what it was worth, i found myself at the final table, which were my intentions prior to even getting my seat card. The final table was brutal at the beginning seeing as i was the short stack at the table, but that wouldnt last for too much longer. I began to get strong cards, and getting calls on my all in's which definitely made me happy. I'd have to say that I didnt make any mistakes the whole game, until reaching my death at the table.

I got A-Kos and was raised pre-flop so i moved in against pocket 10s, and caught my set to my liking. Then i looked down to see A-Q of diamonds, sitting and debating i just called the blind to see what the big blind wanted to do, talk about a way to get a read. Well i was raised 1500 leaving him left with 1200, which made me wonder...if he had a pair he would have moved all in, RIGHT? So i knew i was ahead. My read was correct as i put him all in and was immediately called, as he was holding A-J of clubs. The hand wouldn't break me, but it did take a big chunk out of my stack as he hit the flush to take down that pot. BUT HEY, THATS POKER! I prolly lost around 2/3s of my stack on that one hand alone. So i knew with only a few thousand left i would have to wait for cards to come to make my move....WELL the hand came, and i was knocked out. Just as the title says, i was blinded by the paint(paint meaning face cards). As i was last to act the pot was raised all in by one player, called by another player before me leaving me last to act....Well i had k-Qos, and i couldnt lay the hand down. Knowing i could have let them play and wait for another hand, I let the cards blind me and make me think i was making a good call. WELL I WAS WRONG, the only mistake i made all night took me right out of the tournament....and it is replaying in my head second after second. The first raiser had BULLETS, and i couldnt dodge them placing me in 8th outta 100 people. Not to shabby, but i should have let them play that hand and folded.....I will learn from my mistakes though, and try my hardest to never get blinded like that again.

Posted by wilcone at 09:47 PM | Comments (0)

Full day of poker....

We played that texas holdem tournament yesterday... 100 players were entered. It was reasonably well run, and in a nice facility.

Play was pretty sloppy, and most people had no clue about the rules, let alone the intracacies of the game..... it was frustrating at times...

Unfortunately, I didnt last but a few hours.... Called all in when I flopped the top TWO pair, only to find out that the other guy flopped a gut shot straight.... thats poker...

My son did VERY well.... but I'll let him tell his story! ;-)

Since I was out of the tournament early... I decided to go play in another game. Left my son to continue play in the tournament, and went to play in the weekly cash game we frequent.

After a couple hours of play, and just getting rags after rags, I FINALLY got pocked aces!! Unfortunately, someone got pocket Kings on the same hand, and as always seems to happen, a king flopped... my aces busted!
Next hand ( I'm very short now ) I get AJs... so I move the small stack in.... guy calls me with ( you guessed it! ) Pocket Kings.... AGAIN... and sure as shit.. a king flops.....

NOT my day to play poker! LOL

Posted by fatbill at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)

February 19, 2005

Decided to to play....

My son and I decided at the last minute, to go to the poker club that we belong to, and see what kind of action there was...

We got there JUST as a small game ( 19 players ) was getting underway, so we decided to join in. It was a re-buy tournament style, with unlimited re-buys thru the first three rounds... Had to re-buy once, cuz I got short stacked playing looser than normal...

Played a GREAT hand late in the first round after the re-buys were over! Had pocket K's.... only led out a bet of double the blinds to try to get some action... board flopped J rag, rag.... guy in first position bet out strong, trying to represent something... he'd been playing VERY loose all night, and making large bets to steal pots for hours. I was not letting him go, but I just checked! ;-)
Turn and river flopped rags both times... he led out big on the turn.... which I called.... he put me all in at the river... I called... I read him right.... he had shit, and I doubled up and took the chip lead! ;-)

I played pretty tight with my big stack for the next hour or so, until we consolidated to one table... son made that table also, but was pretty short stacked, whereas I had a marginal chip lead over the table....

Cards were absolute crap at this table, and I got ZIP, as I watched my chip lead dissappear via the blinds and ante's....

Down to 4 players, and I'm still in good shape... second in chip count... got dealt JJ in the big blind! Small blind came in at 3K ( 3times the blind ).... put him on a couple over cards, probably one an ace... he's traditionally a very loose player, and aggressive as hell.... I called.

Flop was 776 rainbow.... he bet out 5K ( blinds are 1k now ).... after thinking for a few, I called....

turn came 6..... he bet another 5K..... I called...

River came rag.... he called me all in.... FUCK... I had to call! I knew he did not have a set.... which he didn't!!

Unfortunately he had Pocked Aces... and took me out....

Would you have laid em down at the all in call??

Posted by fatbill at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)

February 18, 2005

Charity Poker Tournament

Well, we are going to play in a charity poker tournament tomorrow!

100 Entry cap, with a %50 + $5 buy-in....

Interesting format for this... 500 chips to start, but the blinds start at 1 and 2... should be an entertaining event... but will probably take all damn day at that rate of blinds! LOL

Posted by fatbill at 08:16 AM | Comments (0)

February 16, 2005

Finally my luck is back...

I thought after a month of cold cards my luck maybe had run out on me....to not disappoint me the " Poker Gods " showed there love once again. I started out low stack after being crippled by a set in the beginning of the game, but that was only the begining. I began to see my stack dwindle as my cards once again became cold. Finally seeing A-8os i moved in, and was immediately called by pocket 9s by the chip leader....i made my impact after i caught 4 clubs to make my flush, doubling my stack to put me right back in the game. And they say luck isnt involved.

After only being 3 handed i felt it was time to make a move after a long period of no action. As i was first to act with a very tight table i moved all in with 4-6os, hoping to see them fold as i was first to act in the hand. I was again immediately called by the same chip leader who again had pockets, but this time he had KINGS! Being so embarrassed of my All in i hesitantly showed my cards. The flop came 3-5-7 giving me a straight, and the winning hand yet again. After dodging two bullets prior to being heads up with the chip leader i felt that the poker gods were on my side. We battled heads up for a little bit until the final hand came to be. I looked down at a A-8os yet again, so i raised all in. Being heads up i figured he would fold...i guess you could if you werent holding the big slick! But like i said, when its your night its your night. I flopped an 8 to give me the winning pair and the victory. Although i knew i won on luck, it didnt matter to me.....without luck your never going to make it anywhere in any tournament.

Posted by wilcone at 03:09 PM | Comments (0)

February 15, 2005

Poker Mania

As I prepare for this weekend's tournament, I've been reading some of the articles out there on poker and something struck me! There really IS poker mainia!

There is a slated new poker movie which will feature a WSOP story line.

I'm reading more and more about 'charity' events being held in my area, and they are getting lots of print in the papers. How long before will it become perfectly legal and be able to run outsite of the 'charity' umbrella? ( here an orgainization has to have a 'charity' license, and can get up to 4 a year ).

The tournament I'm entered in this weekend is one such event. They expect ( and cap it at ) 100 player's for this. Should be an interesting play....

Don't get me wrong! I'm all for it! The more 'charity' events that are run, will eventually turn the game into a mainstream happening..... can legal changes be far behind?

Posted by fatbill at 08:33 AM | Comments (0)

February 13, 2005

Weekly Game...

My son and I go to a local game every so often, where there are usually between 10 and 20 people eager to play texas holdem. It's a friendly bunch, and usually a fun game.

Last night, cards ran I C E Y for me.... down to 7 players out of the original 16, and I didnt see a face for over 2 hours. Probably got 5-10 8 times.... it was not fun. The blinds were such that I had to wait and pick my spot, HOPING for something worth playing... it never came.... oh well... thats poker!

Thankfully my son finished in the money! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)

February 09, 2005

Poker Articles

We added about 22 Texas Holdem and Other informative artiles to the site.

You can see them in the menu to the left under ARTICLES! ;-)

Let us know what you think!

Posted by fatbill at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)