Calling all Laker / Kobe Haters

The Spurs got knocked the fugg out in 5 games. Kobe Bryant and the mightee Lakers head to the NBA Finals with Kobe leading the charge.

The NBA Finals start Thursday, June 5th and I really don't care who we meet in the Finals. Neither Eastern Conf team has a prayer against Kobe and the Lakers.

The biggest problem for the Lakers will be where do we hang the 2007-2008 NBA Championship banner?

Kobe at only 29 years old is at the top of his game finally taking down the 2008 NBA MVP and another NBA Championship.

YAWN

Look for a repeat and possibly another 3-peat with the young talent the Lakers have put together this season.

Let the hate commence.

...and don't forget to stop by Pauly's site. 2008 WSOP live blogging starts today.

Tournament Poker Nirvana

All the events leading up to the big dance kick off this friday, May 30th. Bodog and Full Tilt both kick off their online poker series (Mini-SOP) which mirrors WSOP events tomorrow.

Bodog's Mini-SOP is running mirrored tournaments for all WSOP Hold'em events at 1% of the WSOP buy-in.

Full Tilt's Mini-SOP is mirroring tournaments for all WSOP events including non-hold'em at 1% of the WSOP buy-in.

Several live tournament series are scheduled at Venetian, Caesar's, Golden Nugget, Binions, etc. running concurrently.

For those who think poker may be on a plateau, open you're eyes and look around. This year's WSOP Main Event final table will draw more interest than ever.

just walked in the door...

our flight outta Charlotte was late due to "mechanical difficulties" so we missed our original connection in O'Hare airport, Chicago and were rescheduled for another flight. we missed that one too.

let me just say this. if you fly into Chicago via American Airlines and have to catch a connecting flight via United, you're gonna be hosed probably at least 50% of the time.

i've never seen an airport hub that ONLY showed departure gate info for the primary carrier of that hub. the agents working behind the gates were totally worthless, unhelpful and giving us incorrect info over and over.

we ended up having to rebook a flight for this morning and staying at a local Best Western paid for by AA. luckily, the night wasn't a complete loss. there was a kick ass sports bar adjacent to the hotel showing the Laker game on one of their big screens.

questionable no-call at the end?? heh no way. just like Hoy won his seat into the BBT3 TOC. we're 3-1 over the Spurs. results justify the means.

unfortunately, i missed the start of the Bodonkey. but several players moved their way up the leaderboard. somehow, i only dropped to 11th. the entire top half the of leaderboard is pretty bunched up.

next tuesday's tournament is gonna be important to a lot of players including me. there's also gonna be a bounty paid out in next week's Bodonkey.

take a wild guess who's on the chopping block.

heh...not as good as 1st

Tina and the women folk ran off to the mall. i passed on their offer to tag along and jumped into Bodog's DS 4k Guarantee. i haven't been able to play any tournaments the entire weekend and have been getting knocked around in the cash games.

yesterday i had AA cracked twice in the same orbit. both times, guys called my shove with a flush draw and nailed it on the river. i guess i could've played both hands slower.

i didn't lay any bad beats in the 4k and didn't take any. i was able to get my monsters paid off and came into the final table 6th in chips with T$37k

we got down to 5 handed pretty fast then the action slowed down. it took forever to get 3-handed. With the blinds at 3000/6000 i picked up ATo in the BB and jammed all in for a little over 60k after the player on the button min-raised my blind. he insta-called with AJo and that was that.

the 4k has a small field but, it felt good to get to a final table.

this is fuggin insane

Doug has booked over 45k in prop bets (45k to win 20k) that he can win $10k in 30 days playing only 25nl ring games. he's 24 tabling them and has played over 50k hands after only 2 days for $1100+ profit. if you're into voyeur poker, you can view him via webcam while he's ginding out this bet here or here.

glglglgl

also, check out this 4-card bingo hand. 4-way all in pf to win a $1200 pot.


yeehaaaw

Lakers / Angels weeeee

Lakers straight up pounce the defending champs leaving them quivering in the fetal position and the Halos snapped the Chisox 8 game winning streak.

i wasn't able to watch either beating. neither game was televised on any of Charlotte's local / cable channels.

now that's a bad beat right there.

3-3 vs rags no goot

We finally arrived in Charlotte at 12am last night. the connecting flight from Dallas was delayed about an hour. By the time we picked up our bags and made it to Tina's moms, it was after 1am. Everyone went to bed shorty after but, i stayed up to watch Poker After Dark.

It's "Poker Commentators Week".

The play in last night's episode was pretty straight-forward. Ali Nejad tried to steal UTG with K5s but, got check raised after whiffing the flop by Chad Brown and had to let it go. Lederer got short-stacked and had a plane to catch. He decided to make a stand with 3-3 vs Robert Williamson's rags (pocket 5's) and was the 1st to get knocked out. There are 5 players left with Gregorich in the chip lead but, not by much. I'm not familar with him but, he is the tightest nit "pro" i've ever seen on tv. It will be interesting to see if he starts to use his image to his advantage later in the week or if he continues to play this way.

Phil Gordon is the shortest stack now and has been all-in a few times already. He'll probably be the next to hit the rail.

1st thing i did this morning was hook up the wireless router. I had to change the IP range i was using because their local ISP was using the same range. After that, all was good.

So I'll be connected the rest of the weekend and not stuck watching Nascar. wOOOt !

off to Charlotte, NC

Tina and I jump on a plane to Charlotte this afternoon to celebrate Tina's moms big 6-0 bday this weekend. We connect in Dallas, since there are no direct flights from the land of fake boobs and fake tans. We leave OC @ 1pm PST, scheduled to arrive in Charlotte at 11pm EST.

I don't enjoy traveling east cuz you lose a whole fuggin day.

I brought some Cardplayer mags to read on the plane if the movie offered is shit.

Like a tru degen, i'm taking my wireless router so i can still scoop pots while the family is catching up, drinking mint juleps on the porch or doing nothing but watching Nascar.

Why do they luv the Nascar?

well, they gots no NBA or MLB.

Nascar is huge out there. There's a race scheduled in NC this weekend. you can play Nascar contests at FSL if you're enjoy watching left turns for several hrs check it out.

one other thing, Kobe is the man and the Lakers are going to take down another NBA title.

put that in your pipe and smoke it.

enjoy your holiday weekend.

Back in the top 10....

i think i'm developing carpal tunnel from all the folding in this series.

once again i found a way to finish one spot from the T$ and cash payouts in 6th. although i've managed to finish in the points 8 times through 16 tournaments (thats 50% of the time ITP for math challenged Bodonks), i have yet to finish in the top 5. it's been a frustrating series for me. i'm sure several of you feel the same.

what kills me is when i see players build ginormous stacks then donk it all off. i don't know why it tilts me but it does. they hit a mad rush of cards, build a giant stack with no good reason why they shouldn't take the whole damn thing down. but, it happened 3x last night. three different players had HUGE chip leads at one point during the final table and none of them won. unbelievable really.

i'm not naming names or trying to make anyone feel bad, just venting my frustration.

None of this will matter if i make it to the Bodog TOC, run like gawd and win the 12k Bodog Main Event Prize Package.

So, who finished atop bandini mountain?

KJTech and RecessRampage went HU for quite some time, trading the chip lead on several occasions. but, KJT was able to hold off RR and take down 1st place points, $164 cash and T$109. RR pocketed 2nd place points, $98 + T$109.




Both KJT and RR made big jumps on the leaderboard. But, neither has enuf points to be in the top 18. They still have some work to do with only two more tournaments left in the series.

Tina and I will be flying back from Charlotte next Tuesday so i'm gonna miss next week's Bodonkey. That was another reason why i desperately needed to pick up points this week and move up the leaderboard. I'm sitting in 10th right now but, i still don't feel like i'm safely locked in to the Bodog TOC.

The last tournament on June 3rd will be huge for me and alot of other people.

good P5's thread on "blocking bets"

here's the thread and what "TheWacoKid" had to say:

Re:Blocking Bet
By TheWacoKidd on 05-14-2008 12:25 PM

blocking bet = myth

each and every bet you make, you should know whether you are making that bet for value or a bluff...

most blocking bets are just weak bluffs... this play doesn't even exist, don't do it...

IMO Blocking bets are more effective in cash games than in tournament play. They work well against inexperienced or weak players.

You're making a bet OOP on a draw or with a marginal hand that is likely ahead but, willing to fold to a reraise. Good players will recognize what you're doing and reraise you.

If you're up against a good player, make what looks like a blocking bet with the nuts and hope for a reraise. Check raising the nuts against good players will get you less chips.

3 more shots at Bodog's TOC

We've got a few more tournaments left to qualify for Bodog's TOC on June 10th. I'm sitting uncomfortably at 13th. One win from anyone with TOC points can get right in the mix. only 50 pts separate 24th from the 18th spot and 100 pts separates 33rd from 18th. A win is worth approx 150 pts depending on the size of the field. the top 5 guys are probably comfortably locked in. The rest of us have some work to do.

GL tonight.

Grand Prize: $12,000 WSOP* Prize Package with Team Bodog
2nd place: T$540
3rd place: T$379
4th place: T$270
5th place: T$109

Make sure you keep an eye on CK's and F-Train's adventures across the US on their way to Vegas.

one arm tied behind my back

I got a bye in the 1st HU match in Loretta's shootout and thought that might be an advantage but it turned out.....not so much. i won my 1st match then got matched up with the eventual winner "WarriorsXXX" at a chip disadvantage.

4500 - 3000

I looked him up on sharkscope and he was rated Silverstar. If i was matched up with a losing player it would've been no thang.

we slugged it out for quite a while. i got even in chips at one point. but, lost anyway.

this was the hand that did me in:
Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament,
Sunday Heads Up, 50/100 Blinds, 2 Players

Hero (BB): 3,520
SB: 3,980

Pre-Flop: (150) Qd Kh dealt to Hero (BB)
SB raises to 300, Hero raises to 900, SB calls 600

Flop: (1,800) 6s 7c 7s (2 Players)
Hero bets 1,255, SB calls 1,255

Turn: (4,310) Qh (2 Players)
Hero bets 1,365 and is All-In, SB calls 1,365

River: (7,040) 8s (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: 7,040 Pot
Hero showed Qd Kh (two pair, Queens and Sevens) and LOST (-3,520 NET)
SB showed 6c 6h (a full house, Sixes full of Sevens) and WON 7,040 (+3,520 NET)

heh

As expected, the Angels kicked the shit outta the Dodgers this weekend and i cashed in Bodog's 100k finishing 84th outta 708 players (30k overlay). I hoped to get deeper but weaved when i shoulda dodged.

SoCal Brawl

Tonight the Halos take on the Dodgers in Anaheim. Tina scored us some kick ass seats from her work (free fiddy free!). So, we'll be there booing the Dodger blue and spreading hate on all the drunken idiot Dodger fans.

Dodger fans are just as bad as Raider fans. They're obnoxious, rude and usually drunk. Why wouldn't they be? Their teams have sucked big, sweaty donkey balls for years.

This is why we MUST go and support our team on our own home turf.

The Angels straight up own the Dodgers and have ever since inter-league play. Now with Torre managing, I expect we'll crank out even more W's out of this series over the years.

The Angels went 61-55 against Torre’s Yankees from 1996-2007 - making them the only AL team with a winning record against him in that span - and also eliminated New York from the first round of the playoffs in 2002 and 2005.

The Halos went 14-4 in interleague play last season, matching Detroit for the best record in baseball. That included a 5-1 mark against the Dodgers, who managed only 10 runs in those games.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM !

Cheech and Chong style son

everyone luvs a fatty.....blaze

Matusow's training vids are a riot

Mike is so tilty, it's hilarious. he rips on Jen Harman and everyone else at the table. This one is a gem.

BULLDOOOZZZZEERRRRR

NewinNov continues to steamroll thru the Bodog Blogger Series as i continue my slide down the leaderboard picking up exactly zero tournament series points for the 3rd straight week.

I've yet to have a strong finish during the series with my best finish being 6th.

This should be closer to 6000..... - 1

Good news is since Tina and I both busted out early, we headed directly to the jacuzzi shortly after I hit the rail.

Can you make a living just playing MTT's ?

Someone posted a P5's thread that "The Mouth" recently said:

"it is impossible to make $ being a professional tournament player, you must play cash. "

I'm not sure where he heard this but, let's assume the quote is accurate. we'll further speculate that Matusow is referring to "live" tournaments vs. online.

Daut chimed in (who btw finished 10th in FTOPS 11 last night) on the thread and posted this:

It is 100% that if you are a winning player you will over time make money in online tournaments because you can put in 300 a month and win no matter how bad you run.

Live tournaments are a bit different. The problem is you cant always work through the variance of tournaments in a year, and if you live in america and drop 1/3 to taxes something along the following lines could happen:

year 1: +200k, pay 60k in taxes
year 2: -100k
year 3: +100k, pay
30k in taxes
year 4: +300k, pay 100k in taxes
year 5: -150k
year 6:
+200k, pay 60k in taxes
year 7: -200k

net result: overall money won 350, pay 250k in taxes, overall winnings only 100k. after you take out travel,expenses, etc over that time its pretty fucking brutal playing tourneys.

Playing live MTT's has got to be the worst way to try and make it in poker. Yes, one BIG life changing score and you could call it quits. but, who would do that? I bet there are dozens of players who've run like gawd taking down a million dollar score then, their poor BR mgmt skills get the best of them putting 'em right back at square one or worse.... in debt to backers.

In a recent PokerRoad broadcast, Gavin and Sebok discussed MTT life briefly (about 4 mins into the broadcast).

Gavin said "tournament poker has more disappointment that dating and selling life insurance combined"

Sad but true.

I think online players have a much better chance at a positive ROI. I tried for 6 months and failed miserably having to turn to cash games to turn a consistent profit but, I still believe it can be done.

A couple of guys I know come to mind. If you were to consider what percentage of online players are not just positive ROI but can actually make a living at it, what would that percentage be?

I bet it's somewhere in the 5% range maybe even lower. Most full-time players will not be able to live on tournaments alone IMO.

who doesn't luv an underdog

Bodog just put up WSOP Main Event props for poker bloggers.

Studying up for the TOC's / War on sobriety

Cancel your CardRunner and PXFactor subscriptions. I've gone thru a couple of this guy's videos in prep for upcoming TOC's.

These will give me a HUGE edge on the rest of the field.

Can't wait to stage my first "vunderbloof".



I also came across this post which i had to share with those of you struggling with the war on sobriety.

Fight the good fight!

B-Listers swoop Vegahs June 13-16

I never really liked the idea of having to spend Saturday/Sunday held up in the room playing the BBT3/TOC and 2k Freeroll during our trip. Then, i recently read that several other pompous aggro monkeys were planning to spew chips the 2nd weekend of June. So I changed our hotel reservation and made flight arrangements.

We'll be arriving 3pm Fri June 13th and returning Mon June 16th.

We're also planning a trip out to Charlotte to visit Tina's mom on Memorial Day weekend to celebrate her 60th B-day. Moving the Vegas trip out a week gives us more time to regroup.

We don't have any set plans once we get to Vegas other than Tina spending Saturday at the spa for some well deserved pampering.

There are several tournament series going on in addition to the WSOP. CC posted a comparison of some of the bigger ones. The Venetian 1k stands above the rest according to his analysis of all the structures.

Every poker player dreams of getting to a WSOP final table, playing heads up for bundles of cash and a bracelet. But you're gonna have a much better shot at a nice payday in one of the other tournament series than you will wading thru a minefield of thousands in a $1500 WSOP event.

February's Venetian 1k deepstack event only had 222 players with 1st place paying out $66k.

I highly suspect the field in Venetian's 1k to be much bigger this time around with all the poker degen's and wannabes out there this summer during the WSOP.

Does all this mean i wouldn't play a WSOP event if i was lucky enough to take down the coveted WSOP Main Event prize package in either of the Blogger TOCS?

Oh Hells no!

Blogger Crusher takes it down...

One of my biggest fans and the runner up to the Gigli the previous two weeks won a bunch of races and woke up in some good spots to take down this week's Bodonkey.

IusuallyGetCrushedbyBloggers took 1st for $160 cash +T$109
InstantTragedy finished 2nd for $96 cash + T$109
RedKoi was 3rd cashing $48 cash + T$109
MiamiDon and Vinnay took 4th-5th respectively for cash plus T$109



This week's performance should move him, Don and IT into the top 18 spots on the leaderboard.

Tina played again this week and put the hurt on my nemesis before the 1st break with DQB against his boat. But, Taddy battled back doubling up a few times before finally running KK into AA.

I finished two spots from the points this week when i jammed K-To from the button into BB's KK. I flopped an inside straight draw but, bricked the turn and river.

Hoy has recovered from his near death bed experience and dropped this gem causing a bit of a ruckus.

"a good half of the people currently in the ToC in my view have close to zero chance of cashing in one of the top four spots in the series-ending Tournament of Champions, and most of them know it. "

Hoy's pompassity obv got the best of him here. When i scroll down the list of BBT / TOC winners i don't see a ton of dead money. What i do see is a bunch of slippery mofos i don't really wanna see in the TOC period, sitting to my left or at the final table if i'm lucky enuf to make it that far.

Maybe i'm one of the guys Hoy's referring too...hmmm

Whoever comes outta this TOC with a main event seat will have luck and timing on their side.

One last thing, i need to be drinking whatever this guy is drinking. wudda a friggin rush.

You know what you need to do...

Bodog promos / 2008 WSOP

Blogs and poker forums are buzzing about Harrah's announcement to delay this year's final table four months to be played out November 9th. there's much talk about the possibility of collusion and and other negative aspects.

Personally, i think it's a tremendous idea. the final nine players in this year's event get four months to work deals and sponsorships going into the final table. Joe public gets to know all the players and root for their favorite. the final table will be so hyped, it WILL become a major event watched by an even a bigger audience. which should bring even more fishees to the tables leading up to and after the 2008 WSOP Main Event.

The positives of this announcement truly outweigh the negatives by far IMO. It's good for the players (the final 9) and it's good for the game.

Bodog promos:

During the month of May, Pocketfives is partnering with Bodog to offer $5.50 satellites into Bodog's weekly 100k guarantee with 10 T$109 seats added. the first satellite kicks off tomorrow at 4:05ET.

Bodog also kicked off their 2008 WSOP Freeroll series this week. There are four qualifying freerolls run daily at 3am, 9am, 3pm and 9pm ET until May 31st.



The top 25 finishers get a seat into their final to be held on June 7th. the final on June 7th will award the following prizes:

FINAL ROUND PRIZES AND APPROXIMATE RETAIL VALUE:

One (1) GRAND PRIZE:
Buy-in to the WSOP* Main Event ($10,000) and $2000 cash for travel.
(Approximate retail ("ARV") $12,000USD)

Four (4) Second Prizes of T$270 to play in one (1) WSOP*/Players Choice Semifinal
(ARV $270USD/winner) that will be awarded to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place finisher of the Final Round, in this case the “WSOP* Seat Giveaway Finale”.

Five (5) Third Prizes of T$109 to play in one (1) Bodog's $100K Guaranteed Tournament