Me

New trip, new blog

I'll be posting new blog entries for this fall. I'll be playing the WPT Borgata Championship in Atlantic City, the United States Poker Championship in Atlantic City, and a series of tournaments at Canterbury Park in Minnesota before heading home. I may end up playing more events around the country in October if things go well.

Click on the link below to access the new blog.
moonfall2005

Hojos and Jitneys

Writing here from a Howard Johnson in Atlantic City, which features free wireless high-speed internet despite charging $150 less than the Borgata...

I think I've got a leg up on some of my competitors based on what I've seen and read the last 24 recently:

"I had planned on arriving in Atlantic city tonight, but decided to switch my flight to a later one so that I could tie up several loose ends before I leave. I'll be arriving in AC at about 6:00am and the tournament at Borgata starts at noon I believe."

- Daniel Negreanu

Does this sound like someone who is ready to compete his hardest for four days? In reality the tournament starts at 11 AM which means an earlier than usual rise for me, though not nearly as early as it will be for Mr. Negreanu.

"The way I'm running, I'm definitely not playing the main event unless I make a score on Stars this weekend, or win a seat via some satellite or another. At this point, I'm almost hoping to be driving home on Sunday."

- Matt Matros

Obviously that one speaks for itself. I also spotted Phil Ivey and Amir Vahedi at the head of a craps table an hour ago at the Borgata, game faces nowhere in sight.

Personally I'm feeling sharp and focused and really looking forward to the tournament. I'm not scared of losing. At the WSOP I think I was a bit scared at times because of bankroll pressure and I think it hurt my play. No fear tomorrow.

Crewhater Domination

The Crewhaters are DESTROYING the cheap Party Poker tournaments.

A brief recap of recent results:

Punky Pickett: 4th place in a 1900 player PP tournament, 7th place in a 900 player PP tournament (back to back)

TheGraveWolf: 1st place in a 350 player stud tourney, 2nd place in a 600 player limit hold em tournament and another final table (more on this in a bit).

Kwickfish: Three final tables in one day! 6th place in a 400 player tourney this morning, then snagged a seat in Sunday's 500k Guaranteed on Party in a supersatellite, then just finished 6th in a late-night 220 player tourney. In the first tourney Kwicky got all his money in with KTs vs K3 and lost a huge pot and tonight lost another huge one with AKs vs AJ.

Tonight after playing a bit live and watching WPT Wolf convinced me to adjourn the side games and play a $50 NLHE tournament with him, Kwicky, and Pickett. Pickett got off to a fast start before taking a horrendous beat. I cruised to the final two tables before moving all in with 66 from the button for 6k. The 1k big blind, a loose, horrible player who had just taken a bad beat and was clearly on tilt, immediately called all his chips with A-3 offsuit. Obviously I wouldn't be telling this story if there was a happy ending...an ace flopped and I was gone halfway into the money.

Except there was a happy ending...

The player who knocked me out was TheGraveWolf aka Ben Greenberg. After he busted me I told him he better use my chips to get a top two finish. He immediately responded that he wasn't going to get top two, he was going to get first.

Heading into the final table Wolf was 2nd in chips trailing only...Kwickfish. Once Kwicky went out it was clear no one had the chops to hang with Wolf and he ran the remaining players into the ground before the final inevitable result:

Dealer: Player TheGraveWolf finished in 1 place and received $2970

A Crewhater Wins a Tournament!

TheGraveWolf just won the 7k Guaranteed 7-Card Stud Tournament on Party Poker! This is the first time a "core crewhater" has won a tournament of more than three tables, ever! (and this had over 300 entrants) The only friend I've ever seen win a tournament was "little D" aka "Tito" aka Scott Dropinsky when he annihalated the DSOP when we first started getting really into poker a couple years ago.

This was complete dominance from the Wolf - hitting flushes and scooping monster pots, making terrific river calls, and CONSTANTLY applying pressure. It was really impressive - he was by far the most aggressive player especially at the final table, just running people over right and left and vaccuuming up chips nonstop. At the same time, every time he played a big pot he had a huge hand. I don't know the intricacies of stud but you didn't even need to know that a flush beat a straight to tell that Wolf was in total control of the final table. This was a final table exhibition. Congratulations to TheGraveWolf aka Ben Greenberg.

Frolf in Pasadena

Yesterday Nick and Ben picked me up and the three of us went to play frolf at a fantastic course in Pasadena. Pasadena seems like Boulder only surrounded by people and smog instead of a bubble. Nick and I tied and Ben finished one back so he bought the first round...only he didn't because he went to bed early. Ben if you are reading this you still owe us. In fact everyone went to bed early because they had their first day of school today (Tuesday). I slept over at Claremont and ate lunch before Nick drove me back to the hotel this afternoon.

Watching the WSOP on tv tonight brought back some (not so) fond memories. In the very first event Paul Sexton was at my starting table playing a lot like me (I even doubled him up with AQ vs AK for 75% of my chips at the time). I know after watching him and a dozen others that me making a big-money televised final table is inevitable and only a matter of time. Seeing Erik Seidel win the 2k NL reminded me that he got a ton of chips from Ross Boatman with 8% of the field left and Ross got most of those chips from me and another player with AA vs AK and KK with 20% of the field left.

I was planning on going back to the Bicycle Casino tonight to play poker but when I called they told me their biggest NLHE game had a $500 max buy-in which is (gasp) no longer exciting enough to get me out of the hotel room.

Tomorrow I fly home courtesy of hated America West. Next stop will probably be Atlantic City in mid-September. There is a slim chance it might be Vegas in a week or two for the WSOP Circuit but the Championship is only scheduled for 3 days which is unacceptable for a 10k event so I probably won't go out there.

Microcosm of my Career

A wild day of poker.

I went to the hotel brunch at around 1. Doyle Brunson and Billy Baxter were eating and discussing their online poker site with a couple younger guys just a table away. I ate leisurely while eavesdropping. Two women in their forties at another adjacent table asked me if I was old enough to be drinking the champagne that came with the brunch. I laughed and offered the usual “these young looks will start paying off in about ten years” line. I declined to tell them that I would be spending five thousand dollars to play in a poker tournament later that afternoon.

Ted Forrest was in the elevator on the way down to the cab. Now there is a guy who has seen some bankroll swings. Really the prototypical professional poker player and he looks the part as well. I rolled out of my cab at the casino at about 4:17, really feeling like a professional on a business trip and excited about my prospects.

I was back in a cab returning to the hotel fifteen minutes later.

My first WPT tournament lasted a grand total of four hands.

For those who don’t know poker that well:
I found myself in an unavoidable, unlucky, difficult situation. My opponent played the hand with great cunning and trickery and ate me alive.

For those who know poker-speak:
With blinds at 25-50 my 10k starting stack was already down to 9k. UTG raised to 150 and got four callers. I called with JJ on the button and so did the BB. The flop came J98 rainbow and everyone checked to me. I bet 1100 and one player called. The turn was a 3 and he checked. I bet 2000 and he moved all-in. I called my last 5500 and he had QTs, the nuts. The board didn’t pair and that was it.

I would really like to ask a world-class player how they would have played this hand. It was so hard for me to get away on the turn with that much money in the pot and top set. Middle or bottom set I think I would have folded. But since my opponent could have those hands, or two-pair, or even a hand like JT, I thought I had to call with that much money in there rather than fold what could be the best hand and try to come back with a short stack. I also felt like I had to protect/value bet my hand on the flop and turn. Perhaps I will ask Mr. Forrest his opinion the next time I see him in the elevator.

Twenty minutes later I was back in the hotel room on Party Poker. I got down about 1k and was starting to wonder if I’d ever win a big pot again.

Then the deck stepped up and hit me full-force right between the eyes.

(For those who don’t know the expression getting “hit in the face” by the deck is a very good thing in poker).

Eight hours later I had broken every significant cash-game record I’ve ever had including biggest pot, biggest stack, and biggest win. I won a truly obscene amount of money and feel great about getting knocked out of the tournament.

Someday I will break through in a WPT or WSOP tournament. Until then, there is always Party Poker.