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Date: Sat, Jun 28, 2008 Tournament Internet Professional

Nothing much to say Just wanted to congratulate my friend Max Greenwood on winning the 1k rebuy event last night. The only thing I miss about the Vegas and wsop is sweating my friends at final tables, which is always a ton of fun. Also good luck to Joey on Day 4 of the HORSE event.

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4th in chips going into Day 3

Date: Fri, Jun 27, 2008 Tournament Internet Professional

Really tired, so this will have to be short Today was a rollercoaster. I was up to 150k and then lost 3 consecutive Stud 8 hands in a row and was down to 30k. The first hand I started with AA4 and Doyle had an A up and the way the hand played out I knew he had the case Ace in the hole. We got in 4 bets on 3rd street, with another guy coming along. 1 bet on 4th when he hit a Jack and I hit a 9, and then on 5th he bet and I raised when I hit a Q (so I then had the higher kicker). He called, and then called 6th. He checked the river and I checked, and his last card was a King, giving him a higher kicker. Then this guy made an absolutely awful call down when I had JJ on my board and he only had a pair of 2s, but miraculously made two pair of 3s and 2s on the river and I didnt make 2 pair and missed a flush draw. Then I started with A42A against Doyles 88Q3 and lost when Doyle spikes another 8. So that was just brutal and I thought I was a goner. But then I somehow won a few small pots and slowly built my stack up. Then during the last level I won a few big pots and boom, finished in 4th place. Tomorrow will obviously be incredibly tough and I need to run good for another 72 hours and take this down.

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$1500 stud/8

Date: Fri, Jun 27, 2008 Tournament Internet Professional

Soft field, soft table but the cards were cruel. This had to be one of the softest open event fields of the wsop this year. 140 of pokers very best were busy playing day 2 of the 50k HORSE event, 115 players made day 2 of the 1k rebuy NLHE and another 805 signed up for the noon 5k 6max event. Thats a lot of talent that wasn't playing the stud/8. Add in the fact that its a cheap event that can appeal to recreational players and that most people play split pot games very badly and you've got a very juicy tourney. When I got to my table in the Brasilia room I didn't recognize a soul. Obviously that means I didn't have any of the big names at my table but it also means I didn't have any of the lesser known but very tough stud and split pot game specialists that I've played with in previous stud/8 events at the WSOP over the last few years. As is the norm, I was the youngest player at the table, though this time there were some guys in their thirties at least. We started with 3000 chips and level one was 50-100 with a 10 ante and a 15 bring-in. 30 big bets, not a a lot of room to maneuver if you get off to a shaky start. The first real pot I played I had (AA)6 and completed after a couple limpers. I ended up hitting low cards all the way and had a board of (AA)6473 on 6th against a guy in the 5 seat who had been stubbornly calling me down showing (XX)J8T5. I caught a 4 on the river to give me Aces up to go with my 76-low. Unfortunately for me he turned up AAJ to steal the high half with a better Aces up. He immediately stated that he'd made a bad call down and got lucky. The guy in the 8 seat casually remarked that when you cant scoop with a 76 and aces up that it just might not be your day. I chuckled and shrugged it off but unfortunately he had predicted my tourney in a nutshell. Later I had a really strange hand where I completed to 50 with (45)6 and got 2 callers, one showing an 8 and one showing a 7. On 4th the 8 paired and the 7 and I both bricked paint. Seat 2: (XX)88 seat 4: (XX)7J me: (45)6Q Now this an easy spot to bet out for seat 2 and for some reason he doesn't. Seat 4 and I both happily take the free card and this time all 3 of us brick. Once again the guy with the open 8s should be bettering to pick up the pot but he doesn't so we take another free card. On 6th I pick up a 3 giving me an open ender and a low draw. The 8s check, the 4 seat bets as a stab, I call and the 8s fold. One the river I catch my gin card. Me: (45)6QT3(7) seat 4: (xx)7JQ8(x) seat 4 bets into me and I obviously I raise because I've got him board locked on the low and a strong high hand. We get 5 bets in, at which point its pretty clear my high hand isn't going to be good but if theres one thing you learn in split pot games its never to take a split for granted when you've got board lock because there are people out there that will cap your scoop for you as long as you keep up your end of the raising on 7th street. Unfortunately this wasn't one of those times and I chopped with his flush as I expected. A while later I ended up in a hand with the same 2 opponents. This time the 2 seat completed, the 4 seat called and I called with (AhQh)Th. There was a dead T behind me so my hand was a little less deceptive than it could have been but apparently that wasn't an issue because the 2 seat turned out to have lost his deductive reasoning powers during WWII or something. On 4th I spike an Ace, seat 2 bricks and seat 4 catches a 7. I lead out figuring to lose the 2 seat right here and instead he stands up, scrunches up his face and mumbles about my play being weird. He decides to call as does the 4 seat. On 5th I hit the 2h, giving me Aces and a 4-flush, a very strong hand at this point. I lead out again and the old man makes another comment and another stubborn call. The 4 seat comes along even though he bricked, probably because he's still drawing live to a 7 low and is getting good odds with the dead money being tossed in by grandpa. Sixth gives me a T and the old man finally folds angrily and forcefully flinging his his cards into the muck. The 4 seat calls again. Me: (AhQh)ThAx2hTx seat 4: (XX)57J8 On the river I hit a 2 giving me 3 pair so I check call and the 4 seat turns over a rivered set of 7s. (I know he rivered it because he didn't shuffle his down cards before showing down, a very common mistake that gives away a bunch of extra information about how he played his hands.) Annoyed, I muck my hand face down and all of sudden the old man in the 2 seat demands to see my hand. The dealer obliges, as he is supposed to and I just shake my head at the old man. Technically, any player who was dealt in to a hand can request to see any hand that went to showdown, but common poker etiquette is that the bettor tables their hand first and if the caller is beat they muck and everyone moves on. Asking to see the hand in this situation is a dick move, plain and simple. Several other at the table were shaking their heads at the old man for doing it. Whata made it kind of amusing was that my hand was pretty transparent and anyone with a half decent concept of hand reading could have easily guessed my cards. At the first break I found myself with only about 1600 chips. I managed to win the first hand back from the break when I isolated the 4 seat (who was playing a ton of hands) with my (AdJd)Jx and ended up making a flush against what was likely a busted low that turned into a crappy 2 pair (I didn't demand to see his hand because I don't want to be that guy, but I did later demand to see a few of seat 2's mucks just to show him how annoying it is.) I then won another hand where I made 2 pair and the friendly older gentleman in the 7 bricked his huge draw. I was a pretty solid dog in the hand but he played it pretty passively. I had brought it in and he was the only caller. When I caught a pair on 4 with my I was obliged to continue and then caught a draw on 5 and another pair on 6th. That brought me up to almost the starting stack again. A while later in the 100-200 level the 4 seat completed with (XX)J and I raised with (KJ)Q. On 4th I caught another K and he binked an unsuited low. 5th brought me a T, giving me Kings and an open ender. He Hit a Q which was very unlikely to have helped him. I bricked on 6th and bet into him anyway because he caught a random low again. On the river I hit another T and I check call. He calls out 2 pair. I ask which 2 and he replies "Aces up". Again, he turns over his down cards without shuffling them and makes it painfully clear that he was calling me down the whole way with Jacks and caught an ace on the end. After anteing down with some random junk hands, I found myself with about 4 big bets as we got to 150-300. At this point I've got find a a good spot and go with it. The 4 seat completes to 150 with a 7 and I isolate with (A7)A, knowing that I'm basically committed to felting this hand. He catches a paint and I get a K. I bet he calls. He catches a 3 on 5th and I catch a J. On 6th he catches another 3, I get a Q and we get the rest of my chips in. Obviously he has a 3 underneath. On the river I need an A for better trips or a T for broadway to stay alive. The dealer, who had just pushed in to our table, dealt his last card face up. In stud the last card is always supposed to come face down, even if someone is all in. As she starts turning toward me, I start yelling "Down! Down!" and she cluelessly deals my last card face up. A Jack. Obviously dealing it face up has no effect at all on the outcome of the hand, but in a tourney where nothing went right for me, its just one last kick in the teeth to not even be given the opportunity for a squeeze/sweat on the last card. (I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the other dealers we hand in the tourney were excellent. Split pot games are exceptionally hard to deal and the others were very efficient.) All in all, I felt pretty good about my play but the the starting stacks were pretty shallow and unforgiving. I couple tough hands was all it took. As I write this, Joey is still in the 50k HORSE with 180,000 chips, good for an average stack as they play the 5k-10k limits. He's been playing with Doyle all day so hopefully he comes home with a few stories to go with his healthy chipstack. I'll be sweating a bunch hoping he can somehow make a run in such an absurdly stacked field. It definitely takes a bunch of ego to get yourself into the 50k horse, hopefully joes got the skills to get some cash out of it. Also a quick shout for my friend Max Greenwood who is on the verge o making the FT of the 1k rebuy event.

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Two more bustos

Date: Thu, Jun 26, 2008 Tournament Internet Professional

I actually got it in bad Well, things were going good in the $1000 rebuy. I had 14000 chips in 100/200 but then lost with AQ to JJ then with 30bbs left I got JJ on a 9d8d3x board and got in against 88. Today, I was doing well in the $5000 6 max when I got KK in against AA. So, two more wsop events, two more standard losses. I was talking to Goui Loung during the $1000 rebuy and one of my friends that won cardplayer player of the year in the past is also 0-20 in wsop events. While I am sad he is running awful, it makes me feel a little better to know that it is possible. It seems like all poker players start doubting their games when things are going poorly, whereas in reality, it is just standard variance. After talking with soem friends about hands that I played during these events, it seems like that is my case, so I am happy. Hopefully variance decides to smile on me eventually.

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Day 2 begins....

Date: Thu, Jun 26, 2008 Tournament Internet Professional

Day 2 will start in an hour, I have 120,900 chips I had about 150k with 30 minutes to go but lost a few big hands towards the end. One of them was when David Singer and me tangled in a Stud 8 hand. I had KK39 and he had 266J and we put in several bets on 4th street, essentially putting him all in (he had like 1300 chips left)....sadly he spiked a 3rd 6 somewhere. Would have been such sweet justice to end his run of 50k HORSE final tables, but it sadly wasn't meant to be. On the last hand of the night I lost a big 3 way pot in Omaha 8 where I had A245 against A3xx and A4xx. But I guess I can't complain too much about how things went. I'm going to try and really buckle down today and play very solid, make calculated decisions, and not spew any chips.

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50k HORSE starts today

Date: Wed, Jun 25, 2008 Tournament Internet Professional

It is a 5 day event, so its going to be a grind Today at 5pm I will start the 50k HORSE. As i said above it is a 5 day event so its going to be quite the grind. It will be a real test to try and keep my concentration through the entire thing. Thanks to everyone who bought a piece of me in this. I actually sold more of myself than I intended to, everyone's support is much appreciated.

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a few off days

Date: Tue, Jun 24, 2008 Tournament Internet Professional

...... I dont like off days. I usually feel fairly unproductive if I am not working in some manner, although for the last few days, I have put in 12 or so hours online, split between mtts and 20 tabling cash games, so it is all good. I played the 2-7 triple draw wsop event a few days ago but couldnt manage to win a hand once everyone got down to 10bbs. It seems like all limit tournaments get to some point, usually 200/400 or so, where everyone has 10bbs and you simply have to win a few hands, otherwise you are out of luck. Ohhh well. Tomorrow is the $1000 rebuy event, which should be one of the softest events of the series, mainly because the $50,000 horse tournament is also tomorrow, so all the hardcore gambooling pros will be playing that, leaving only 200 or so pros to play the rebuy. I am also super looking forward to when the wpts start running again. I always forget how great it is to have a good structure until I play the super shallow small buyin wsop events. Actually, it isnt the wsops fault. The prelims for most wpts have terrible structures as well (i think bellagio recently changed theirs for the better) so I guess I am just ready for some big buyin tournaments. The only ones left in the wsop that I will most likely play are the $10000 plo, $5000 6 max, and $10000 main event. So, there are 4 big ones (rebuy counts as big) and 4 small ones left. Hopefully I can finally get my act together and win a big coin flip and make it deep in at least one of them.

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Yay another seat

Date: Sun, Jun 22, 2008 Tournament Internet Professional

Makes for a good Sunday Took down an Interesting sixmax tournament stars just came up with. So far two have run today. I won the first one then got HU in the second one and lost my AA to 55 for all the dough. But I cant complain. Also the field was tough but both my tables were fairly soft. I've also been grinding the 4max winner takes 650w$ which are fun and paying $25 rake effective.

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you can probably predict what happened in the wsop event today...

Date: Sat, Jun 21, 2008 Tournament Internet Professional

m hmm So today started out like every other day. I doubled up in the first level without a showdown. By the 4th level, I had 20000 chips, which was 2.5x average. By the 6th level, I was out. This guy 3bet me 4 times when I got 99 and got all in against his KK for like 10000 chips. A while later, once I got back up to 17000 chips, I raised AK from the sb, he made it 3200 and I pushed for 17000 and he snapcalled with 99. I flopped the world draw oh JhTx3h, I had a heart. Turn was a J giving me even more outs. River was the obv blank busting me instead of giving me 10x the starting stack and 3x average. I have yet to win a big coin flip in the series. Maybe tomorrow will be the day. Actually, tomorrow is either $2500 2-7 triple draw or $1500 mixed holdem.I signed up for the $1500 mixed, which I will probably regret, as these are just a grind. I hope it wasnt a mistake.

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more pwnage

Date: Fri, Jun 20, 2008 Tournament Internet Professional

yay The $2000 plhe event today was as jokie as it could get. Early in the day I had A6dd on a Kd9d6c4s lose to T8dd. After that, I had JJ lose to 76 when he river 2 pair. To finally bust me, I had TT and got in on a KT3 and lost to AA when he rivered the A. So, 3 big pots, 3 horrible rivers. It can only get better. On a happy note, I made a 180 man sng video in the replayer and I also made a 45 man sng video, also in the replayer, but I played another 45 man on the side and won it, so there is a win in the replayer and a live win in the same video, which should be nice. I also put in a little 20 tabling cash game session last night and this morning and made $2600. At least online poker is going well. For the rest of the day, I think me and Katy are going to make a pizza and just chill around the house. The AC gave us a huge scare last night. The power went off and it killed the AC and I didnt realize that resetting the breaker would fix it, but Katy randomally suggested it this morning and it fixed the problem. I was going to be on super tilt if I had to pay another $500 to get it fixed again. At least we ran well there. Tomorrow is the $1500 crapshoot. GL to everyone.

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Selling pieces of the 50k Horse

Date: Fri, Jun 20, 2008 Tournament Internet Professional

Decided to play it Ok so I've decided to play the 50k HORSE event next wednesday. I believe that I am probably 15-30% +ev in the tournament, because even though it is a big buy in tournament, there are still going to be some pretty bad players. Several times in the last month or so people have commented on my blog asking me why I havent' been playing sngs that much anymore, and the answer is because I have been playing mixed games instead. Mainly Stud Hi/Low and Omaha Hi/Low, I have been playing the biggest limits on PokerStars for the last few months and up significantly at both games, and with my Razz final table I feel very confident in my limit game right now. I don't want to deal with that much variance though, so I am selling pieces of myself at 1-1. So if you buy 2,000 dollars worth of me in the tournament you will have 4% of me. I'm looking to sell 30-40k worth of myself, and have sold 12k so far. If you are interested please send me an email at jmichael1enator@gmail.com, online money will be accepted. I am going back to Austin for my grandmother's 90th birthday. I get back on Tuesday so I will be rested and ready to play the 50k HORSE.

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Got action on the 70k prop bet

Date: Fri, Jun 20, 2008 Tournament Internet Professional

uh ooo So anyone who hasn't been following along, I said I would bet anyone that I could make $70,000 profit in one month playing any stake sng's and Bigjoe once again has bet against me $15,000 at 1-1 that I can't do it. I'll most likely start after the World Series Main Event. I'm trying to think of something silly I can buy with his $15,000, so if anyone can think of anything let me know. This will be fun. Here is my graph at the $225's. I reckon I'll just play them all month so any reg's in those games please stay out of my house when I'm playing. Also, players who bought action last Sunday when I couldn't play, I still havn't gotten an email from some of you and have lost your emails so please get in contact with me so I can refund your money.

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New Icons store

Date: Fri, Jun 20, 2008 Tournament Internet Professional

Now with thongs! After our last store owner flaked out, we finally got another designer this past week. It's just in time too because I finally lost all my old shirts and hoodies. The goal of the store is to make clothing that is wearable in the real world, instead of just stuff that looks like a billboard. http://www.cafepress.com/sngicons As for the vacation, my sleep schedule is really messed up because I took the red eye in and only got about an hour of sleep. Tonight I'm going to try to go to bed at 4am then get up at 11am or so, hopefully that works. I also just realized that I messed up the recording of the video I uploaded today, so I'll have to redo that one tonight to have it up by tomorrow. Sigh.

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more coinflippamemnts

Date: Thu, Jun 19, 2008 Tournament Internet Professional

bah Today, like normal, I ran my 3000 stack up to 12000 by the end of the 3rd level by playing lots of small pots and a few big ones when I flopped good hands. I then lost 3 out of 3 coin flips to knock me out once the blinds for to 150/300. It sucks so so bad to play well just to know for a fact that your tournament is going to rest on whether or not you are lucky enough to win one out of three flips. It will be nice when I start to hit some again. Til then, I guess I will keep having my 5th level exits.

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