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.