Poker Articles

May 30th 2008 I’m writing this en route to Las Vegas on a lay-over in Houston but because it’s a short lay-over I don’t want to pay $7.95 for an hour of internet (so Jewish) when realistically I’m only going to be on the internet for 30 minutes. But luckily for you guys, this gives me time to get started on my next blog. See, I can keep promises. It’s only been a matter of days since my last blog post and here I am on the blogging grind once again.


The flight was pretty smooth but I over-packed. Well, by FAA regulations I over-packed but not really when those 2 bags are going to get me through a month and a half in Vegas. So it started when I went to the skycap ***start tangent*** does anyone else find it ironic that Brandon Cantu didn’t tip the dealers after his WPT win at Bay 101 but yet, he was once a skycap who definitely knows about tip? Granted I have nothing against the guy, I just felt---no, my ADD felt the need to change the subject and state this totally ironical fact ***end tangent***.


So yea, I went to the skycap who proceeded to tell me that the bags were 87 pounds and 58 pounds respectively. The point at which you start paying for heavy baggage is 50 pounds. The point at which you no longer can put the bag on the plane is at 70 pounds. So that’s a double whammy on my part. Actually if you count the newly instituted, bring a 2nd bag on the plane, pay an extra $25 rule, then I got triple whammied. It’s okay though, I’ve had plenty of ownage fees (yes, this is a term I coined after getting owned flying so much in different airports) over my past year of traveling the circuit but that’s an entirely different story, especially my first trip to Europe.


So the end result was me reorganizing my bags and being forced to carry on my Apple monitor, which as far as monitors go, is very light and sleek. However, monitors are not in the least bit light! Oh and I had a laptop bag that I had to lug around as well. Luckily that has wheels. So $125 later and two totally sore arms from the monitor work out I got, I’m here in Houston, TX. I can’t wait to get to my new apartment, which I was able to rent.


After scouring Craig’s list and other random rental and subletting sites I was able to come in contact with someone who had a 3-bedroom apartment/condo type place for $4200 a month at this new place called Desert Tide. Apparently it was formerly a hotel that went belly up and this company came in and renovated them into condos. The rooms aren’t the end all be all of rooms but the location is more than ideal. It’s literally right across the street from the Rio where all the WSOP events will be held. May 31st, 2008 I arrived at the apartment around 1:00AM after going to a crucial pit stop at In-And-Out burger that I happen to think is overrated but yet every time I’m in Vegas I manage to go there at least once or twice.


The apartment albeit a little ghetto fits it’s purpose and I’ve been happy with it so far. Once I settled in I ate my Animalized In-And-Out burger and yes that is a way to get your burger. It is some thousand island sauce that is super tasty and just the fact that you can animalize a food is intriguing in itself. So after I got situated, I crushed Sowers real quick in 2 FIFA games and then hit the hay for the first event of the World Series, the 10k Pot Limit event. My opening table wasn’t easy but wasn’t really tough either. It was just a bunch of tight players sitting around waiting for Aces. Well, not really, but there wasn’t much action and no one from my starting table busted in the first two hours before it broke.


I didn’t do much although I did run into Aces with Jacks and lost about 3k of my 20k starting stack, which I was perfectly fine with when it clearly could’ve been much worse. My next table I was briefly at for maybe 2 orbits was really juicy with a few “pros” who I was happy to see at the table along with a couple good players (WhoooKiddd and Ben Grundy). I played one pot at the table and took it down. Too bad I got moved though because for this tourney it was a very good table draw. The next table I was not so fortunate. Bill Edler, Eugene Todd, Eric Kessleman(won a bracelet in 2006 in Pot Limit and an old school Magic player) and a few others who escape my mind. I took down a couple pots pre, had to fold tens to Eugene Todd on the Q99 turn 4 board after he fired the flop and turn. Not exactly an expert laydown but still a laydown.


Three hands later I raised to 1200 at 200/400 with 17k and Jacks and Eric Kessleman pots it in the small blind with about 14k total. Now, I know him but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know me so I assume he is potting it to make it look like super strength so I was leaning towards him having AK and maybe 10s. I ship, he calls, and has AKo and spikes a King. After that I shoved 77 into 99 and busted. Not a big deal. Pretty standard really. In the few pots I played, I played well so I had no resentment towards busting the tourney. Today I played the 1500 NL and lasted a whopping hour and 1 hand. The way I busted was absolutely awesome. ***Warning: This is not a bad beat story*** This is a hilariously awesome hand story that shows exactly why we all love the World Series.


So, I arrive a couple hands late wearing my hoodie, sunglasses and headphones trying to actually put on some table image of me being some badass when I’m really just a big ole teddy bear. Only person I know is John Murphy of oversleeping the 2004 WSOP while being humungous chip lead fame. He’s a good guy though and plays well. So the table is as juicy as can be. Everyone besides John Murphy might as well be playing blind man’s bluff with their cards face up taped to their foreheads. Fast forward to first hand of 50/100. I have 2200(started with 3k) and raise AKhh utg to 250. UTG +1 calls. 5th pos Asian guy with both arms tattooed calls. Random nit calls. The big blind calls and says, and I quote, “Well, I might as well jump in too harharharhar” The flop comes 1086hh. I think for a couple seconds deciding whether to shove my stack in or bet 650 and see where that takes me and hopefully shove the turn and maybe get a fold.


So I bet 650. UTG+1 calls. Asian guy calls. Nit folds. The bb ships. So this is kind of golden. I don’t really think my Ace or King are good but whatever. Huge pot, hopefully 9 live outs. Let’s go! So I shove. UTG +1 instafolds after calling ¼ of his stack on the flop lol. Asian guy thinks for like 15 seconds and says in typical Scotty Nguyen fashion, “Let’s Gamble Baybeeee!” Well, he didn’t say the baybeee part but what’s a good story without a little exaggeration lol. So they flip over their cards. And initial shipper has 103o! And the Asian guy has 57o! Whaaaaaaat?!!? So you mean I am not drawing to only a flush? And no one has any of my outs? And the pot is 8k and I only had 2200 to start the hand?!!? Get there one time!!! Nah, never. The turn was the 3 and the river was an offsuit jack. Oh well. I’m not telling you for your empathy. Or is it sympathy or apathy?


Well, whatever it is. I’m not even mad about busting. Just happy to relay the awesome story of what goes on in these tourneys. I told BKIce at the beginning of the 1500 that when I saw the field in the 10k Pot Limit I was like, why am I playing this tourney? And then when I saw my table in the 1500, I was like, oh yea, now I remember lol. June 3rd, 2008 Sunday I played online, went deep in the million, cashed a couple tourneys, lost $2500. Another standard Sunday. Whatevskis. Today, I played the 1500 Pot Limit and that was pretty standard as well. Had 99 vs Ako and turned the gutshot flush draw after he hit his king but bricked. Oh well, nothing I could do there especially with these shallow structures. But tomorrow is the 1k rebuy and oh boy will that be fun. And as far as this blog goes, along with the standard Sunday and the standard 1500 Pot Limit, this was somewhat standard but I figured I would at least give a rundown of my WSOP tourneys thus far.


Alright, that’s all for now. P.S. Omg and as I was writing this I was one-tabling playing the Stars 150 and with 13 left I just got one-outed in a pot for chip lead to bust. Now I do want your empathy whether I get it or not ☺. P.P.S. I created the online acronym tbh (to be honest). True Story. If you don’t believe me ask All In 420. He was there when it was conceived. P.P.P.S. If you aren’t watching How I Met Your Mother, you are Werthlus hehe.