Courtney Gee is back from playing on the PokerStars Big Game in
Las Vegas where she experienced the highest stakes and the toughest
competition of her life!
Courtney's not allowed to tell us the profits/losses from the
session (Damn you PokerStars) but she's got plenty to say about what
it's like playing for big money against the best in the world.
If you haven't yet, check out Courtney's first post that went up last week, the day before she played her Big Game session.
Also, keep an eye out for Courtney's new blog right here on
PokerListings.com! She's on a poker quest to never work a 9-5 job again
and she'll be keeping us in the loop the whole time.
Take it away Courtney.
I felt weird waking up today. Part of it was that I was waking up in
my own bed for the first time in a few days, but the other part of it
was that my life felt normal again.
In the weeks before Vegas, I would wake up in the morning filled with
thoughts about what I had to do to prepare for February 20th. I would
go over my schedule for the day. Usually it included hand history
review, a few hours of online cash, some practice with real cards and
chips, and maybe some live cash.
I also felt a little nervous every morning because it was one day
closer to when I would need to leave for Vegas, and I never felt ready marked cards.
As it got closer to the big day, I quickly learned that I would never
feel ready. From the end of January to mid-February I played ~60 hours
of cash games total, spent countless hours talking to friends about hand
histories on instant messengers, laid out my strategy for the Big Game
(including bet sizing, starting hands, etc), took notes on pros from
season 1 of the show, made Word files filled with new things I was
learning and things I wanted to keep in mind, watched a few poker
videos, and got coached by some great cash players.
While I was doing all of this, I felt like I wasn't doing enough. Now
that I look back, I can say that I worked hard and probably did just
fine.
I felt extremely nervous in the days before I was scheduled to fly to
Vegas. I felt fine the day we got into Vegas, but on February 19th (the
day before my playing day), I felt more nervous than I had ever felt in
my life.
My friend and I hung out on the strip and had an amazing dinner, and I
spent the entire time trying not to think about it and trying not to be
nervous. Being nervous during a time like that is strange. There was
nothing more I could do to prepare, and there was also nothing anyone
could say to me that would ease the nervousness.
I expected to feel infrared ink nervous when I woke up the morning of the 20th,
but I actually felt mostly fine. I went to breakfast and ate as much as
possible, and then I went to the set. It was a flurry of activity there
and I didn't have much time to think between the makeup, instructions
for how to walk on the set, photos, and mic hookups.
When it was finally time to sit down and get dealt cards, the most
amazing thing happened: I felt right at home. It felt like any live game
I had ever played before. The chip sizes were MUCH bigger, but my
practice with the denominations at home and my experience playing with
tournament chips made it natural for me.
I no longer felt nervous. I was ready to play. And I proceeded to
have an AMAZING time. Playing in that game was incredibly fun and an
experience I'll never forget.
The next day it was all over and time to go back home. And that
brings me to today, waking up in my own bed and feeling weird about
life. It's all over. It's done... I went and played in a huge cash game,
I played well, and now it's over.
Back when I was preparing and feeling nervous, I couldn't wait for it
to be over so that I could go back to my normal routine. Now that I'm
back from Vegas and it's all over, though, I'm a little sad and kind of
miss it.
I expected to feel this way afterward. It's kind of like falling in
love. It's so exciting because you don't know what's going to happen and
you feel anxious and excited and nervous all at the same time. You
can't wait to just find out what's going to happen with this new person
and you can't wait to stop feeling this way, but at the same time, it's
the most exciting feeling in the world.
And then, when you finally get into a steady relationship with this
person and life is normal again, you're happy and relieved, but at the
same time you miss the excitement. That's how I feel about love at
least, haha :) And that's how I feel about being done with the Big Game.
I'm not sure when the shows are going to air, but I would guess in
3-4 months. I have a lot more to say about my experience, but I will
have to hold back until the shows air. It will be interesting to see
myself on TV and to relive everything all over again! But until then,
it's back to the normal life for me.
2013年12月26日星期四
How to Host the Perfect Poker Home Game: Who to Invite
How to Host the Perfect Poker Home Game is a 13-part series on how to
run the superlative poker night for all your friends and coworkers.
We’ll cover everything from what game of poker is easiest to play, what hand beats what and even what drinks and food to serve. Follow this guide and people will be reserving their seat at your table weeks in advance.
For our seventh article we’re going to take a look marked cards lenses who you actually want to invite to your game and what you can expect from each demographic.
These are a few of the basic groups that you can choose, or choose not, to invite to your home game.
You can call them up on short notice and fill out your game if you need.
Pros
Putting the word out in an office is a good way to build your game quickly.
Pros
Remember you’re not going to look very attractive to a member of the
opposite sex if you bluff them out of a $100 pot marked poker and dive onto the table
to perform a chip backstroke.
Conversely ladies’ poker nights work very well and sometimes women feel more comfortable just playing with other females. Proceed with caution.
Pros
On the plus side you have a shot at getting your game televised!
Pros
We’ll cover everything from what game of poker is easiest to play, what hand beats what and even what drinks and food to serve. Follow this guide and people will be reserving their seat at your table weeks in advance.
For our seventh article we’re going to take a look marked cards lenses who you actually want to invite to your game and what you can expect from each demographic.
These are a few of the basic groups that you can choose, or choose not, to invite to your home game.
Best Buds
This is your bread and butter. You want to invite your closest friends because you know they are trustworthy and good people to be around.You can call them up on short notice and fill out your game if you need.
Pros
- It’s way better bluffing someone you’ve known for years
- Even if they dominate you at the table you may get a free drink out of it later
- Ability to taunt your friends for years to come
- They’re probably going to
borrow money - They may not leave
- They’re pretty damn offensive
Never trust co-workers who wear sunglasses.
Co-Workers
Co-workers are a great source for fodder at the poker table because you know they make money!Putting the word out in an office is a good way to build your game quickly.
Pros
- You know where your opponents work so collecting is easy
- Poker can be a bonding experience
- You’ll all be equally tired at work the next day
- Bluffing your superior out of a $100 pot could make things interesting the next day
- Things get awkward when crazy Phil from accounting suggests everyone put their next paycheck on the line
- Bill Lumbergh keeps reminding you about your TPS reports
Members of the Opposite Sex
This is a tricky one. If it’s an all-guys game it sounds great to get a couple good looking women in on the game. The thing is it can change the dynamic considerably.
Sara Underwood is always invited to our home games.
Conversely ladies’ poker nights work very well and sometimes women feel more comfortable just playing with other females. Proceed with caution.
Pros
- Game tends to be more civil
- Your home game could conceivably double in size
- The game is usually more relaxed and fun
- Game tends to be more civil
- Sleeping on the couch for check-raising your wife/significant other sucks
- If you’re a guy, losing a massive pot to a girl who had “double kings” might hurt your ego
- In the poker game of life, women are the rake
Brings his own Dom Perignon.
Professional Poker Players
Poker pros are a long shot, of course, and will arguably destroy the game for everyone else.On the plus side you have a shot at getting your game televised!
Pros
- Good story to tell all your friends
- You will lose all your money
- Several pros keep nagging you for a buffet comp
- Phil Hellmuth keeps referring to you as an “idiot from Northern Europe”
- They’ll convince you to “play with the pros” then simply take all the money on the table and wait for the DOJ to come for it
2013年12月25日星期三
Easy Game Episode 2: Matt “ADZ124” Marafioti
The last few months have been a controversial time for Canadian poker pro Matthew Marafioti.
From allegations of multi-accounting and playing on PokerStars from Las Vegas to the Twitter tirade following his breakup with Lauren Kling, Marafioti was already in hot water in the poker trick cards community when accusations of cheating surfaced on poker forum 2 + 2.
Marafioti maintains his innocence and has said that the chat logs posted online were doctored.
In May of 2012, before the most recent allegations came to light, PokerListings.com traveled to Marafioti’s home in Toronto to shoot the second episode in our ongoing video interview series Easy Game marked poker.
The interview doesn’t touch on the cheating allegations but rather seeks to present a picture of the person behind Matt Marafioti’s public persona.
In the following video we find out how ADZ124’s career began as a full-fledged online poker addiction and developed into a multi-million dollar enterprise that involves much support from his father Sam, who appears in the interview material.
From allegations of multi-accounting and playing on PokerStars from Las Vegas to the Twitter tirade following his breakup with Lauren Kling, Marafioti was already in hot water in the poker trick cards community when accusations of cheating surfaced on poker forum 2 + 2.
Marafioti maintains his innocence and has said that the chat logs posted online were doctored.
In May of 2012, before the most recent allegations came to light, PokerListings.com traveled to Marafioti’s home in Toronto to shoot the second episode in our ongoing video interview series Easy Game marked poker.
The interview doesn’t touch on the cheating allegations but rather seeks to present a picture of the person behind Matt Marafioti’s public persona.
In the following video we find out how ADZ124’s career began as a full-fledged online poker addiction and developed into a multi-million dollar enterprise that involves much support from his father Sam, who appears in the interview material.
2013年12月16日星期一
Miserable fizzle out endings to WCOOP
While I wait in the Miami International Airport to board my flight
to London, I'm reflecting back on the last few days of WCOOP. I made a
few deep runs that all ended in pretty much the same fashion, losing a
massive pot to bust cheat poker.
Let's just start off by mentioning on the very next day after finishing 11th, 11th, and 27th in three straight 2 pm 109$ rebuys on stars, I managed to get 11th ONE MORE TIME!
On this same day, I got 3rd in a 109 cubed turbo for 10k and also made a deep run in the 215 plo8 2nd chance wcoop and the Wednesday Quarter Million, but busted in 24th and 29th place.
The following day, Thursday, I went deep in the WCOOP 530 rebuy, but lost a big flip to bust in 26th place. On Friday, I just played the two WCOOP events and was fairly deep in the 530 cubed, but came up short of the money. I decided to take off Saturday, and prepare for my big day on Sunday.
Sunday was a really long grind, starting at 1 pm with the 215 WCOOP, which by the way, Elky won! That's a whole different topic, but he has to be considered the best NLHE tournament player in the world. HAS TO BE! Mad respect!
Anyways, I played marked cards lenses all the WCOOPs and 2nd chance events and the big rebuy events and such. I really was regretting jumping in the 1k 2nd chance WCOOP event which started at 8 pm when I had busted everything else by 9:30.
I was mad that this tourney had such a slow structure and I could potentially end up playing until 5 am. That's just what I did too, I finished day 1 of this 2 day event 4th in chips with 38 people left and finally was able to go to sleep at 5:15 in the morning.
Therestart
of this event was at 8 pm, and I was looking forward to it. It took
only 15 minutes for me to pittz away my chips playing a very very
unnecessary pot, in which I was luckily in a coin flip for over 225 bbs.
I whiffed and was left with 4 bbs and was out a few hands later. It was a miserable end to what I was hoping to be a very big WCOOP for me.
No worries though, London's going to be HUGE! I'm boarding my plane now, when I land I will have 3 hours to get over to WSOPE for the 5k pound PLO event, which I FTed last year.
Yessssir! Later!
Let's just start off by mentioning on the very next day after finishing 11th, 11th, and 27th in three straight 2 pm 109$ rebuys on stars, I managed to get 11th ONE MORE TIME!
On this same day, I got 3rd in a 109 cubed turbo for 10k and also made a deep run in the 215 plo8 2nd chance wcoop and the Wednesday Quarter Million, but busted in 24th and 29th place.
The following day, Thursday, I went deep in the WCOOP 530 rebuy, but lost a big flip to bust in 26th place. On Friday, I just played the two WCOOP events and was fairly deep in the 530 cubed, but came up short of the money. I decided to take off Saturday, and prepare for my big day on Sunday.
Sunday was a really long grind, starting at 1 pm with the 215 WCOOP, which by the way, Elky won! That's a whole different topic, but he has to be considered the best NLHE tournament player in the world. HAS TO BE! Mad respect!
Anyways, I played marked cards lenses all the WCOOPs and 2nd chance events and the big rebuy events and such. I really was regretting jumping in the 1k 2nd chance WCOOP event which started at 8 pm when I had busted everything else by 9:30.
I was mad that this tourney had such a slow structure and I could potentially end up playing until 5 am. That's just what I did too, I finished day 1 of this 2 day event 4th in chips with 38 people left and finally was able to go to sleep at 5:15 in the morning.
The
I whiffed and was left with 4 bbs and was out a few hands later. It was a miserable end to what I was hoping to be a very big WCOOP for me.
No worries though, London's going to be HUGE! I'm boarding my plane now, when I land I will have 3 hours to get over to WSOPE for the 5k pound PLO event, which I FTed last year.
Yessssir! Later!
2013年12月12日星期四
Stout's Sunday Report: March 7, 2010
Poker pro Matt Stout is back with another installment of The
Sunday Report. Stout will track all his results for his full online MTT
Sunday schedule, complete with profits and losses.
Keep track right here on the PokerListings Blog.
Total tournaments played: 34
Total amount of buy-ins: $7,631
Total cashes: 6
- 152/2911 in the Sunday Brawl, $523.98 + $120 bounties
- 34/1,088 in the newStars $162 six-max, $701.76
- 113/1098 in the Sunday 500, $1043.10
- 35/191 in the Stars $109 (2 rebuy, 1 add-on), $422.80
- Tied 1st/184 in $700 NAPT Mohegan Sunsatellite , $7k package infrared ink
- 90/997 in late Tilt $163, $269.19
Total amount of cashes/bounties: $10,080.83
Length of session: 10:53
Net win/loss for the day: +$2,449.83
Net win/loss online on Sundays since thestart of the Sunday Report (February 7, 2010): +$23,542.14
I'm pretty burnt out from 34 tournaments along with 8 blunts, and a plethora of VOLCANO and bong hits, so I'll keep this short.
This morning I decided to make an agreement with my roommates (Paul Wasicka and Jon "sketchy1" Eaton) that if any of us busted each other online, we'd receive a $100 bounty from the other roommate.
Good thing I came up with it, since Jon busted me TWICEEEEEEEEEE today! srpgjsdpgiodkfaso[fks[kldf;hkgopjnipdjgiosdfgjsdipfkhjdpfihj
Here is the funniest hands of the day, followed by a misclick gone RIGHT for once:
Full Tilt Poker Game #19061531694: $75,000 Guarantee (142145504), Table 25 - 50/100 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:29:47 ET - 2010/03/07
Seat 1: NDIrishCJ (10,372)
Seat 2: Ziplocked (8,555)
Seat 3: TheJimFish (7,155)
Seat 4: czechpro (5,150)
Seat 5: U_2Good4_Me (1,590)
Seat 6: LeterbuckChuck (6,540)
Seat 7: bigdennys (1,895)
Seat 8: All In At 420 (8,965)
Seat 9: pareshjain (4,080)
LeterbuckChuck posts the small blind of 50
bigdennys posts the big blind of 100
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to All In At 420 [Ad Ac]
All In At 420 raises to 300
pareshjain folds
NDIrishCJ folds
Ziplocked folds
TheJimFish folds
czechpro folds
U_2Good4_Me folds
LeterbuckChuck has 15 seconds left to act
LeterbuckChuck raises to 600
bigdennys folds
All In At 420 has 15 seconds left to act
All In At 420 raises to 1,800
LeterbuckChuck calls 1,200
*** FLOP *** [6d 7d 2h]
LeterbuckChuck bets 4,740, and is all in
All In At 420 calls 4,740
LeterbuckChuck shows [6c 9s]
All In At 420 shows [Ad Ac]
*** TURN *** [6d 7d 2h] [Ah]
*** RIVER *** [6d 7d 2h Ah] [3c]
LeterbuckChuck shows a pair of Sixes
All In At 420 shows three of a kind, Aces
All In At 420 wins the pot (13,180) with three of a kind, Aces
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 13,180 | Rake 0
Board: [6d 7d 2h Ah 3c]
Seat 1: NDIrishCJ didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Ziplocked didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: TheJimFish didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: czechpro didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: U_2Good4_Me (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: LeterbuckChuck (small blind) showed [6c 9s] and lost with a pair of Sixes
Seat 7: bigdennys (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: All In At 420 showed [Ad Ac] and won (13,180) with three of a kind, Aces
Seat 9: pareshjain didn't bet (folded)
Full Tilt Poker Game #19062902834: $125,000 Guarantee (Rebuy) (143306226), Table 22 - 500/1000 Ante 125 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:27:18 ET - 2010/03/07
Seat 1: lingling118 (5,687)
Seat 2: Mig_com (16,296)
Seat 3: da_professional (31,320)
Seat 4: getano100 (3,797)
Seat 5: All In At 420 (22,951)
Seat 6: wywrot (10,371)
Seat 7: grindtherail (5,321)
Seat 8: son34 (31,651)
Seat 9: KingDan23 (18,360)
lingling118 antes 125
Mig_com antes 125
da_professional antes 125
getano100 antes 125
All In At 420 antes 125
wywrot antes 125
grindtherail antes 125
son34 antes 125
KingDan23 antes 125
grindtherail posts the small blind of 500
son34 posts the big blind of 1,000
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to All In At 420 [2s 4c]
KingDan23 folds
lingling118 folds
Mig_com folds
da_professional has 15 seconds left to act marked poker
da_professional raises to 2,640
getano100 folds
All In At 420 calls 2,640 (Me: GAH! %*#&!!! AND I ONLY HAVE ~20k BEHIND!!! %&*#^*%(@#(%$ FKN MISCLICKS!!!!!!!)
wywrot folds
grindtherail folds
son34 calls 1,640
*** FLOP *** [5s As Tc]
son34 checks
da_professional checks
(Me: Wow, how sick would it be to turn an offsuit three here?)
All In At 420 checks
*** TURN *** [5s As Tc] [3h] (Me: WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!)
son34 bets 2,000
da_professional calls 2,000
All In At 420 raises to 7,000
son34 folds
da_professional has 15 seconds left to act
da_professional: show me one time?
da_professional has requested TIME
da_professional folds
Uncalled bet of 5,000 returned to All In At 420
All In At 420 mucks
All In At 420 wins the pot (15,545)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 15,545 | Rake 0
Board: [5s As Tc 3h]
Seat 1: lingling118 folded before the Flop
Seat 2: Mig_com folded before the Flop
Seat 3: da_professional folded on the Turn
Seat 4: getano100 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: All In At 420 collected (15,545), mucked
Seat 6: wywrot (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: grindtherail (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: son34 (big blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 9: KingDan23 folded before the Flop
Matt Stout
Keep track right here on the PokerListings Blog.
Total tournaments played: 34
Total amount of buy-ins: $7,631
Total cashes: 6
- 152/2911 in the Sunday Brawl, $523.98 + $120 bounties
- 34/1,088 in the new
- 113/1098 in the Sunday 500, $1043.10
- 35/191 in the Stars $109 (2 rebuy, 1 add-on), $422.80
- Tied 1st/184 in $700 NAPT Mohegan Sun
- 90/997 in late Tilt $163, $269.19
Total amount of cashes/bounties: $10,080.83
Length of session: 10:53
Net win/loss for the day: +$2,449.83
Net win/loss online on Sundays since the
I'm pretty burnt out from 34 tournaments along with 8 blunts, and a plethora of VOLCANO and bong hits, so I'll keep this short.
This morning I decided to make an agreement with my roommates (Paul Wasicka and Jon "sketchy1" Eaton) that if any of us busted each other online, we'd receive a $100 bounty from the other roommate.
Good thing I came up with it, since Jon busted me TWICEEEEEEEEEE today! srpgjsdpgiodkfaso[fks[kldf;hkgopjnipdjgiosdfgjsdipfkhjdpfihj
Here is the funniest hands of the day, followed by a misclick gone RIGHT for once:
Full Tilt Poker Game #19061531694: $75,000 Guarantee (142145504), Table 25 - 50/100 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:29:47 ET - 2010/03/07
Seat 1: NDIrishCJ (10,372)
Seat 2: Ziplocked (8,555)
Seat 3: TheJimFish (7,155)
Seat 4: czechpro (5,150)
Seat 5: U_2Good4_Me (1,590)
Seat 6: LeterbuckChuck (6,540)
Seat 7: bigdennys (1,895)
Seat 8: All In At 420 (8,965)
Seat 9: pareshjain (4,080)
LeterbuckChuck posts the small blind of 50
bigdennys posts the big blind of 100
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to All In At 420 [Ad Ac]
All In At 420 raises to 300
pareshjain folds
NDIrishCJ folds
Ziplocked folds
TheJimFish folds
czechpro folds
U_2Good4_Me folds
LeterbuckChuck has 15 seconds left to act
LeterbuckChuck raises to 600
bigdennys folds
All In At 420 has 15 seconds left to act
All In At 420 raises to 1,800
LeterbuckChuck calls 1,200
*** FLOP *** [6d 7d 2h]
LeterbuckChuck bets 4,740, and is all in
All In At 420 calls 4,740
LeterbuckChuck shows [6c 9s]
All In At 420 shows [Ad Ac]
*** TURN *** [6d 7d 2h] [Ah]
*** RIVER *** [6d 7d 2h Ah] [3c]
LeterbuckChuck shows a pair of Sixes
All In At 420 shows three of a kind, Aces
All In At 420 wins the pot (13,180) with three of a kind, Aces
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 13,180 | Rake 0
Board: [6d 7d 2h Ah 3c]
Seat 1: NDIrishCJ didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Ziplocked didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: TheJimFish didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: czechpro didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: U_2Good4_Me (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: LeterbuckChuck (small blind) showed [6c 9s] and lost with a pair of Sixes
Seat 7: bigdennys (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: All In At 420 showed [Ad Ac] and won (13,180) with three of a kind, Aces
Seat 9: pareshjain didn't bet (folded)
Full Tilt Poker Game #19062902834: $125,000 Guarantee (Rebuy) (143306226), Table 22 - 500/1000 Ante 125 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:27:18 ET - 2010/03/07
Seat 1: lingling118 (5,687)
Seat 2: Mig_com (16,296)
Seat 3: da_professional (31,320)
Seat 4: getano100 (3,797)
Seat 5: All In At 420 (22,951)
Seat 6: wywrot (10,371)
Seat 7: grindtherail (5,321)
Seat 8: son34 (31,651)
Seat 9: KingDan23 (18,360)
lingling118 antes 125
Mig_com antes 125
da_professional antes 125
getano100 antes 125
All In At 420 antes 125
wywrot antes 125
grindtherail antes 125
son34 antes 125
KingDan23 antes 125
grindtherail posts the small blind of 500
son34 posts the big blind of 1,000
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to All In At 420 [2s 4c]
KingDan23 folds
lingling118 folds
Mig_com folds
da_professional has 15 seconds left to act marked poker
da_professional raises to 2,640
getano100 folds
All In At 420 calls 2,640 (Me: GAH! %*#&!!! AND I ONLY HAVE ~20k BEHIND!!! %&*#^*%(@#(%$ FKN MISCLICKS!!!!!!!)
wywrot folds
grindtherail folds
son34 calls 1,640
*** FLOP *** [5s As Tc]
son34 checks
da_professional checks
(Me: Wow, how sick would it be to turn an offsuit three here?)
All In At 420 checks
*** TURN *** [5s As Tc] [3h] (Me: WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!)
son34 bets 2,000
da_professional calls 2,000
All In At 420 raises to 7,000
son34 folds
da_professional has 15 seconds left to act
da_professional: show me one time?
da_professional has requested TIME
da_professional folds
Uncalled bet of 5,000 returned to All In At 420
All In At 420 mucks
All In At 420 wins the pot (15,545)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 15,545 | Rake 0
Board: [5s As Tc 3h]
Seat 1: lingling118 folded before the Flop
Seat 2: Mig_com folded before the Flop
Seat 3: da_professional folded on the Turn
Seat 4: getano100 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: All In At 420 collected (15,545), mucked
Seat 6: wywrot (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 7: grindtherail (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: son34 (big blind) folded on the Turn
Seat 9: KingDan23 folded before the Flop
Matt Stout
2013年11月26日星期二
Poker's Greatest All-Time Whales: Barkley, Jordan and A-Rod
It's the holy grail of poker - a big-moneyed, amateur poker player
with a bottomless bankroll, an eye for the gamble and next-to-no sense
of what's truly happening on the felt.
In honor of the Discovery Channel's Shark Week guest blogger James Guill breaks down some of poker's biggest-ever donators in a five-part series we've dubbed #WhaleWeek.
Next up: An off-the-poker-path trio that includes Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan and Alex Rodriguez.
By James Guill
The world of professional gambling is marked cards often compared to the world of professional sports thanks to the adrenaline rushes you get gambling for large sums of money.
Given their competitive drive, generous salaries and large amounts of downtime, it's little surprise major sports figures can become some of gambling's biggest whales.
"Sir Charles" may be one of the biggest sports whales in the history of the game. Barkley once admitted to ESPN that he has dropped over $10 million gambling with his largest single loss $2.5 million during a six-hour blackjack session.
While, granted, not much of his $10 million in losses may have been at the poker tables but Barkley is known to play poker and uses his skills to benefit charity.
He's entered numerous charity poker events in the past including the $5,000 Ante-Up for Africa Charity Event at both the 2008 and 2009 World Series of Poker. Spike Lee, as you see in the clip above, can also vouch he's dropped a few dollars at the poker table.
He went on to lead the Bulls to three more titles from 1996 through 1998.
His Airness definitely classifies as a celebrity whale. His gambling exploits caused major controversy during the early 1990s when it was revealed he had multi-million dollar losses in golf, baccarat and blackjack.
Jordan also likes to play high-stakes poker on occasion. As Spike Lee shares in the clip above, at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics Jordan was reportedly more interested in gambling than in playing basketball.
After watching him virtually cripple two NBA franchises in the past decade from the front office, we also have little doubt Jordan was not the smartest player at the tables.
A-Rod has put up impressive numbers throughout his career bu tunfortunately his link with performance enhancing drugs has resulted in a long-term ban from the game which he is currently appealing.
Connections with PEDs are not the only blemish on his record as MLB has long been keeping an eye on him due to his connection with gambling infrared contactlenses.
Rodriguez has long been connected to the world of underground high-stakes poker games in New York and Los Angeles. Major League Baseball has investigated his poker play on multiple occasions, most recently his involvement with an illegal New York poker ring run by Russian gangsters.
Rodriguez has been a participant in various underground poker games since 2007 and even Major League Baseball has warned him that participating in underground games could lead to trouble
Back in August the Federal government indicted 40 people connected with an underground game that was described as "poker on steroids." Rodriguez was one of the whales that the group catered too.
The group laundered over $100 million in the games, making one wonder just how high A-Rod was playing (and losing).
In honor of the Discovery Channel's Shark Week guest blogger James Guill breaks down some of poker's biggest-ever donators in a five-part series we've dubbed #WhaleWeek.
Next up: An off-the-poker-path trio that includes Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan and Alex Rodriguez.
By James Guill
The world of professional gambling is marked cards often compared to the world of professional sports thanks to the adrenaline rushes you get gambling for large sums of money.
Given their competitive drive, generous salaries and large amounts of downtime, it's little surprise major sports figures can become some of gambling's biggest whales.
Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley is one of the more colorful characters in NBA history. Always brash and outspoken the 11-time all-star had a 17-year career split between the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets."Sir Charles" may be one of the biggest sports whales in the history of the game. Barkley once admitted to ESPN that he has dropped over $10 million gambling with his largest single loss $2.5 million during a six-hour blackjack session.
While, granted, not much of his $10 million in losses may have been at the poker tables but Barkley is known to play poker and uses his skills to benefit charity.
He's entered numerous charity poker events in the past including the $5,000 Ante-Up for Africa Charity Event at both the 2008 and 2009 World Series of Poker. Spike Lee, as you see in the clip above, can also vouch he's dropped a few dollars at the poker table.
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is considered by most to be the greatest basketball player of all-time. Winning three NBA Championships with the Chicago Bulls from 1991 to 1993, Jordan retired from the game after the murder of his father only to come back in 1995.He went on to lead the Bulls to three more titles from 1996 through 1998.
His Airness definitely classifies as a celebrity whale. His gambling exploits caused major controversy during the early 1990s when it was revealed he had multi-million dollar losses in golf, baccarat and blackjack.
Jordan also likes to play high-stakes poker on occasion. As Spike Lee shares in the clip above, at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics Jordan was reportedly more interested in gambling than in playing basketball.
After watching him virtually cripple two NBA franchises in the past decade from the front office, we also have little doubt Jordan was not the smartest player at the tables.
Alex Rodriguez
Love him or hate him Alex Rodriguez is certainly one of the most talented baseball players in Major League history.A-Rod has put up impressive numbers throughout his career bu tunfortunately his link with performance enhancing drugs has resulted in a long-term ban from the game which he is currently appealing.
Connections with PEDs are not the only blemish on his record as MLB has long been keeping an eye on him due to his connection with gambling infrared contactlenses.
Rodriguez has long been connected to the world of underground high-stakes poker games in New York and Los Angeles. Major League Baseball has investigated his poker play on multiple occasions, most recently his involvement with an illegal New York poker ring run by Russian gangsters.
Rodriguez has been a participant in various underground poker games since 2007 and even Major League Baseball has warned him that participating in underground games could lead to trouble
Back in August the Federal government indicted 40 people connected with an underground game that was described as "poker on steroids." Rodriguez was one of the whales that the group catered too.
The group laundered over $100 million in the games, making one wonder just how high A-Rod was playing (and losing).
The Naked Raise Plus: Post-Flop Play Part III
Let's continue our overview of post-flop play. In the past two columns we looked at eight fundamental strategic moves.
Here are four more.
IX. The naked raise on the flop.
This ploy is a variation on the float play (see Part II) in that it takes advantage of an aggressive player who has likely missed the flop.
The principle behind it is the same one that motivates the float: most flops miss most hands. However, instead of flat-calling the pre-flop raiser's continuation bet, you raise marked cards.
The move will be either a bluff or a semi-bluff, depending on whether you caught a piece of the flop yourself.
The success of this gambit depends largely on the texture of the flop and your sense of the range of hands your opponent might have raised with pre-flop. Since the move is essentially a steal, it's more likely to succeed on raggedy boards.
Interestingly, it won't matter all that much what your table image is here. If you're seen as loosey-goosey, your opponent is going to wonder about a possible two-pair on a flop like T♣ 8♦ 5♠
If you've established a tight, conservative image, flops like this invite thoughts about flopped sets.
There are also other boards that invite this move, including what you may think as unlikely ones like three suited cards or three mid-sized connectors. They work because your opponent has to worry about you having hit the flop hard.
How much to raise will be an issue and there are no unmessy ways to determine this. Factors such as your image, your opponent's tendencies, your positions, stack sizes and the like will come into play.
Generally, you want to use the smallest raise that looks like it will work since if you get called or re-popped you're almost certainly going to have to let the hand go.
The naked raise isn't a move for every hand. In fact, it should be employed judiciously.
X. Pay attention to players on your left. They will often have tells about planned action.
Numerous columns have been written about this, yet surprisingly, many players fail to use it after the flop - especially one that has been seen by several players.
The most costly outcome of this failure is to make a modest bet, say half the pot, and then look left and see that your opponent has already picked up a stack and is moving in for the kill.
Having to dump a half-pot bet into the ether once or twice a night can be expensive.
XI. In most situations, the value of a made infrared marked cards hand diminishes with each new card. I know, this is obvious, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to forget it under pressure.
I have no hard data on this but as we noted earlier (Part II), I suspect that more money is lost in NLH with flops that give you either top-pair top-kicker or bottom-two than any other holdings.
They are highly vulnerable hands just because they're unlikely to improve, whereas there are myriad holdings that can run them down - and when they do, it can hurt.
The problem is it's so easy to get emotionally attached to strong hands ("get married" is the tag line often heard). The solution is to remember that their strength diminishes with each new card that hits the board.
Make sure you think through each situation. Try to calculate the likelihood that your hand is still best or whether flop texture, betting, position and your opponent's likely hand range shout out warnings.
XII. Learn how to counter "standard" gambits like c-bets, traps and float plays.
Most winning players know the standard ploys and use them advantageously. However, many have not dug sufficiently into the ways to counter them.
There are no algorithms here but some tricks that work are known. For example, you're reasonably sure your opponent's call on the flop is the first move in a float play. Instead of checking the turn, fire a second bullet or, even more aggressively, check-raise.
The "naked raise" move discussed above can also be used to neutralize the continuation bet. When you raise a c-bet from a typical player you are accomplishing several things.
First, you're shaping your image as a focused and aggressive player. You're telling the table that they're not always going to get away with a simple c-bet.
Second, you're introducing an element that will play an important part of the meta-game. It can get you a free card that a less-aggressive player won't.
It can also provide you with the opportunity to take control of a hand by removing the initiative.
More in a later column.
Here are four more.
IX. The naked raise on the flop.
This ploy is a variation on the float play (see Part II) in that it takes advantage of an aggressive player who has likely missed the flop.
The principle behind it is the same one that motivates the float: most flops miss most hands. However, instead of flat-calling the pre-flop raiser's continuation bet, you raise marked cards.
The move will be either a bluff or a semi-bluff, depending on whether you caught a piece of the flop yourself.
The success of this gambit depends largely on the texture of the flop and your sense of the range of hands your opponent might have raised with pre-flop. Since the move is essentially a steal, it's more likely to succeed on raggedy boards.
Interestingly, it won't matter all that much what your table image is here. If you're seen as loosey-goosey, your opponent is going to wonder about a possible two-pair on a flop like T♣ 8♦ 5♠
If you've established a tight, conservative image, flops like this invite thoughts about flopped sets.
There are also other boards that invite this move, including what you may think as unlikely ones like three suited cards or three mid-sized connectors. They work because your opponent has to worry about you having hit the flop hard.
How much to raise will be an issue and there are no unmessy ways to determine this. Factors such as your image, your opponent's tendencies, your positions, stack sizes and the like will come into play.
Generally, you want to use the smallest raise that looks like it will work since if you get called or re-popped you're almost certainly going to have to let the hand go.
The naked raise isn't a move for every hand. In fact, it should be employed judiciously.
X. Pay attention to players on your left. They will often have tells about planned action.
Numerous columns have been written about this, yet surprisingly, many players fail to use it after the flop - especially one that has been seen by several players.
The most costly outcome of this failure is to make a modest bet, say half the pot, and then look left and see that your opponent has already picked up a stack and is moving in for the kill.
Having to dump a half-pot bet into the ether once or twice a night can be expensive.
XI. In most situations, the value of a made infrared marked cards hand diminishes with each new card. I know, this is obvious, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to forget it under pressure.
I have no hard data on this but as we noted earlier (Part II), I suspect that more money is lost in NLH with flops that give you either top-pair top-kicker or bottom-two than any other holdings.
They are highly vulnerable hands just because they're unlikely to improve, whereas there are myriad holdings that can run them down - and when they do, it can hurt.
The problem is it's so easy to get emotionally attached to strong hands ("get married" is the tag line often heard). The solution is to remember that their strength diminishes with each new card that hits the board.
Make sure you think through each situation. Try to calculate the likelihood that your hand is still best or whether flop texture, betting, position and your opponent's likely hand range shout out warnings.
XII. Learn how to counter "standard" gambits like c-bets, traps and float plays.
Most winning players know the standard ploys and use them advantageously. However, many have not dug sufficiently into the ways to counter them.
There are no algorithms here but some tricks that work are known. For example, you're reasonably sure your opponent's call on the flop is the first move in a float play. Instead of checking the turn, fire a second bullet or, even more aggressively, check-raise.
The "naked raise" move discussed above can also be used to neutralize the continuation bet. When you raise a c-bet from a typical player you are accomplishing several things.
First, you're shaping your image as a focused and aggressive player. You're telling the table that they're not always going to get away with a simple c-bet.
Second, you're introducing an element that will play an important part of the meta-game. It can get you a free card that a less-aggressive player won't.
It can also provide you with the opportunity to take control of a hand by removing the initiative.
More in a later column.
Don't Let Imitation Ruin Your Game
There's a time and a place for emulating your poker-player
heroes, but take it too far at the table and you could be harming your chances of winning . Why do people do it?
We Homo sapiens are an imitative species. A trip to the zoo will reveal that we share this tendency with our closest relatives (as in "monkey see, monkey do"). Infants imitate others as soon as they can; three-day-olds will stick out their tongues if they see an adult do it.
A huge amount of what we learn comes from observing others and marked cards, as we grow and mature, our role models become touchstones for our own developing selves. We like movies and television and love to imagine ourselves as our heroes; we want to be like that dude up there on screen.
But imitation has limitations. It works best when learning something new. It helps youget started
because you focus on the important stuff and there is less to learn on
your own. But if you hope to become an expert, you must leave off
copying others and develop your own skills --- and this brings us to
poker.
The poker landscape has undergone seismic changes in just a few years, much of it due to TV. The exposure has created stars. Guys who, a couple of years ago, were crawling the dusty roads from one underground game to another now have agents, personal trainers and their own Web sites.
Twenty-somethings who were sitting in front of their computers in their tighty whities eking outgas money
in $1/$2 games are now tooling around in Porsches. This is great and I
wish them the very best - and I hope they're doing the right thing for
their futures, 'cause it's real tough to stay in the limelight for long.
Of course, as most realize, watching poker on TV isn't really watching poker played on TV. It's an edited show. Compelling scenes have been selected; the dross has landed on the metaphoric cutting room floor. It is entertainment.
It has to be. It has to sell advertising time and it has to draw an audience. It has done both, more than anyone (including the producers) ever imagined. But it is not poker, not really - although some shows, like High Stakes Poker, get close.
Poker, according to the late, great Jack Straus, is "hours of boredom punctuated by moments of terror." Boredom don't sell beer.
These stars have become role models and, predictably, have spawned legions of imitators, players who seem to think they gain something by acting like their heroes. They don't. They look like bozos and it hurts their game.
When good players see this kind of posturing, they work to unpack the offender's game. They aren't impressed; they just think you're a bad joke. Here are three of the worst. If you see yourself below, do yourself and the rest of us a favor: stop it.
Hollywooding
We've all watched Sammy Farha "contemplate" a big bet by counting out his chips, stacking and restacking them, riffling them over and over, counting them again, flipping them, stacking... gag!
Of course, then he folds. There are reasons for this act. It has a touch of drama. Sammy and the unlit cigarette stay marked cards contactlenses on camera and it has secondary gain in that it annoys opponents who are likely to tilt.
I'm tired of Sammy's act but I understand it. But I've had it with kids imitating it in my game. There is no camera my friends, no air time and no agents will be calling. You're wasting everyone's time and you're not gaining an edge on me. I have labeled you a "bozo" and I like to play with bozos.
And, while you're at, stop tying to dress like Phil Laak. Dump the hoodie.
The Stare
Phil Hilm got himself a lot of TV exposure during last year's WSOP finals. I suspect he's a decent enough player (he apparently has done well in European events), although his meltdown at the final table was stunning.
But no matter. The fascination with Hilm was "The Stare." Every time he had to act he would turn and rivet his opponent with an icy, focused glare. Like Sammy's Hollywood gambit, it got him air time.
Hilm's stare isn't anything new, of course. His was just the most recent and one of the more penetrating of the genre. But these peering, leering, staring, glaring clowns keep showing up in my games.
If you've become a practitioner of The Stare, here are some things to know. First, as noted in an earlier piece of mine, few if any tells are picked up this way. Tells are garnered from patterns of betting, talking and larger physical bodily actions.
Second, staring this way is a tell. It usually reflects uncertainty.
Third, I think it's funny and I have taken to snickering when opponents do it.
And, while contemplating this, please dump the shades. If you haven't noticed, many pros who wear them take them off in critical moments when they need to get all the information they can. I watched a poseur with aviators get stacked when he misread the board. The glasses went into his pocket on the very next hand.
Hand Reading
I love watching Daniel Negreanu smile, lean forward and say something like, "Man, you called with J-9o and hit that second pair." And, of course, because we know the hole cards, we see that he was exactly right. In fact, the commentators often remark about Daniel's seemingly occult hand reading skills.
Daniel is good at this, among the best. It is an important element in his success. But, keep in mind that the show you are watching is edited and a dead-on read like this is a "TV moment." Missed reads aren't.
Hand reading has a lot in common with picking up tells. It's based on detecting patterns over time. It is also not aimed at putting an opponent on a specific hand, although occasionally that is possible.
Hand reading begins with educated guesses about a range of hands an opponent could be holding and, as more information becomes available, progresses to a gradual narrowing of that range. When you know precisely what an opponent has, your grandma knows too.
Take-home message: Imitation is, indeed, a sincere form of flattery. It helps develop skills, and picking the right role model can be critical in the life choices we make.
But to really excel in anything we must go beyond emulating others. Find your own way. Stop the Hollywood gambit, dump The Stare and don't make a dunce out of yourself telling me I'm playing A-Js when I'm on a stone-cold bluff.
We Homo sapiens are an imitative species. A trip to the zoo will reveal that we share this tendency with our closest relatives (as in "monkey see, monkey do"). Infants imitate others as soon as they can; three-day-olds will stick out their tongues if they see an adult do it.
A huge amount of what we learn comes from observing others and marked cards, as we grow and mature, our role models become touchstones for our own developing selves. We like movies and television and love to imagine ourselves as our heroes; we want to be like that dude up there on screen.
But imitation has limitations. It works best when learning something new. It helps you
The poker landscape has undergone seismic changes in just a few years, much of it due to TV. The exposure has created stars. Guys who, a couple of years ago, were crawling the dusty roads from one underground game to another now have agents, personal trainers and their own Web sites.
Twenty-somethings who were sitting in front of their computers in their tighty whities eking out
Of course, as most realize, watching poker on TV isn't really watching poker played on TV. It's an edited show. Compelling scenes have been selected; the dross has landed on the metaphoric cutting room floor. It is entertainment.
It has to be. It has to sell advertising time and it has to draw an audience. It has done both, more than anyone (including the producers) ever imagined. But it is not poker, not really - although some shows, like High Stakes Poker, get close.
Poker, according to the late, great Jack Straus, is "hours of boredom punctuated by moments of terror." Boredom don't sell beer.
These stars have become role models and, predictably, have spawned legions of imitators, players who seem to think they gain something by acting like their heroes. They don't. They look like bozos and it hurts their game.
When good players see this kind of posturing, they work to unpack the offender's game. They aren't impressed; they just think you're a bad joke. Here are three of the worst. If you see yourself below, do yourself and the rest of us a favor: stop it.
Hollywooding
We've all watched Sammy Farha "contemplate" a big bet by counting out his chips, stacking and restacking them, riffling them over and over, counting them again, flipping them, stacking... gag!
Of course, then he folds. There are reasons for this act. It has a touch of drama. Sammy and the unlit cigarette stay marked cards contactlenses on camera and it has secondary gain in that it annoys opponents who are likely to tilt.
I'm tired of Sammy's act but I understand it. But I've had it with kids imitating it in my game. There is no camera my friends, no air time and no agents will be calling. You're wasting everyone's time and you're not gaining an edge on me. I have labeled you a "bozo" and I like to play with bozos.
And, while you're at, stop tying to dress like Phil Laak. Dump the hoodie.
The Stare
Phil Hilm got himself a lot of TV exposure during last year's WSOP finals. I suspect he's a decent enough player (he apparently has done well in European events), although his meltdown at the final table was stunning.
But no matter. The fascination with Hilm was "The Stare." Every time he had to act he would turn and rivet his opponent with an icy, focused glare. Like Sammy's Hollywood gambit, it got him air time.
Hilm's stare isn't anything new, of course. His was just the most recent and one of the more penetrating of the genre. But these peering, leering, staring, glaring clowns keep showing up in my games.
If you've become a practitioner of The Stare, here are some things to know. First, as noted in an earlier piece of mine, few if any tells are picked up this way. Tells are garnered from patterns of betting, talking and larger physical bodily actions.
Second, staring this way is a tell. It usually reflects uncertainty.
Third, I think it's funny and I have taken to snickering when opponents do it.
And, while contemplating this, please dump the shades. If you haven't noticed, many pros who wear them take them off in critical moments when they need to get all the information they can. I watched a poseur with aviators get stacked when he misread the board. The glasses went into his pocket on the very next hand.
Hand Reading
I love watching Daniel Negreanu smile, lean forward and say something like, "Man, you called with J-9o and hit that second pair." And, of course, because we know the hole cards, we see that he was exactly right. In fact, the commentators often remark about Daniel's seemingly occult hand reading skills.
Daniel is good at this, among the best. It is an important element in his success. But, keep in mind that the show you are watching is edited and a dead-on read like this is a "TV moment." Missed reads aren't.
Hand reading has a lot in common with picking up tells. It's based on detecting patterns over time. It is also not aimed at putting an opponent on a specific hand, although occasionally that is possible.
Hand reading begins with educated guesses about a range of hands an opponent could be holding and, as more information becomes available, progresses to a gradual narrowing of that range. When you know precisely what an opponent has, your grandma knows too.
Take-home message: Imitation is, indeed, a sincere form of flattery. It helps develop skills, and picking the right role model can be critical in the life choices we make.
But to really excel in anything we must go beyond emulating others. Find your own way. Stop the Hollywood gambit, dump The Stare and don't make a dunce out of yourself telling me I'm playing A-Js when I'm on a stone-cold bluff.
2013年9月25日星期三
Hosting the Perfect Home Poker Game Made Easy
Ok so the chips are on the table, the beers are in the fridge you have your finest pair of all black sunglasses on stand by… so, is that all the bases covered for your home poker game? Well no is the simple answer. Don't worry though this article gives you all the info to help you on your way to having a fine night of poker.
What's the Buy-In and what are the Stakes?
Ok this is the most important part of the whole evening. Get this wrong, and the night may turn sour very fast. Make sure you set your limits before you start and don't change them. Keep it friendly; remember the idea is to have a good night not to make it so your mate Terry can't pay the rent.
Set the blinds, amount of re-buys, and structure (limit, no-limit or pot limit) before you start. Make sure everyone is happy.
Equipment
This sounds easy but trust me something will be forgotten if you don't double check everything. You will at least need all the items on this list to make sure you have a decent game.
Cards x 2 decks minimum (one always gets damaged)
Pastillion x1 this goes at the bottom of the deck so no one knows or can see the bottom card.
Dealer button x 1
Chips: Now people if you have 8 players and every one is getting 1000 in starting value stacks. Break it down to 5x100 6x50 8x25 = 19 chips each or 152 chips in total. Most sets you can buy have at least 200 chips as a minimum and usually 4-5 colours. If you are having a re-buy game mark one colour as the same value as the same total as your starting stack of a 1000. This will greatly reduce the number of chips you need to play a re-buy.
Keep your players happy - if you want to be seen as a good host, make sure that you keep the players happy with a few pizzas and a good stock of beer. As a host collect a small flat fee from each player at the start of the night to cover food and drinks and this is a good way to keep everyone happy while not shelling out too much of your own money. Remember that a happy poker player will often spend (lose hopefully) more money than an unhappy one.
Well I hope this help you host the perfect home game, until my next update take care of your selves and take care of you cash by having a look some of our trusted sites and win some money @ http://www.markedcards.org
Don't forget to check our videos to enhance your poker skills @ http://www.markedcards.org
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