WSOP Main Event Day 1a is over, 1b begins today

Date: Fri, Jul 4, 2008 Internet Live Tournament

The 39th Annual World Series of Poker Main Event Day 1a began yesterday with 1,297 entrants and that field was whittled away down to 636 after five levels. The chipleader is currently Mark Garner. But we all know that's a fleeting title which will change hands more times than I've been sucked out on when I was holding pocket aces.

I started skimming through the list of names of the players who were still in the race, but I realized something. I watch a lot of poker and a lot of these names, whether sponsored or not, look quite familiar to me. That and there are still a whole bunch of them in the running. So instead I just decided to focus on the names of the players that have busted out of the event already. There's quite a laundry list there too. Sadly, here's my incomplete least of the notable bust outs: Tom 'durrrr' Dwan, David Benyamine, David Pham, Freddy Deeb, Allyn Jaffrey Shulman, Eli Elezra, Mori Eskandani, Taylor 'Green Plastic' Caby, Katja Thater, Jason Alexander, Roy Winston, Dan Harrington, Gavin Smith, Roland De Wolfe, 'Miami' John Cernuto, Josh Arieh, JJ Liu, Erica Schoenberg, and Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliott.

Day 1b is expected to have a turnout greater than yesterday. Hang on folks it's gonna be a bumpy ride. My hat's off to the bloggers covering the madness. Thus far, they've done a terrific job! More coverage will be on the way as soon as it happens over at http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2008-world-series-of-poker/main-event/.
Back here on the homefront, today's tournament baseball games were cancelled (or rather postponed) until tomorrow. Too much rain. We did play last night though, despite the rain, which at times was heavy. I'd like to report a win, and by all rights I should be reporting one, but heading into the 4th inning, the bottom just dropped out from under the boys. The melt down was epic, there's just no other way to put it. The first few errors just fed the others. Pitching and hitting have been killing us. But the emotion of the thing, the wave of the inevitable win being plucked from their grasp has been a thing which almost appears tangible in that you feel like you can touch it, and feel it. It's a thing to behold. Somehow we've got to find a way to get them past it, and pull out a win in this season. It'll come together for us...we'll work on it best we can.

But it's time to call it a blog entry, and get on with the day.

Regards,

cheer_dad

WSOP continues, Main Event tomorrow!

Date: Thu, Jul 3, 2008 Internet Live Tournament

Event 52 - $1,500 No Limit Hold'em has concluded with David Daneshgar having bested the field of 2,693 players. He takes home the WSOP bracelet and $625,443 for his efforts. Congratulations.

Event 53 - $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout the battle rages on, even now. They are down to the final 2 in the event, and seemingly no end in sight! The bracelet and top prize of $278,180 remains to be won. Matt Graham and Jean-Robert Bellande continue to battle it out. According to blogger "compncards" over at http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2008-world-series-of-poker/event-53/day2/ they expect to go on until at least 7:00am PDT, if not later. I'm thinking later!
***UPDATE***
Jean-Robert Bellande has been eliminated just after 7:00am PDT and Matt Graham takes down the bracelet!!! Congratulations on a long fought battle.

The 39th Annual World Series of Poker Main Event Day 1a will begin at NOON today. It's gonna be a long and winding road people. Pace yourself.

Meanwhile back here on the home front... the Vienna All-Stars Tournament began yesterday. Our team had its first game last night, beginning after 9:30pm! Yes, it was friggin' late. Playing under the lights was nice, but as in many things in life it's more fun when you're winning. To put it softly... we weren't having much fun, ahem. We played Worthington, and their lead off pitcher really put it to us. You can't score runs, without a few hits. Our pitching staff has some promise, but at this point lacks maturity. But the season is young, so are the boys, and our greater objective with this team was to continue to develop the players.
I was tough on my son, more so than I should have been. I wouldn't mind it all so much if he had more hustle. I just don't think he has the desire or drive yet. I don't know how to motivate him, and I find myself utterly frustrated. I don't know how to fix it, maybe it's not mine to fix. So, my strategy for tonight... and the rest of this tournament will be to try not to be such a dick. Find some way to be positive. Whatever bullshit approach you've been trying thus far with your son, well, it ain't workin'. If it's not... it's time to try something different. I deserve to catch some shit from my son for being meaner than I had intended. I didn't help matters any. Fuck, this wasn't in the manual. Maybe I missed it in Fatherhood 101. Once again a mistake. Continue to repeat it, or make it right; it's your choice.

Well my shrink tells me it's time to get off the damn couch...and get back to it.

Regards,

cheer_dad

P.S. After a "forced" conversation I just had behind closed doors I have a new thought for the day. Get your own damn house in order before you come messin' around in mine.

Happy Hump Day!

Date: Wed, Jul 2, 2008 Internet Live Tournament

Event 50 - $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha World Championship has ended with Marty Smyth taking down the win, having bested the 381 entrants to the event. He takes home his first bracelet and a smooth $859,549 for his efforts. Congratulations. Former chip leader Michael Mizrachi entering into the final table finished in the number 3 spot and takes home $331,279.

Event 51 - $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. finished up as well, crowning James Schaaf as its winner. He takes home his first bracelet on this, his first trip to the WSOP. It is reported over at http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2008-world-series-of-poker/event-51-1500-H-O-R-S-E/ that he was down at one point in the tournament to only 200 chips, and was able to make a comeback and take down the win. He takes home $256,412. Congratulations. Recall that Phil Hellmuth was chasing his 12th bracelet in this event. Unfortunately, this was unrealized for him and he takes down the #3 spot for $93,168. My earlier joking (okay half joking) comments aside, it was noted by blogger "shorton" over at PokerNews.com that Hellmuth's "...performance this time certainly proves a point. Hellmuth can play non-hold'em, and it appears to only be a matter of time before he'll add #12 to his wrist."

Event 52 - $1,500 No Limit Hold'em will enter Day 3 today, having just recently finishing up for the "day/night/whatever." They are down to the final 9, having started at 2,693 entrants. The top spot will payout $625,443. Stay tuned.

Event 53 - $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout is down to 72 of the original 823. Play will resume today at 2:00pm PDT.

Read My Lips... NO NEW EVENTS BEGINNING TODAY!
Honestly, do you really need to ask me why?
If so, you need to get out more...
Everything else needs to get wrapped up in order for the MOB to converge on the Amazon Room at the RIO for Event #54 people! I'm talking 'bout the 39th Annual World Series of Poker Main Event.

JR, this is your 2nd warning. As of this writing the Main Event begins in 1 Day, 7 Hours, 4 Minutes. You can safely view the blog up to that point. Beyond that I will ruin your day with as many spoilers as I can get my hands on!!! You have been warned.

Now a little closer to home... Vienna's All-Star Tournament gets underway tonight. Our boys hit the field, under the lights at 9:15pm EST. Win or lose guys, I'm proud of the effort you have put forth!

Regards,

cheer_dad

A little WSOP, a little baseball, yaddayaddayadda

Date: Tue, Jul 1, 2008 Internet Live Tournament

Event 49 - $1,500 No Limit Hold'em has completed and J.C. Tran has emerged as the winner, having outlasted the field of 2,718 players. He takes home his first bracelet and a $631,170 payday! Congratulations.

Event 50 - $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha World Championship is now down to the final 9 having thinned the field from the initial 381. Michael Mizrachi will enter Day 3 of the event as the chipleader. Still up for grabs is the top prize of $859,549!

Event 51 - $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. will enter its 3rd Day today, with 21 out of 803 players remaining. Currently Phil Hellmuth is on top of the pack with the chip lead. Of course it's far from over, but if he wins this one, there'll be no shuttin' him up! Okay, okay... sorry Phil. This event (if he ultimately would take it down) would be his FIRST bracelet in a "non-hold'em event!" $256,412 remains to be claimed as well as the WSOP bracelet.

Event 52 - $1,500 No Limit Hold'em will enter Day 2 with 223 of the initial 2,693 starting field. It's still much to early to make any speculations on this one. The top prize of $625,443 remains to be won.

The only event on tap to get started today is Event 53 - $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout. Which will usher us into Thursday's wondrous chaos, also known as Day 1a of the Main Event. I'm already excited and nervous and I'm not even there! Maybe I should tweak the meds or something.

JR, if you're still reading the blog, you should probably CEASE AND DESIST by Thursday, if you don't want to read any spoilers about the Main Event. While I hate to lose any of the regular readers to the blog I also don't want to diminish any of your viewing pleasure, for when ESPN televises it all for you. Me, I'll just borrow that "flashy-thingy" from Men In Black and get to enjoy it all over again!

In All-Star Baseball news, I was just informed last night of a portion of our schedule for the Vienna All-Star Tournament. We begin on Wednesday at 9:15PM! Yes, I said frackin' PM! Who was the brainiac who put together a schedule that has 9 and 10-year-olds, starting a baseball game at that hour? Can I get a WTF from someone?!? Beyond that all I know is that we play another game on Thursday, two on Friday, and at least one on Saturday, and beyond that it'll depend on our performance. So much for a nice laid back holiday weekend.

Regards,

cheer_dad

A Nguyen Win!!!

Date: Mon, Jun 30, 2008 Internet Live Tournament

The Monday Morning GRIND Continues

Date: Mon, Jun 30, 2008 Internet Live Tournament

The battle wages on in Event 45 - $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship. 3 players continue to play even at this hour. This is Day 5 of this grueling event which tests the stamina of even the most seasoned of pros. Within poker's upper echelon "this" event is considered to be the greater measure of "who is the best" as opposed to the Main Event. Currently, Scotty Nguyen enjoys a commanding lead with a 10,085,000 chip stack, then Michael DeMichele with 3,040,000 and finally Erick Lindgren with 1,675,000. I would like to say that we'll be crowning a winner soon, but I'm not that foolish to make such an assertion. None of these men will be going down quietly. Top prize is $1,989,120, with second at $1,243,200, and finally 3rd at $781,440. ALL substantial wins, but there's still the matter of the shiny little trinket and the extreme bragging rights that go along with this event. Also according to "loganmark" of PokerNews.com, Erick Lindgren will take the lead in the Milwaukee's Best Light WSOP Player of the Year standings, as he is currently assured of finishing at least in 3rd place in Event #45. According to his post, although there are still a few POY eligible events yet to be played, it will be very tough for anyone to take it away from Lindgren. Way-to-go "E-Dog!" I've been saying all along that my loyalties were definitely being challenged by this event, because of the fact that both Scotty and Erick were both still in it. I still think it is far from over... and we'll just have to wait and see. Follow along with all the action being reported over at http://www.pokernews.com/live-reporting/2008-world-series-of-poker/event-45-50000-h-o-r-s-e-world-championship/day5/. ***EDIT*** No sooner did I hit "Publish Post" and head back over to check the standings at PokerNews.com and I read that Erick Lindgren has been eliminated by Scotty Nguyen. Scotty now has over 12 million in chips. Go SCOTTY!

Event 48 - $2,000 No Limit Hold'em came to a close over 7 hours ago, when Alexandre Gomes finally bested the field of 2,317. He takes home the WSOP bracelet and a whopping $770,540. Congratulations. And from the sound of it Gomes and his fellow Brasilians are probably still celebrating!

Event 49 - $1,500 No Limit Hold'em continues on at this hour as well. The field has been narrowed from its 2,718 initial entrants to a final 10, but its going to require one more casualty before the players get to call it a night. It could still be a while, as there has been little action for the last several hands, in which there have been very few flops even seen. Hang in there players! For that matter hang in there Pojo and Shamus who continue to provide bleary-eyed coverage.

Event 50 - $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha World Championship Day 1 came to a close a little over 3 hours ago with the field narrowed down to 87 players, of the original 381 who began. Only the top 36 will get paid in this one. Currently Josh Arieh enjoys the chip lead at 368,000, which is 151,000 more than his closest competitor. Day 2 will begin later today.

Event 51 - $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. narrowed its huge field of 803 players down to just 192 in a single day. Top prize will be $256,412 for this event. A number of familiar faces still remain in this event. which will get back underway later today.

Event 52 - $1,500 No Limit Hold'em is the only event on tap to begin today. Then, tomorrow only one event is slated Event 53 - $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout. To be followed-up by the Grandaddy Event 54 which is the epic 39th Annual World Series of Poker Main Event which will begin its 1st of 4 Day 1's on Thursday. Stay tuned!

Time to get some work done...

Regards,

cheer_dad

Two more WSOP bracelets awarded, and NDPT #9 follow up

Date: Sun, Jun 29, 2008 Internet Live Tournament

Event 45 - $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship will head into Day 5 today with only the final 8 remaining. This event promises plenty of excitement, with its All-Star cast of characters. I'm not even really sure who to be rooting for! The top three includes Erick Lindgren, Scotty Nguyen, and Barry Greenstein! I'm hoping E-Dog picks up his 2nd bracelet but at the same time Scotty is one of my favorites as well. But this thing is far from over though, and only time will tell, and I'm sure it'll be in to the wee hours of the morning. Hope you're all getting some sleep now, and getting ready for the war to come.

Event 46 - $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Six-handed on the other hand has come to an end and there we find Joe Commisso claiming the bracelet and the thus far the top payout in this year's WSOP of $911,855! Congratulations. According to PokerNews.com his heads up matchup against 2nd place finisher Richard Lyndaker went on for a whopping 209 hands.

Event 47 - $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Low has ended and Ryan Hughes walks away with the bracelet having bested the initial 544 entrants. He pockets $183,368 for his efforts, and this makes his 2nd WSOP bracelet. Congratulations.

Event 48 - $2,000 No Limit Hold'em returns for its Day 3 where the final 9 of the starting 2,317 will battle it out for the bracelet and a top prize payout of $770,540.

Event 49 - $1,500 No Limit Hold'em will head into Day 2 today, with 215 players remaining from the starting 2,718 who began yesterday.

Event 50 - $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha World Championship and Event 51 - $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. will get under way today.

Back East, you'll recall that NDPT #9 was held last night, here at the home of cheer_dad. Turnout was lower than is normal but in the Summer months many other conflicting obligations tend to get in the way. A number of the NDPT membership has the baseball All-Stars season to contend with. And not to mention the fact that I didn't even announce this tournament until the day before! All things considered 19 players was still a pretty good turnout, and was enough so that the game can be counted in the NDPT Points Race!

Here's how the action played out, or at least who got paid:
1st Steve "All-In" Allman, 2nd Mike "hide the Jack Daniels" Westbrook, 3rd Brian Murray (a.k.a. cheer_dad), 4th Teresa "Big Red" Murray

And with 9 NDPT tournaments on the books so far, here's how we're looking in the points race:

1st Teresa Murray 129

2nd Brian Murray and Steve Allman tied with 121

4th Vince Post 106

5th Julie Wolfe 102

6th JR Ruble 101

7th Dan Rempel 76

8th Del Minturn 73

9th Matt Jackson 72

10th Eric Shuman and Dennis Rempel tied with 70

For the entire breakdown head over to http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=ptNl6_cpXDHlDaBaHIU7NVA&hl=en for the master list.

Big Red and I hope everyone had a great time last night. Next months tournament duties fall to the Wolfe-pack. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll be able to make it to the games, while juggling baseball tournaments throughout the month. We have one scheduled for every weekend in July! See you all real soon.

Regards,

cheer_dad