http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/ PocketFives - Online poker discussion board en Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:13:26 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.pocketfives.com/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/down-under-586849/ Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:58:02 GMT I played the Aussie Millions main event a few days ago. I had a good table draw and played fairly well all day. I ran my 30k starting stack up to... I played the Aussie Millions main event a few days ago. I had a good table draw and played fairly well all day. I ran my 30k starting stack up to about 90k at it's peak. With under 30 minutes left in Day 1 I managed to lose two huge pots. One was a triple barrel bluff putting the player all in. The opponent made a good call with second pair. I then lost AQ vs KK in a squeeze spot against three players where I was fairly certain of everyone's range (the third player flatted in late position with KK.) I was definitely disappointed busting in the final hands of Day 1 after playing good all day. There's always room for improvement.

I'm leaving Australia tomorrow (at the airport now - wrote blog yesterday) and heading to Japan to see one of my best friends. He plays professional basketball in Osaka. Unfortunately, he injured his calf the other day so I won't get to see him play, but at least we will get to hang out. I've never been to that part of the world. I'm looking forward to it.

Today is Australia Day. To celebrate, here are some pictures I've snapped from the trip.



The city


Docklands


Alley covered with graffiti, some sick art.


Australia Open

I have a lot more pictures from Australia. I'll take a bunch in Japan too. Until next post. ]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/down-under-586849/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/poker-traveling-586843/ Sun, 22 Jan 2012 23:42:18 GMT In the beginning of January I went to the Bahamas for the PCA. The weather was great. The few years prior it was cold and windy so I was never able... In the beginning of January I went to the Bahamas for the PCA. The weather was great. The few years prior it was cold and windy so I was never able to enjoy being in Nassau if poker didn't go well. That's what happened this trip. I played the Main Event and busted early in Day 1 with top two pair vs bottom set (KQ on KsQs5d8c board.) It was a spot where I probably should have folded the flop/turn but I thought I noticed a physical tell on the player. I played a couple other side events that didn't go in my favor either. Fortunately for me, like I hinted above, the weather was great and I got to spend a day lounging around Atlantis with a bunch of fellow poker players. We threw footballs around the lazy river (which was the most fun I've ever had at the PCA), went down a few slides, and played a game of football on the shore.

I stayed with my friend Mark and met a couple of his friends during the trip. One of them was John Dibella. Mark, John, Tim (Tim0thee), Hans, Anthony (one of John's friends) and I all went to dinner the first night there. John and Mark both won $1k satellites to play the Main Event. We talked about poker and other random things that night and then all went our separate ways before the Main Event. In the next week, Tim and I kept meeting with Mark and John to eat dinner and hang out. John was doing well in the tournament. He was advancing each day, talking with us about hands and strategy. Although he isn't a "poker professional" he definitely knew how to play and understood dynamics behind the game some people don't comprehend.

John kept making it through everyday. I remember going to dinner with him when he made the final 24. Tim and I went through who was at his table, how they would play, what he should expect, and we even went over some hand histories to give him a little insight. I left the Bahamas the next day. I was amazed to see John had made the final table. Mark kept sending me updates throughout the day and me and Tim were sweating it online. I was shocked and excited. It was awesome to see a stranger I just met do well in a huge tournament and follow along with him. I watched the live feed and stayed in communication with Mark as John played the final table. I tried to relay any information I could that I thought would help John. I don't know if any of it actually helped, but John played great, had things go his way, and ended up winning the tournament (after a small deal) for almost 1.8 MILLION DOLLARS!!! I was so excited for him. I really couldn't believe it. Mark called me after he won (I was watching on the 40 minute delay) and everyone was just in awe. Even though John is an amateur player he played very well. He made only minimal mistakes and overall played very well. I don't think many people took him seriously which probably was to his advantage. I want to congratulate you once again John. You won one of the best and biggest poker tournaments in the world. Awesome job and well played! I also want to thank Mark for the hospitality and good time we had in the Bahamas. Congrats to both of you guys.

After I returned from the Bahamas, I relaxed in Florida for a few days and planned my trip to Australia for the Aussie Millions poker tournament. I arrived in Melbourne five days ago. It's a beautiful city that I'm exploring more of every day. I've played a couple tournaments (none of which have gone my way) and also some cash games. The Crown casino is an amazing establishment and the poker room is awesome as well. In an hour and a half I will be sitting down to play Day 1 of the Main Event. The structure is really good for this tournament and the field looks the same. Although I haven't had any deep runs lately I still feel like I'm playing well. I'm excited for this tournament and hope I can be on the good side of luck over the next few days. I will updating my twitter (@TristanCre8ive) on how things are going.

I've taken some pictures and have a few other stories I might share in another blog post. Time for me to get ready to play the Main Event. Wish me luck. ]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/poker-traveling-586843/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/finally-part-2-586828/ Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:31:42 GMT Continued from "Finally... (Part 1)"


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December

December is always an interesting month to me. My birthday is in December, along with Christmas, and New Years Eve. I love living in Florida during the winter/December because it starts to get cold at night. During the day the weather is awesome. It usually is 70-80 degrees and sunny. You can't beat that.

My birthday was low key. I didn't do much. I had a dinner with the family and received a few presents. I never made a big deal out of my birthday or Christmas. My family has been able to provide me with almost everything I have ever needed, so I never felt the urge to ask for much, if anything. They always find something to get me though lol.

Christmas was fun. Again, I spent time with my family, watched them open up presents, and had Christmas dinner. It's nice to have my immediate family close for the holidays. I think they like having me around too haha.

On New Years Eve I went out in Fort Lauderdale. A few of my close friends were able to make it out and bring in the new year together. I thought about going to Vegas for New Years. That probably would have been a lot more fun. I can just imagine how ridiculous Vegas is for New Years. Nevertheless, it was nice getting to spend some time with friends I don't always get to see. The circle seems to be getting smaller.

Other than my birthday and a few holidays, I played some cash games in December. I still need to get out and play more, but I at least got to go a few times. It's hard to know when the good games are running. That's something I'm going to improve on. Live poker isn't the same as online either. Playing so much live poker really makes me miss online poker.


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DeepStacks Big News

DeepStacks is doing some great things. We just announced a Televised Poker Tour. The final table will be televised regionally. It starts February 15th at the Seneca Niagara Casino. We have our DSPT (DeepStacks Poker Tour) main event on February 17th. It is a $1500 buyin, $200k guaranteed tournament. It will last three days. The tournament starts nine handed but when we reach 36 players we finish the tournament six handed. It should be a really great event and I am looking forward to it.

On the television side of the tour I will be doing commentary alongside Joe Stapleton. I'm excited about the whole experience. Hopefully we will be able to have a great poker tour and the television product will be able to match it. I don't want to say too much about it. We will see how it goes!


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What's Next?

On Friday (tomorrow) I will be going to the Bahamas for the PCA tournament series. For anyone who doesn't know, the PCA is the PokerStars Carribean Adventure. Last year (when it was LEGAL to play ONLINE POKER) I won a package to go. I cashed in the main event and I'm hoping for better success this time around. So far I am only set on playing the main event. I don't know if I will decide to play any other tournaments or cash games. I'm strictly going for poker. If there are good tournaments/games I will stay if I bust the main event. Maybe I won't even have to worry about that. Wishful thinking.

After PCA I am going to go to Australia for the Aussie Millions at the Crown Casino. I've never been to Australia and really have no clue what to expect. Everything I have heard about the country has been positive, so this is definitely another trip I am looking forward to. I remembering watching this tournament on the television/internet and always wanting to play it. I can't wait. I will play the main event and a few other side events if I get there in time.


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Thank You

I'm glad to FINALLY be caught up on this blog and to get back in the swing of writing. The last few months have been crazy. I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me or followed along with the ride. Even though I do all of this for myself (well not entirely for myself!), it is nice to have people who care about what you're doing and have some interest in it. If there is anything anyone wants me to write about let me know. I've had a few people comment about my first WSOP Bracelet and the story I would tell. Hopefully I was able to touch on some interesting aspects. There's always more I could write but I try not to go overboard.

I still have a lot to accomplish. I am optimistic I will be able to achieve everything I want to. I don't know what some of those things are yet, but as long as you know what you want to do in the end, filling in the blanks is easy. ]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/finally-part-2-586828/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/finally-part-1-586827/ Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:31:02 GMT I feel like the title of this blog is fitting, for more than one reason. I FINALLY won a WSOP bracelet, I'm FINALLY writing this blog, and other things are FINALLY taking their course as well. Since I have to cover almost three months of updates, I'm anticipating my longest blog ever. Just thought I would preface a little bit. Part of the reason why it has taken me this long to write is because I had some personal health issues immediately after I returned from Europe. It took longer than expected but I've FINALLY got that under control and am back to normal. This blog will be broken down into sections to make it an easier read.

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WSOP(E) Victory

Everyone entered the final table with roughly even stacks. To give a little history about the event, it was a $3k euro Shootout. Day 1 we started 8-9 handed. Day 2 we played 3 handed. Day 3 was the final table with 10 players and everyone about even in chips. It was an insanely tough final table. There were no weak spots. I watched as a few players were eliminated and the table started to become short handed. With seven people left I won a big coinflip against Steve O'Dwyer, my TT vs his AK. I was able to open up a little more shorthanded and eliminate Max Silver KK vs 44 when he 4bet shoved on me. I entered heads up against Mike Watson (SirWatts online.) He had about 1.4 million in chips to my 1 million. We went back and forth and I eventually was able to win the tournament when he 4bet shoved A5s against my JJ. The board ran out QQ4T2 and I won my first WSOP bracelet. That's the short version of the final table haha.


Here's a victory picture. I still can't believe it.

Luckily I had a few friends with me in France to cheer me on. I want to thank my good friend Samantha and my new friends Kim and William who watched the whole final table. I also had my buddy Hans run over and watch when he wasn't playing hands in his tournament. Sam and I (along with my best friend Brian) traveled together throughout Europe and she was beyond supportive and excited about the final table (she had a nice little sweat too lol.) She's getting more experienced with poker, traveling to some of the events. I've been teaching her so hopefully she can have some success of her own soon. It was awesome to see my friends just as happy as I was. There's nothing better than being able to share an incredible experience with people who enjoy it as much as you do.


Will, Sam, Kim, and Hans behind me.


Look at Hans' expression lol. I think my JJ was cracked by KT this hand during heads up play to win the tournament. Classic picture.

The WSOP victory still hasn't sunk in yet, even after almost three months. I have to constantly remind myself that I finally accomplished one of my goals in poker. I started playing in 2003, my freshman year in college. I went all these years without a big "signature" win, online and live. I have won my fair share of tournaments but I never was able to win a major tournament. I always fell short. This happens to be the harsh reality of tournament poker. Sometimes no matter what you do things don't go your way and it is out of your hands. Everyone who takes this game seriously should understand that.

I had an amazing WSOP this year. I made two final tables in Vegas, went to Europe for the first time and won a WSOP bracelet. I don't take any of it for granted. We are deserved nothing in poker. Remember that. Nothing. Appreciate what this game can do for you and understand how unfair it can be. After you've done that all you need to do is enjoy the game itself.

Some of my friends have given me a hard time about winning my first WSOP bracelet in Europe. I understand where they are coming from as I once felt the same way. I realize poker is a global game. After playing in the WSOP(E) I know that I earned my bracelet. The fields had a ton of great players and it wasn't easy. I'll always cherish my first bracelet but now there is extra motivation to win one domestically! Haha.

Here are the finishers at the final table:

1st Tristan Wade (Me, Cre8ive)
2nd Michael Watson (SirWatts)
3rd Richard Toth (RichardToth)
4th Max Silver (Not sure his online name)
5th Bertrand Grospellier (Elky)
6th Steve O'Dwyer (MrTimCaum)
7th Emil Patel (Whitelime)
8th Taylor Paur (ambiguosity, tramp$d0pray)
9th James Dempsey (Flushy, MKKMOO)
10th John Armbrust (texduke)

I'll continue to let this all sink in and slap me in the face occasionally.


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Brazil, BSOP

I was scheduled to go to Sao Paulo, Brazil with Mike "The Grinder" Mizrachi on November 22nd. I almost didn't make the trip because of the health issues I talked about earlier. I went to the doctor the morning of my flight and was cleared to go luckily. My best friend Brian also came along for the trip with Grinder and I. We went to play some of the tournaments for the BSOP (Brazilian Series of Poker.) I went last year with Mike Matusow and I must say, once again, the BSOP is an unbelievable tournament series. They have great fields, run awesome tournaments, have a nice venue, and make the experience enjoyable for everyone. If you can make it to Brazil for one of their BSOP events I highly recommend you do.


Grinder, Juliano, Brian, and me. [Small pic]

Juliano is a great friend. Both times I visited Sao Paulo he showed me around and taught me about the culture. He has his hand in a lot of things involved with poker in Brazil. Flop Magazine, Super Poker, BSOP, and I'm sure a few more other things. The Brazilians who read this blog will know what some of those things are haha. Another person who is probably more influential with poker in Brazil is Igor Federal. He is also involved in just about everything poker related. I applaud both of these gentlemen. What they are doing for poker in Brazil is amazing to watch. I've seen what they are doing for their country and poker players there. It's truly amazing. There are many people in Brazil who are very passionate about poker. It helps to have knowledgeable, hard-working people spearhead poker efforts in Brazil. Keep doing what you are doing guys. Hopefully poker will one day be legalized in Brazil as well. I'm sure I could name a lot more people involved, there are just so many (including top Brazilian players, writers, enthusiasts, etc.)

My experiences in Brazil have always been good ones. There is something about the country and the people that you don't feel when you're in the States. Everyone is very friendly, outgoing, nice, and enjoying life. It is refreshing to be around people who are just happy to be alive. I only have good things to say about the country and all the people I encountered there. Grinder even mentioned that out of the ten days we were there he didn't see a single person who was upset. Impressive. I'm not saying it's a Utopian society but it a great place to visit. There is still a lot of room for growth on the poker aspect. After playing a few days in Brazil you can tell that poker is relatively new there. They have a different style of play that takes a little getting used to.

As far as poker is concerned, I didn't do very well in the few tournaments I played at the BSOP. I busted halfway through day 1 of the Main Event and the 6-max event. I had a last longer with grinder in both tournaments and won those at least! I wish I would have been able to play more poker while I was there but that just gives me another reason to go back to Brazil.

I'd like to thank everyone I came in contact with and everyone I know over there. Thank you. Your hospitality is one of a kind and I can't wait to return.

Here are a couple pictures from the trip:


Grinder doing an interview.


Figueira Rubaiyat restaurant. Built around a tree. Awesome.


Some of our dishes from Fig.


View from room. Sao Paulo is a HUGE city. (20mil people)

Continued... "Finally... (Part 2)" ]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/finally-part-1-586827/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/another-wsop-e-final-table-586738/ Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:53:11 GMT Tomorrow I will be taking my third crack at winning a WSOP bracelet this year. Over the summer in Las Vegas I made two final tables at the World... Tomorrow I will be taking my third crack at winning a WSOP bracelet this year. Over the summer in Las Vegas I made two final tables at the World Series. One was in a $1500 NLH event and the other was in the $10k 6-max NLH tournament. I finished 7th place and 4th place respectively. Although I am competing for a WSOP bracelet in Europe at the WSOPE, I still feel like the prestige of winning a bracelet is carried over.

The final table of the 3k NLH Shootout is stacked. Two players (Taylor Paur and Elky) from the 10k 6-max final table also made it to the final table of this event. Everyone else is an accomplished live/online player. It won't be easy but if I can win this tournament I will definitely feel like I earned it. I'll do my best and hope luck is on my side. It has been so far.

We resume play tomorrow at 3pm CEST (9am EST.) Follow my twitter @TristanCre8ive for updates. PokerNews will be covering the final table as well. I'm not sure if the tournament will be live streamed. If it is I will tweet the link for it. I'll end this blog with a cool pic taken when I was heads up today.

]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/another-wsop-e-final-table-586738/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/finished-26th-place-586736/ Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:58:30 GMT I finished 26th place in the first WSOPE event. I'm 3-3 in my last three six max tournaments. Too bad there aren't more of those around! Like I said in the previous post, I was down to 600 chips in the first few levels of the tournament and ran it back up. I am happy overall with how I played and found myself in a couple unfortunate spots in the end to lose. There are a couple great tournaments left here at the WSOPE in Cannes. I am looking forward to playing.

Yesterday I played the 1k euro NLH WSOPE tournament and busted a few hours in. It was a very fast paced tournament structure. I never had momentum and battled being a short stack the whole time. Tomorrow I will be playing the 3200 euro NLH Shootout. I love shootouts. Hopefully things can go my way.

Here are some pics so far from my trip:


Building in Amsterdam


Swan in Amsterdam lol


Another cool building in Amsterdam


Delicious food


Rolled up, couldn't eat it all.


Beautiful Cannes, France


Cannes #2


Cannes #3


Cannes sunrise


Crepe... Definitely ate a piece of the fork.. lol

Amsterdam was great. I was only there for a day but I got to eat at a couple great restaurants and explore the city. I really wanted to visit the Van Gogh musuem but I didn't have enough time. I plan on going back again sometime soon. Cannes is also beautiful, as you can see. It is another awesome destination. I'm trying to take in the culture of all these countries. I'll be in Cannes for the duration of the WSOPE, looking to win my first bracelet. That's all I got for now. ]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/finished-26th-place-586736/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/day-2-wsope-6-max-nlh-586733/ Sat, 08 Oct 2011 12:03:21 GMT Been a hell of a week. I'm gonna make this one short. I went from London to Amsterdam, back to London, and now I'm in Cannes, France. I'll update the blog on that excursion later, but for now I came here to say that I made Day 2 of the 6-max WSOPE NLH event. I think I am 12th in chips with 80 players left. 36 make the money. I actually was down to 600 chips in the second level but didn't give up! Have to run. Follow my twitter @TristanCre8ive for updates. ]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/day-2-wsope-6-max-nlh-586733/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/busted-ept-london-586732/ Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:47:43 GMT I entered Day 3 very short on chips. I had 36k with the blinds being 1200/2400/300a. My table had a lot of good players including Jason Mercier and... I entered Day 3 very short on chips. I had 36k with the blinds being 1200/2400/300a. My table had a lot of good players including Jason Mercier and Steve O'Dwyer. With ~140 players remaining and 104 making the money, the cutoff opened to 5200 and I moved all in for 35k with A9o on the button. He thought for a few seconds and called with 88. I didn't win the race and was eliminated from the tournament.

Overall I'm very happy with how I played. To make it until Day 3 without ever picking up steam is an accomplishment. The only hand I was all in on was the final hand. Hopefully I can continue to play well and maybe I will have a few deep runs when I head to the WSOPE in a few days. Until then, I am planning on seeing more of London and taking a day trip to Amsterdam with a few friends. I have a few other things I'd like to talk about so I will probably write another blog before I start playing in France. It feels good to be writing again. ]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/busted-ept-london-586732/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/day-2-ept-london-586730/ Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:32:38 GMT I lasted another day in the EPT London Main Event. I entered day two with 57k. Early on I ran my stack to 80k at the 400/800 level. From that point... I lasted another day in the EPT London Main Event. I entered day two with 57k. Early on I ran my stack to 80k at the 400/800 level. From that point on I was super card dead and out of position against aggressive players. I did the best with what I was given and ended with 36k going into the 1200/2400/300a level. The tournament started with 691 players, there are 180 remaining, and 104 make the money. Hopefully my rush comes tomorrow and I can make something happen with this short stack. As long as I'm still in I always feel like I have a chance. Check my twitter for updates. Goodnight. ]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/day-2-ept-london-586730/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/day-1-ept-london-586729/ Sun, 02 Oct 2011 00:19:14 GMT I survived Day 1B of the EPT London Main Event. I had a rocky start to the day. I only won one pot (for 400 chips in the first level) during the... I survived Day 1B of the EPT London Main Event. I had a rocky start to the day. I only won one pot (for 400 chips in the first level) during the first 5 hours of the tournament. It was pretty brutal. Luckily I rebounded and was able to make some hands and accumulate a few chips. I ended the day with 57.2k; the average being a little under 50k. We didn't lose a single player from the table. I am excited to have almost doubled my starting stack of 30k.

On one of the breaks Matt from PokerListings sat down with me to ask a few questions about traveling to play poker after Black Friday. You can read the article here. I wish the US government never shut down online poker (don't we all.) Now that it is illegal to play online poker in America us players must find other ways to make money through poker. Fortunately for me I am able to travel and play some of these great events. That is basically what the article touches on.

I am running on only three hours of sleep. My sleeping pattern has been off since I arrived in London. I fell asleep around 4am last night only to wake up at 7:15am and not be able to fall back asleep. At 9am I decided to workout. I put myself through one hell of a workout which probably wasn't the best idea. Deprivation of sleep is something you can not do while playing poker for hours on end. If I want to win this tournament I have to get rest. My plan for tomorrow is the same as it was today. Wake up, workout, eat breakfast, head over to the EPT tournament and try to survive another day. Hopefully it all goes according to plan.

I'm still learning a lot about the city of London and all the different cultures here. I walked around the Hilton Metropole area (where the EPT is held) after I finished playing today. There is a lot of diversity in the region and I've been trying to soak it all in. I'll take some pictures of interesting findings and upload them within the next few days. Gotta get some sleep, goodnight. ]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/day-1-ept-london-586729/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/london-living-586728/ Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:11:35 GMT I'm sitting in a condo in London, it overlooks the Thames river. I arrived here yesterday morning with my friend Sam. The main reason for me being here is the European Poker Tour (EPT) main event. It's my first time to Europe so naturally I am excited and ready to see a different part of the world I have never witnessed.





After London I am planning on going to Amsterdam and maybe a few day trips to other countries. That is dependent on how well the EPT main event goes and if I decide to play any other side events. Once I'm done with London I'm going to head over to Cannes, France for the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE.) I don't know where I will head to after that. Maybe I will go home, but there are a few other destinations I have in mind that I might check out. A couple of my friends play basketball in Japan, that would be an entertaining trip. I'm very fortunate to be in this situation and am trying to take in the whole experience. Can't take anything for granted.

Other than for this trip I haven't played much poker lately (what's new lol.) I've been doing my fair share of poker coaching, but haven't been on the tables. I spent about a month looking to get a new car, researching, shopping around and figuring out what I wanted. I finally got that out of the way. I'm looking forward to getting back in the game and having success over the next few weeks. Even if I don't, I'm in Europe! I'll experience new places, culture, people, and have a great time. If anyone has any suggestions (on what to do/where to go) or comments please don't hesitate to let me know.

I will do my best to take a lot of pictures and post some interesting things on the blog. I realize I mostly talk about poker and I feel like that has limited my posts and saturated my blog. I think I am going to start opening up and talking about a variety of other topics rather than poker all day haha. After all, I'm just talking to myself anyways. I might as well share some of my other thoughts to whoever visits the site and reads the blog. Stay tuned. ]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/london-living-586728/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/start-snowball-586656/ Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:35:39 GMT Hello again. It's been about a month since I last blogged. After "Black Friday" took place I have not been attached to my computer like I once was. I do have a lot to talk about though.

The last post I wrote explained that I was still in the $10k WSOP NLH 6-max tournament. Let me continue from there... I entered the day 19/22 in chips. I grinded the short stack for a while and eventually doubled AQ vs AT. I chipped up a little and got revenge on William Thorson, who knocked me out deep in the WSOP Main Event last year. I raised with AQ, he moved all in with KJ and my hand held. The field in this tournament was very tough. I knew all of the remaining players fighting for the bracelet. When you are playing with smart, thinking, capable players you have to be able to compete in more ways than just playing the cards. The game gets deeper.

With 8 people left I got in a big pot against Joe Ebanks (Ender55.) I hope the details aren't off by much. The button (Ben86/bttech) limped for 24k, Joe contemplated raising, then called from the small blind. I looked down at AKo in the big blind and raised 100k more. Ben folded and Joe made the call. The flop came 923r. Joe checked to me, I bet 138k, he min raised me, and I moved all in for about 600k more. He wasn't happy about having to call my shove, shook his head a little, and threw in the call. He had me in awful shape with A9o. I rivered the king of spades to stay alive and double up.

Once I won that pot I finally had enough chips to compete with some of the other chip leaders. I was able to win a few more pots before we eventually made the final table of 7. We needed to lose one player to be the "official final table" though. Ben was the first player to bust, losing AK vs JJ all in preflop. The remaining players were: Mike Sowers (SowersUNCC), Bertrand Grospellier (Elky), Joe Ebanks (ender55), Chris Moorman (moorman1), Talyor Paur (taypaur), and myself. I have played a lot of online poker against all of these guys except for Elky. The final table was definitely one of the most competitive final tables in WSOP history. I knew I would have to have a few things go my way to win the tournament.

There was plenty of room for play at the beginning of the final table. I played a few interesting pots, one against Moorman when I min raised the button and he called from the small blind. The board came KQ4hh. He check raised my flop bet, I didn't think he had a wide value range here, so I decided to reraise him back. He reraised me back and I folded. He showed the 8c (which was good haha.) I imagine he was just plain bluffing here, but he might of had a hand like K8cc and had been going with it, I doubt that though. We both had the same idea, but he ended up having the last laugh and won the pot. I seemed active after this pot, but I picked up a few hands and never got much action. We lost Mike then Taylor and were playing 4 handed.

I didn't pick up many hands at all 4 handed. The blinds got bigger and I was sandwiched in between other big stacks. I stayed patient and told myself to survive to the 40k/80k level. If I could wait for the blinds to go up there would be about 300k in the pot preflop if a player opened. With 5 minutes left in the level, I picked up A9o in the small blind with 22 big blinds. Moorman was in the big blind. I raised to 155k (at 30k/60k) and he reraised me 180k more I believe. Without giving too much away of my thinking process, Moorman is definitely capable of reraising me without a hand here. He knows I have to either go all in or fold for the most part. I thought about the spot for a little bit and decided to move all in. He called my all in with AJo and knocked me out.

I finished 4th in the toughest live tournament I ever played. Although I wanted to do better, I am very happy with how I played and my finish in the event. Like I wrote in an earlier blog, I was put in that tournament by a backer that would like to remain nameless. The backer gave me an unbelievable percentage in my favor to play the tournament. It was almost too good for me to accept, but we agreed that I would give him $10k worth of coaching in exchange for the buyin of the event. Considering I wasn't even going to play the tournament, I think everyone is pretty happy haha.

After the 10k 6max I took a few days off from poker. I only played one tournament before the WSOP Main Event, but I was ready. I didn't recognize a single person at my first table. They were all men, older than me, and nobody was too active. I chipped up a little before I was moved to a much better table. When I say better, I mean there was more action, and it would be easier to win chips at this table. After an hour at the new 2nd table, I played my first big pot of the main event.

A young kid from Europe opened in middle position to 525 at 100/200 no ante. I was two to his left and reraised to 1425 with QQ. When action got back to him, he reraised to 3400, I made it ~6400 and he snap moved all in for 18.4k, which I snap called. He turned over 99 and was in bad shape against my QQ. The board ran out xxx9x and he won a monster pot. I didn't make many other hands at this table and eventually it broke. I was then moved to my third table of the main event.

This table was much better for me overall. I was able to make a few hands early and chip up nicely. I had the respect of the table and was starting to take control of it. After being pretty active, I won a pot where I 4bet preflop and took it down. The very next hand I was in the big blind. There was an open at 200/400/50a to 1125 from the hijack, the small blind called, and I made it 3650 from the big blind with JJ. The hijack called and the small blind folded. The flop came J9Tcc I bet 3500, the guy made it 8k, and I moved all in for about 32k. He called with KQo and I was in trouble. I needed the board to pair to beat his straight. I didn't make a full house and I was eliminated from the Main Event.

Although I was knocked out of the best poker tournament in the world, I was happy and content. I have played the Main Event 6 times and I honestly don't think there is a hand that I regret or would have changed how I played this time around. Granted, I only survived until late in Day 1, but it still means something to me. I normally would be upset about busting the Main Event, but I couldn't be. I played my best. I'd really like to thank my buddy Tim0thee for helping me improve my mentality when it comes to poker. I've always been a positive person but he has helped me realize there is only so much you can control. I also know I have matured over the years and picked up a lot of experience as well. I have to keep working at becoming a better poker player and more importantly, a better person.

Congratulations to Ben Lamb and Phil Collins who both made the November 9. Ben Lamb is having one of the most incredible WSOP in the history of the game. It is definitely the sickest short term heater I have ever witnessed. Both these guys are great players and I expect them to do well at the final table. I'm not sure who I'll be rooting for. The final table has a lot of good players at it. Good luck to them come November.

DeepStacks had an event at the Palms the day after I busted the Main. We did a short notice poker camp with Epic Poker League. We had about 40 students come to the camp. We recorded some footage with our DeepStacks 360 camera, taught a little poker strategy, had an appearance from Annie Duke who taught a little bit, and then played an Epic Poker League satellite. It was a good day and a good camp. With such short notice I think everyone did a great job. The Palms staff was great. I'm sure they will have a lot of success in the future with what they are doing involving poker and the Epic Poker League.

Somehow I managed to stay in Vegas a few days after my WSOP was done. I took the red eye home on Friday night and was back in Florida early Saturday morning. It was nice to be home and see some of my family and friends. I was looking forward for things slow down a little. I have played a little poker since being home. I actually had a good finish the other day in one of the Florida State Poker Championship events. I played a $1600 bounty tournament, which didn't go my way, then I played their $2200 NLH 6max tournament. It started with 80 players. I managed to get 4 handed with 3 guys who were all friends and had a vested interest in each other. They were also good players. We all were about even in chips and decided to chop, getting about 2nd place money. I wanted to outright win the tournament, but it was smarter to chop. I wasn't guaranteed second place or better, so I went against my urge to want to play it out. My friends Hans, Stu, and Tim actually finished 8th, 7th, and 6th in the tournament. Pretty crazy that two groups of friends made it that deep lol.

Currently I'm about 30,000 feet in the air. I'm on my way to Reno, NV to teach a DeepStacks camp tomorrow and play in a $1100 DeepStacks Poker Tour event on Saturday. Last time I was at Grand Sierra Resort I had a good time (it also didn't hurt that I won the main event there lol.) I like the casino and maybe I will explore a little more of Reno while I'm there this time.

I have a few other things I want to talk about but I'm going to wait until the next blog post. I've rambled enough. I've had some time to reflect on the past few months and it still hasn't fully hit me yet. I had an great summer at the WSOP. Making two final tables is quite an accomplishment, but there is always room for improvement. I am not complaining though. I will continue to play my best. If I can do that I think more good results will follow. Hopefully it's the start of a snowball... ]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/start-snowball-586656/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/19-22-10k-6max-586629/ Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:47:39 GMT I made Day 3 of the $10k 6max NLH WSOP Event. It's a huge prize pool and first place is over 1.1 million dollars. I'm currently 19 of 22 players and have about 22 big blinds. For updates follow me on twitter @TristanCre8ive or my facebook page Facebook.com/TristanCre8ive. Let's go!!!! ]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/19-22-10k-6max-586629/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/10k-6-max-day-2-586626/ Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:21:45 GMT I am heading into Day 2 of the 10k 6max tournament with 115.3k. Average stack is 82k. Blinds are going to be 600/1200/100a. There are 162 players... I am heading into Day 2 of the 10k 6max tournament with 115.3k. Average stack is 82k. Blinds are going to be 600/1200/100a. There are 162 players left with 48 making the money. I believe it started with 474 players with the first place finisher winning 1.15 million dollars. This would be a good one to win. For updates follow me on twitter @TristanCre8ive or my facebook page Facebook.com/TristanCre8ive. Hopefully I have a good update after today. ]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/10k-6-max-day-2-586626/ http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/quick-detour-586622/ Fri, 24 Jun 2011 20:28:20 GMT Things have been pretty busy since my 7th place finish in event #18 at the World Series of Poker. I took a couple days off between then and now and... Things have been pretty busy since my 7th place finish in event #18 at the World Series of Poker. I took a couple days off between then and now and only played three or four other WSOP events. I am currently back in Florida for a few days. One of my best friends is getting married. I had to miss a few great events, but it's okay. The next tournament I am going to play is the 10k 6max NLH on Monday. I have a crazy story about this...

The 10k 6max tournament is going to be one of the toughest tournaments at the WSOP. I was not planning on playing it. I wanted to play it, but I knew it was going to be a very strong field/huge buyin. Fortunately for me, I was approached by someone who offered me an incredible freeroll. Typically when someone backs a player into a tournament on a one time deal, that player is only receiving 20% of their winnings (30% being very generous.) I was offered something much more lucrative and benevolent. I don't want to give exact numbers but it is better than your standard backing deal percentages.

I don't know why or how I am the beneficiary of such a gift, but I am very appreciative. The person who is doing this for me does not want to be known. They have their reasons and I respect that. I don't want it to be known either. If they want their secrecy they should have it. This is such an incredible story that I figured I would share with everyone. Occurrences like this rarely happen in the poker world. It would make for a great story if I do make a deep run in the event. So far I have bubbled both 6 max tournaments I've played at the WSOP. I wanted to write more about the freeroll situation but I don't think there is much more to say.

I have to run and get ready for this wedding. Congratulations to Josh and Anique on their marriage. Also congrats to Hans Winzeler and Jason Mercier. They were heads up in the 5k PLO 6max tournament at the WSOP. Jason ended up getting the best of Hans but they both played great. More updates to come. ]]> Cre8ive http://www.pocketfives.com/blogs/cre8ive/quick-detour-586622/