Filed Under: Poker
Since I've received several inquiries about whether I will be playing in the second season of the Bluff Poker Tour, I may as well answer them here.
The short answer is, no.
The long answer involves my feelings about how I think season one was ran. With the rule changes after the fact, numerous venue changes, having to play on sites who's software is abysmal, severe...severe...severe lack of communication by the operators of the event, and a less than stellar solution to the final event debacle, I simply cannot send my business to them. I could go into specifics but all that would do is make it look like I'm picking on them.
I'm sure many players had an enjoyable experience with the tour, but I did not. Best of luck to all of you that play in season two.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Sunday, March 19, 2006
WPBT Final Table Live Blog
Since I'll never get around to writing up a recap I'm going to live blog the final table.
Here are the chip counts at the start:
smizmiatch - 42,415
S.t.B. - 34,502
lifesagrind - 19,275
catclock - 18,680
statikKling - 18,238
claire danes - 16,780
jerge88 - 8,958
otisbdart - 5,779
joanada1 - 4,191
Drizztdj99 - 3,682
11:15 pm- Final Table is underway
11:20 pm - no free ride for my big blind, too bad
11:22 pm - clarie danes hand is caught in the cookie jar and Joanada1 doubles up
11:27 pm - Folded to me in the SB and I take the Big blind with A4
11:28 pm - On the button I call a raise with 98c and the flop comes all overs...no clubs...so I have to let it go
11:29 pm - Otis is the first to go out but since I was typing I completely missed the hand
11:32 pm - A blind steal from early position goes horribly wrong and now I'm a short stack...happy, happy, joy, joy
11:33 pm - I fear that Drizz, who is sitting out and only has 546 chips is going to outlast me
11:34 pm - We just lost StatikKling but again I was typing and completely missed the hand....I need to start paying attention.
11:36 pm - I'm all in with AcKc vs. Qd9d and a Q hits the flop....I'm gone in 7th. Claire danes went out the hand right before me when her 55 lost to A7. smizmiatch has become a one man suckout machine and is taking everyone out.
Drizz did in fact last longer than me so I apparently can't even beat someone who doesn't bother playing the final table.
My first and probably last live blog of a tournament has ended in complete failure. Go Away I'm Pissed.
Here are the chip counts at the start:
smizmiatch - 42,415
S.t.B. - 34,502
lifesagrind - 19,275
catclock - 18,680
statikKling - 18,238
claire danes - 16,780
jerge88 - 8,958
otisbdart - 5,779
joanada1 - 4,191
Drizztdj99 - 3,682
11:15 pm- Final Table is underway
11:20 pm - no free ride for my big blind, too bad
11:22 pm - clarie danes hand is caught in the cookie jar and Joanada1 doubles up
11:27 pm - Folded to me in the SB and I take the Big blind with A4
11:28 pm - On the button I call a raise with 98c and the flop comes all overs...no clubs...so I have to let it go
11:29 pm - Otis is the first to go out but since I was typing I completely missed the hand
11:32 pm - A blind steal from early position goes horribly wrong and now I'm a short stack...happy, happy, joy, joy
11:33 pm - I fear that Drizz, who is sitting out and only has 546 chips is going to outlast me
11:34 pm - We just lost StatikKling but again I was typing and completely missed the hand....I need to start paying attention.
11:36 pm - I'm all in with AcKc vs. Qd9d and a Q hits the flop....I'm gone in 7th. Claire danes went out the hand right before me when her 55 lost to A7. smizmiatch has become a one man suckout machine and is taking everyone out.
Drizz did in fact last longer than me so I apparently can't even beat someone who doesn't bother playing the final table.
My first and probably last live blog of a tournament has ended in complete failure. Go Away I'm Pissed.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Goals in Poker Or Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire
Filed Under: Poker, Commentary
Is setting goals for your poker play a good idea?
The Genereal Goal: "I want to become a better poker player." "I want to build my bankroll." Everyone should have general goals. A broad stroke of what you expect from playing the game is good. This may be just wanting to have fun and taking part in the social aspect of the experience.
The Specific Goal: Since the player I'm most knowledgable about would be myself, let's take a look at a post I wrote on December 31st that outlined my goals for the coming year.
"For the immediate future if I don't have a bonus or some other incentive to play at a site, I won't be playing there." Well that went out the window sometime in February. I was having an abysmal run at the limit and no limit ring games. This was due to my achilles heel of poker. Fixation on the bankroll. My funds were low to begin with and I placed so much pressure on myself that I was cracking. I had to get out from under it and start having fun again. Since February 25th I haven't even sat in on a ring game. I'm now playing Sit-N-Go's and Multi-Table tournaments exclusively. This is where my talent lies so that's what I'm playing. At the levels I'm currently playing there really is no profit in bonus whoring unless the site I'm comfortable at is offering a reload.
"To go along with the bonus whoring, I've also decided to not play any ring games at a site if it is not supported by Poker Tracker." Well I'm not playing ring games anymore. The sites I'm playing at do support Poker Tracker though so I'm still on track, kinda.
"I've always been a devout proponent of having 300BB's at a limit before playing that level. I've fluctuated the levels I've played at in the past based on it. Having said that though, I'm going to break form and play $1/$2 with my $400 bankroll." What's the good in having an achilles heel if you can't suffer from it's affects every now and then. Right?
"In order to feel comfortable with that decision though I'm going to have to make some sacrifices. Namely my recent Sit-N-Go adventures will now have to go on hiatus. I also can't afford to spend money on many multi-table tournaments." Oh yea of little faith.
"I will also play the monthly KCPC live tournaments but I'm going to have to give up my monthly Casino play until I can get a live bankroll going." That one I've stuck with.
"Once I have been able to establish each of the bankrolls I will begin to use my online ring game roll to delve more into the no limit arena." My impatience led me to the no limit games before I was ready to take the swings. Noticing a theme here.
"Of course all of this will be dependent on my doing something I've never been able to do before. That is to leave my bankroll alone." Couldn't do it. I ended up taking $1,500 out of my $2,000 win last week to pay some bills.
General Specific Goals: This may seem odd but here is what I'm getting at. Last year I made it my goal to win the Bluff Poker Tour. I failed in this and came up a little short in the end finishing second. This type of goal is more specific than the general "be a better player" type but specific enough to warrant it's own place. A common goal of this type would be to win your way through satellites to the WSOP or WPT.
I've learned that I can live with the general specific goal but not the specific goal. The game of poker is a fluid entity and conforming to rigid guidelines doesn't fit my personality. My game suffers when I put to much pressure on myself. Oddly in my day job I flourish in pressure situations and gain exhileration from them. It seems a contradiction that one situation presents itself so differently for me, but that leads to my answer of whether setting goals in poker is a good idea. In order to know if its right for you, you really need to know how well you respond to that type of pressure.
Or you can just insert the answer for everything poker: It Just Depends
Is setting goals for your poker play a good idea?
The Genereal Goal: "I want to become a better poker player." "I want to build my bankroll." Everyone should have general goals. A broad stroke of what you expect from playing the game is good. This may be just wanting to have fun and taking part in the social aspect of the experience.
The Specific Goal: Since the player I'm most knowledgable about would be myself, let's take a look at a post I wrote on December 31st that outlined my goals for the coming year.
"For the immediate future if I don't have a bonus or some other incentive to play at a site, I won't be playing there." Well that went out the window sometime in February. I was having an abysmal run at the limit and no limit ring games. This was due to my achilles heel of poker. Fixation on the bankroll. My funds were low to begin with and I placed so much pressure on myself that I was cracking. I had to get out from under it and start having fun again. Since February 25th I haven't even sat in on a ring game. I'm now playing Sit-N-Go's and Multi-Table tournaments exclusively. This is where my talent lies so that's what I'm playing. At the levels I'm currently playing there really is no profit in bonus whoring unless the site I'm comfortable at is offering a reload.
"To go along with the bonus whoring, I've also decided to not play any ring games at a site if it is not supported by Poker Tracker." Well I'm not playing ring games anymore. The sites I'm playing at do support Poker Tracker though so I'm still on track, kinda.
"I've always been a devout proponent of having 300BB's at a limit before playing that level. I've fluctuated the levels I've played at in the past based on it. Having said that though, I'm going to break form and play $1/$2 with my $400 bankroll." What's the good in having an achilles heel if you can't suffer from it's affects every now and then. Right?
"In order to feel comfortable with that decision though I'm going to have to make some sacrifices. Namely my recent Sit-N-Go adventures will now have to go on hiatus. I also can't afford to spend money on many multi-table tournaments." Oh yea of little faith.
"I will also play the monthly KCPC live tournaments but I'm going to have to give up my monthly Casino play until I can get a live bankroll going." That one I've stuck with.
"Once I have been able to establish each of the bankrolls I will begin to use my online ring game roll to delve more into the no limit arena." My impatience led me to the no limit games before I was ready to take the swings. Noticing a theme here.
"Of course all of this will be dependent on my doing something I've never been able to do before. That is to leave my bankroll alone." Couldn't do it. I ended up taking $1,500 out of my $2,000 win last week to pay some bills.
General Specific Goals: This may seem odd but here is what I'm getting at. Last year I made it my goal to win the Bluff Poker Tour. I failed in this and came up a little short in the end finishing second. This type of goal is more specific than the general "be a better player" type but specific enough to warrant it's own place. A common goal of this type would be to win your way through satellites to the WSOP or WPT.
I've learned that I can live with the general specific goal but not the specific goal. The game of poker is a fluid entity and conforming to rigid guidelines doesn't fit my personality. My game suffers when I put to much pressure on myself. Oddly in my day job I flourish in pressure situations and gain exhileration from them. It seems a contradiction that one situation presents itself so differently for me, but that leads to my answer of whether setting goals in poker is a good idea. In order to know if its right for you, you really need to know how well you respond to that type of pressure.
Or you can just insert the answer for everything poker: It Just Depends
Friday, March 17, 2006
Monday, March 13, 2006
Who's Bad
Filed Under: Poker
In an unmatched display of poker prowess I managed to be the second player eliminated from the WPBT-POY tournament last night. In fairness to myself though I got all in with the better hand and was outdrawn on what I would consider to have been a bad call on my opponents part.
In a very nice twist of fate this drove me to play in the $10 tourney starting at 10:40 on Stars. I managed to Play Like A ChampionTM and win the the event. It is the largest field I've managed a win at so far with 1051 players. It was also the largest single cash win in a tournament for me but only by about $100.
Once down to three players the short stack asked us for a chop. I agreed as long as it was based on a chip count. I had over half the chips in play at the time and the short stack agreed. The other player didn't want to chop though so we played it out.
The damage:
In an unmatched display of poker prowess I managed to be the second player eliminated from the WPBT-POY tournament last night. In fairness to myself though I got all in with the better hand and was outdrawn on what I would consider to have been a bad call on my opponents part.
In a very nice twist of fate this drove me to play in the $10 tourney starting at 10:40 on Stars. I managed to Play Like A ChampionTM and win the the event. It is the largest field I've managed a win at so far with 1051 players. It was also the largest single cash win in a tournament for me but only by about $100.
Once down to three players the short stack asked us for a chop. I agreed as long as it was based on a chip count. I had over half the chips in play at the time and the short stack agreed. The other player didn't want to chop though so we played it out.
The damage:
Thursday, March 09, 2006
PokerSourceOnline
As you may or may not have heard by now PokerSourceOnline has reached over 25,000 members in it's poker forum. The forum has a large diverse group of posters and there is usually something for everyone.
I haven't touted these guys lately but if you've never checked them out, or just haven't been back in a while you need to go there now. I can't say enough about them as I've been fortunate enough to recieve several chip sets, PartyPoker gift certificates, poker books, and oh yeah, did I mention a CardPlayer Cruise paid for by them. They have a poker league thats running right now as well as their many poker room promotions. In fact I finished third in the last league event. A blogger freeroll is also being setup by them but I'll mention that in another post when I've finished signing up for it. Having the opportunity to meet these guys in person on the cruise I can personnally vouch for them. If you've always been warry of poker room affiliates you need worry no further. PokerSourceOnline is the place for you.
I haven't touted these guys lately but if you've never checked them out, or just haven't been back in a while you need to go there now. I can't say enough about them as I've been fortunate enough to recieve several chip sets, PartyPoker gift certificates, poker books, and oh yeah, did I mention a CardPlayer Cruise paid for by them. They have a poker league thats running right now as well as their many poker room promotions. In fact I finished third in the last league event. A blogger freeroll is also being setup by them but I'll mention that in another post when I've finished signing up for it. Having the opportunity to meet these guys in person on the cruise I can personnally vouch for them. If you've always been warry of poker room affiliates you need worry no further. PokerSourceOnline is the place for you.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
New Record
Filed Under: Poker
Set a new personal record in most consecutive losses without a cash in Sit-N-Go's tonight. In stunning fashion I bested my previous record of 7 with a new score of 11. Losing that many in a row made me a weak tight bitch towards the end of the night. I'm going to have to reach up into my gut tomorrow and pull my balls back down so I can play with some level of confidence. Sometimes poker really is a kick in the junk.
Set a new personal record in most consecutive losses without a cash in Sit-N-Go's tonight. In stunning fashion I bested my previous record of 7 with a new score of 11. Losing that many in a row made me a weak tight bitch towards the end of the night. I'm going to have to reach up into my gut tomorrow and pull my balls back down so I can play with some level of confidence. Sometimes poker really is a kick in the junk.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Champ or Chump
Filed Under: Poker
I couldn't help myself so I had to check in on the Champ vs. Chicks tournament at Stars. I've only been observing for a few minutes so no comment on the play.
It has amazed me how quickly the "Champ" has managed to turn the blogging community against him. I'm really hoping that two weeks from now, after all the hoopla surrounding him has begun to subside, that he'll come out and say he is some psychology student working on his doctoral thesis studying mob frenzy. That would at least give a happy ending to the train wreck that is his life.
I couldn't help myself so I had to check in on the Champ vs. Chicks tournament at Stars. I've only been observing for a few minutes so no comment on the play.
It has amazed me how quickly the "Champ" has managed to turn the blogging community against him. I'm really hoping that two weeks from now, after all the hoopla surrounding him has begun to subside, that he'll come out and say he is some psychology student working on his doctoral thesis studying mob frenzy. That would at least give a happy ending to the train wreck that is his life.
Mailing List?
Filed Under: Poker, News
I don't know what mailing list I got on but I've been bombarded with press releases from all sorts of poker ventures lately. The newest one, which just arrived, is from ALL IN magazine. Normally I just ignore these but since their website used to be nothing more than a photo and subscription signup app, I thought I would check out the new one.
Looks like they are trying to add some decent content but at this point its more like a poor mans card player site. I was a little surprised to see my blog mentioned among the 200 listed on their blogroll. They claim to have "real time" updates...so lets see how long it takes this one to show up.
I don't know what mailing list I got on but I've been bombarded with press releases from all sorts of poker ventures lately. The newest one, which just arrived, is from ALL IN magazine. Normally I just ignore these but since their website used to be nothing more than a photo and subscription signup app, I thought I would check out the new one.
Looks like they are trying to add some decent content but at this point its more like a poor mans card player site. I was a little surprised to see my blog mentioned among the 200 listed on their blogroll. They claim to have "real time" updates...so lets see how long it takes this one to show up.
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