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« October 2006 | Main | December 2006 »
I have gotten a chuckle from a couple blog responses purporting to be from me (Mike Fasso) that were in fact authored by someone else and signed with my name. But I'd ask that, in future, if you want to do something along those lines, please use your own name and make it clear that it is a parody, or whatever. I'd rather not be fired, or have to explain something embarrassing that I didn't write. Thanks.
Here's a look at Show #77, which was on Poker Pet Peeves and featured Mike Fasso as our special guest.
FSN SCREWS ME AGAIN! The FTP Championships at Red Rock were live last week and wouldn’t you know I'd get the shaft again? The tournament was scheduled for 4 hours, and since it was live you never knew if it was going to end early or run over. So what I did was I taped the encore presentation. I figured if it ran longer than 4 hours they would edit it down for the encore (uh, nope). It ended when it was heads-up. I had to go online to see who won. Unreal. Also, one of our listeners asked if it was ethical for Phil Gordon to pass a note to one of the players when it got down to 3-handed and the prize pool was top-two heavy. We talked about what the note could have said and whether he should have done it. Interesting stuff.
HEADS-UP “TOURNAMENT”: SydneyJim won the Ante Up! heads-up tournament ... well, if you can call it that. Only 4 people showed up. If we knew only 4 would show up we probably could have held it on Full Tilt. LOL! But how about Sharkey not even showing up for his own tournament? LOL! Congrats SydneyJim!
LOCAL CARD ROOMS: Lots of stuff happening locally in the Tampa Bay area. Here's a roundup:
Derby Lane: Since the establishment won't hold live racing on Sundays, that means there's no poker then either. Bummer. Also, there's a Hold'em tournament this Friday (12/2/06) @ 6:30 p.m. It's sponsored by an area adult sports league, but nonmembers are invited. The price for nonmembers is $65 and there's even an engraved trophy. Entry fee includes the tournament, prizes to top finishers, as well as free Bud Select and subs while supplies last.
One-Eyes Jacks: Our friend Bill in Sarasota sent us an audio review of the new card room One-Eyed Jacks at the Sarasota Kennel Club, which had its grand opening on Friday (11/24). Sounds a lot like what Derby Lane does here in St. Pete but with a few exceptions. He also sent us a couple of shots from the card room and I posted them on the photo gallery here and here.
Tampa Bay Downs: The Silks Card Room opens Dec. 9 and Scott, Fasso and I will be there to play in the first tournament. Well, I might be there, who knows.
FORUM NEWS: Our friend Paul LaBrier, who runs our forum is implementing some incredible new changes. There’s actually a poker room now (not for money, of course) and a chat room, etc. I checked out the poker table while I was at work because I couldn’t get it to work on my Mac at home. If you haven’t checked it out yet you should. And he has more in store for us so stay tuned.
One-Minute Mystery: Our Columbo raised to find out where he was, but then after he got his answer he went against better judgment and still called the all-in. Scott and I agreed we thought this was questionable, and Fasso and I agreed Columbo was ahead but just should've pushed after the flop.
MAIN TOPIC: POKER PET PEEVES
Man, we had no idea people were so peeved when it came to poker! It set a record here for the most comments on this blog, and the hits just keep on coming. There were so many that I can't list them all here. Some highlights:
Too many poker shows: I love poker on TV, but this is getting ridiculous, What’s next? A drama called Poker 89120.
Hyperactive TV announcers: OH MY GOD! THAT WAS THE GREATEST HAND IN POKER HISTORY!!! Uh, no.
Rat-holers: These are the players who are playing in a live game and sneak money off the table during a hand/session to avoid losses.
Timed rakes, especially Foxwoods. If I choose not to play a pot for an hour, that’s my choice, I shouldn’t have to pay for the right to do that. Let the guys raking the pots pay the time. I’ll pay when I win, what’s the point of the timed rake? What if I don’t play a hand for an hour? I lost $10! That’s bull.
Players-Dealers who don't know the game: Everyone has to learn, but please don't give us attitude when you're wrong ALL THE TIME!
Body odor at the table: Take a shower for God sakes. Please, be considerate of your fellow rounder and discover that great invention called SOAP!
Extras: There were quite a few on the blog and if you want to read them go here. But our favorite came from Outlaw Jesco: I shake my head in disgust when any serious poker player is not familiar with The AnteUp! Nation.
HAND OF THE WEEK: Rob from N.J. sent us a hand that we felt he played pretty poorly on just about all streets. He actually didn't ask for analysis but we couldn't help ourselves. We'll send him some swag to heal the pain. In a nutshell, he didn't raise enough with AKs and then didn't get away from it when he missed the flop and was raised after an initial continuation stab.
Hey all,
Just a coupla things to post ...
PET PEEVES: Scott and I have been doing a lot of talking lately about what annoys us in the world of poker, so we thought we'd give it some air time. Unless some news breaks that we have to adjust to, this week's show is about our top Poker Pet Peeves, or P-Cubed for the hip kids out there. I know it's short notice, but if you have any PPPs you want to get off your chest post them here and maybe they'll make the show. If not that's fine, we have PLENTY!
ONE-EYED JACKS: Our good friend, Bill from Sarasota, was Johnny on the Spot this past weekend, heading to the Sarasota Kennel Club for the grand opening of its brand spanking new card room, One-Eyed Jacks. He sent us pictures and a review, which you can hear this week at the end of our show. Hopefully Sam Minutello will give us an update soon as well. You still read our blog, Sam? Congrats on a successful launch... how about a comp? LOL!
STILL FTP SHY: Quite a few of you saw me playing on Full Tilt Poker this weekend, but of course I was playing with play money or in freerolls. I have no money in FTP (I took all of my AIPS winnings out the second they posted in my account). And it's good to know some things never change. I was in a SNG Satellite for the Aussie Millions and I was playing super tight (mostly because the cards were cold and the position moves just weren't there). There were 6 people left, I'm the short stack (1,300) and the blinds were 100-200. In the BB I looked down at A♥K♣. UTG limped and another guy min-raised to 400 (he had about 2,800). It got folded to me and I think, "Well I have to reraise here," so of course I pushed. The UTG folded and the min-raiser had to call 900 to win like 2,000. He's getting the right price to call with any two cards really so I don't fault him calling with 6♠9♠. When the flop came with the A♠ I was looking ahead with dreams of heading Down Under, until I realized the backdoor flush possibility. The Turn: 7♠. The river: Q♠ to knock me out. Now, like I said, I don't fault the guy for calling my all-in since he was getting the right price, but it's basically the only hand I played and I got knocked out in brutal fashion. I was just glad it was only a FTP Points SNG instead of a $1,000 satellite! Anyway, I played a handful or Razz SNGs because I was bored out of my mind this weekend (the wife had to work) and won or placed in second in every one. Yay! (That was sarcasm in case you couldn't tell.) I just don't think I'll ever be comfortable playing online for real money again. Those beats just never end for me.
-- Chris
Since it's Thanksgiving weekend I thought it would be interesting to see what we all give thanks for. Though this is an American holiday and Ante Up! Nation extends well beyond American borders, I still think there's nothing wrong with reflecting on our lives and thanking whatever supreme being we believe in. I'll start, and feel free to comment on what you are thankful for.
First, I'd like to give thanks to my wife, Jeanne, who puts up with me and my habit. There's no person on this planet more amazing or generous and supportive. To put up with my whining about bad beats, or to placate me by listening to Ante Up! and to tolerate me begging her to play heads up for the umpteenth time that week is well beyond what a spouse should have to put up with, and I love her dearly for that. Thanks Wifey.
I'd also like to give thanks to Scott Long for being the best co-host anyone could ever ask for. He is constantly making the show better (AIPS, CAFEPRESS, HIS IMPRESSIONS OF HIS DAD, ETC.) and he's a riot to be friends with. Without him there'd be no Ante Up! Thanks Scott.
And I can't mention Scott without mentioning Fatso, whose good-natured personality allows me to poke fun at him when he knows I don't mean any of it. He's a fine poker player and an even finer human being. People could do a LOT worse than to be friends with Mike Fasso.
I'd like to give thanks to Doyle Brunson, who made all of this possible. He taught us that poker is not luck, but a game of skill, and his Super/System made me the player I am today. Thanks Doyle.
Thanks for my family and friends. They never roll their eyes when my first words upon seeing them are inevitably about poker. I have cut back on the poker talk with them, but it still slips in there and they always act interested. And for their tolleration, love and support I give thanks.
Thanks to the St. Petersburg Times and tbt* for their progressive attitude. It's not every newspaper in the world that let's a coupla bums like me and Scott put together a poker show for the Internet. But I think we haven't disappointed anyone here, and we're making money now, so it's all good.
And last, but definitely not least, I give thanks to the ANTE UP! NATION, without whom none of this would be possible. Thanks for listening, reading, writing and calling us with your stories and comments. You are the reason we are doing this, and you are the reason we will keep on doing it. The friendships I've made through this show will never be forgotten. Thanks.
-- Chris
This is just a reminder that the Ante Up! Heads Up Tournament is tomorrow (11/25/06) at noon. The details are here. Sadly Scott and I won't be there, but we will be there in spirit. Let us know how it goes with all of the details and we'll try to mention it on the show.
-- Chris
First off I'd like to apologize for the production quality of this week's show. Our engineer, Dave, had a last-minute vacation to take and we had to scramble to get someone to record and edit the show. You'll notice some audio issues and some editing issues, but since it's not costing you anything, I hope you'll let us slide this week.
What you also should notice is, WE HAVE ANOTHER SPONSOR. And this time it's serious. As you may have noticed on the blog there has been an ad from Beau Rivage Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Miss. We're just ecstatic that the Beau is back and flourishing enough to sponsor this episode. There may even be a year-long sponsorship in the works for 2007 so stay tuned. Ante Up! Nation moving upward and outward!
Scott and I both returned from very successful trips: his Buckeyes beat Michigan and I met the greatest poker players in the world. Not a bad week. But first we talked about yet another influx of poker shows flooding the airwaves. Poker Parlor, Pro/Am Equalizer (which by the way has been taped but actually never aired so who knows if it ever will), and Poker After Dark with Shana Hiatt. This doesn't even include the PPL that should be coming soon and plenty of others. Will this ever end?
Erwin gets robbed: Our No. 1 fan plays in his first B&M tournament and pays the same for the rake as he does for the entry fee. Doh! Try to avoid this at all costs big guy!
OMM: In Part 1 Columbo is fortunate enough to have a big stack at his table, and he's flopped top pair with a redraw to a low flush. He tries to put a player to the test, but that player turns the tables on our sleuth. Should he call the all-in?
MAIN TOPIC: I got to talk to so many pros and the highlights came from Gavin Smith-Joe Sebok (Circuit future, prop bets, crying dealers), Hoyt Corkins (his break, home game invites), T.J. Cloutier (Cloo-tee-ay or Cloo-tee-err), Kathy Liebert (the tournament grind) and Doyle Brunson (Super/System, the accident that changed his life, Doyle's Room, Internet poker's future, politics). Of all the interviews, Doyle's was the best because he actually didn't shy away from my tough question about the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act. He is a straight-shooter and surprised the hell out of me with his answers. Great interview as far as I'm concerned. And just before the show's credits I put together a potpourri of snippets from my interviews, including one where Todd Brunson doesn't want to talk about Internet poker for fear of THE MAN! It was like I was looking into a mirror!
HAND OF THE WEEK
Kathy Liebert vs. EG Harvin
Let's just say when you are trying to trap, you better hope it's not you who is being caught. The check on the turn makes all the difference in the world here. Kathy's bad luck at WPT final tables continues.
Whew! Maybe now I can get some sleep! Happy Turkey Day for those of you who celebrate it in the states!
-- Chris
There were a few things that happened during the week that I thought I should mention that I probably won't have time for during this week's show.
To give you an idea of just how serious this tournament was, when it got down to three tables a spectator fainted. The mood basically was ... Can someone get a medic here, oh and the blinds are now $3,000-$6,000. No one stopped playing. Everyone thought the guy was having a heart attack, but the clock kept ticking so they never left their seats. Turned out the kid just passed out because he drank too much the night before. Idiot!
Clonie Gowan smokes like a chimney. During 10-minute breaks I saw her light up at least four cigarettes each time. Wow! Maybe she smokes to stay skinny? Here's a picture of her smoking as she talks to Doyle.
Linda Johnson, who calls the action during the telecast, tells everyone to cheer even when someone merely picks up the blinds. After a while that got old. Linda is a great player (she has a 1997 WSOP bracelet in Razz and she writes for CardPlayer) and she's great for poker. She made some funny jokes and she was very competent, but the guy they brought in to give her a break wasn't. Half the time we didn't even know whose cards were whose when they turned them face up. Oh well.
Foxwoods needs a better plan: I realize that tournaments need to go hand-for-hand when the field gets close to the money, but was it really necessary to keep doing this once the prize money increased with every spot? I mean, the money is so top-heavy that this just made the night drag and everyone was getting so annoyed. There are numerous ways to handle this, the most logical being when someone gets knocked out they alert the director who then says, if anyone else is knocked out on this hand you will split the two spots' prize money. Or they could just say he got knocked out first, he gets that position's prize money, period. The real difference in money came in the final 6, and at that point they're all at one table anyway. It's just something that should be looked into. And I hated the players being split up on Day 1. It was easily the biggest annoyance, with a third of the field on one end of the casino and the rest on the other. And let's not forget, Foxwoods is the largest casino in the world.
WPT taping: It was weird sitting there listening to Sabina Gadecki in the background doing all of her multiple takes. She had to do soundbytes for going and coming from commercials. She kept saying over and over again: "Welcome back to the World Poker Finals, the biggest poker game in town!" Or something like that. Once or twice is cool, but I think she said it 29 times. It's fascinating to see it all come together, knowing that Linda had to stay quiet while Sabina did her taping, or whatever. Or that Mike and Vince obviously couldn't know what the players had. I saw them doing a lot of pre-taping earlier in the day. There's a ton of editing that has to go on afterward, it's not even funny. I also got to see these characters get their makeup put on, and you can only imagine who had to stay in the chair the longest.
Mimi Tran kept having to show her cards to the cam after the hands were over cuz she just couldn't master it for some reason.
What a rush: I saw a guy, David Fox, make a straight flush and get action because his opponent made a boat. A few hands later, Fox raised preflop and got a caller. The flop was Ah-8h-8s. Fox bet out and the other guy pushed. Fox instacalled with 88, flopping quads and getting major action. He cashed, but didn't make the big money, and it was all thanks to these hands. You could go months and never get those hands, much less get action on BOTH of them. ... I also saw AA vs. KK vs. QQ and the queens made quads. They were all-in preflop. That hand involved Barry Greenstein and Nenad Medic, but neither of them had QQ, it was someone else, who of course made the money. Who says there's no luck in poker?
Jean-Robert Bellande's 180? Remember Bobby from one of the WSOP circuit events last year? Remember how obnoxious he was? Well, I have to admit, when anyone approached him during breaks and asked to talk to him or get his autograph he was very gracious. He asked them what their names were and always obliged with an autograph. I saw him get ticked at the table once or twice, and he didn't take getting eliminated too well, but that's understandable. Anyway, I think I'll cut him some slack.
Biggest disappointment? Well, there were a few things. I was upset that Phil Ivey got knocked out so early. I know how amazing he is, and you all know how much I like him, so I would have loved to have secured that interview for the Ante Up! Nation, but maybe next time. I also was upset that a woman didn't win. I always pull hard for a woman when she's at the final table. They are clearly equals and all it will take is for one of them to win one of these for the whole world to take notice. I hope it happens soon. Regardless of them not winning, Mimi and Kathy made history, and I thank them for doing it when I was there. And finally, I wish my friend Kenna James was there. He had some stuff to take care of and couldn't make it, but it was the only thing that could have made this week better. Maybe next time. I'm thinking of trying to qualify for the April event there, then I could give you the insider's take instead of the reporter's take. Who knows?
-- Chris
P.S. I added some shots of Ante Up! Nationals on the photo gallery. They arrived when I was on vacay, so enjoy.
I am safe and sound back home in Tampa Bay! It was a great trip (though I feel like I need to take a vacation from my vacation). I went through all of my photos and posted most on the gallery. Remember, these shots and captions will reveal who the winner is, etc. So you've been warned.
Please keep in mind I have a crappy camera and I'm no Ansel Adams. Also, you'll notice in some shots I have my "Let's Play Razz!" button on. I wore it all week, first on my shirt then on my lanyard. Not one person mentioned it. Oh well. It's good to be back and I can't wait to edit the interviews and play them on the show. Hope you enjoy the shots, there are a lot of them.
-- Chris
If you want something done right you have to do it yourself, even if you're 1,300 miles from the office. Like I'm not doing enough this week for the blog and show, I have to do the recap because primadonna Scott is too busy at work and needs to get things done before heads to his precious Ohio State football game. Blah, blah, blah.
OK, so, Scott and I talked about a few things before the main topic. Here they are in a nutshell:
AIPS TROPHY NAMED: Our AIPS Player of the Year, Craig Kunimoto, has named the trophy, and nicknamed it. You'll have to tune in to find out.
WIRELESS HOLD 'EM: Seems Harrah's and Progressive Gaming International think it's a good thing to be able to play Peer-to-Peer Hold 'Em while at the casino, but not actually IN the casino. "Come to Harrah's and never leave your room..."
DEALER BUTTON GETS PIMPED OUT: Remember that dealer button we reviewed a while back? Well, it just got better. It's got a chrome shell, a 30-second action timer and a tin carrying case. The details are here.
ANAL POKER: OK, get your mind out of the gutter. One of our listeners called to tell us if there is only a bet out there and you want to bet more, it's a raise, not a reraise. He also points out that if you have a pair in the pocket and another one lands on the board you have a set, but if you have one in the pocket and two land on the board, you have trips. We, of course, knew this since we do have a poker show, but sometimes Scott and I get a little excited and throw around loose terminology. We will try to do better.
ONE-MINUTE MYSTERY: The conclusion of the Frozen Banana had us find out that Columbo's opponent did indeed have top set (see, not trips) but because of his nut-flush redraw he had to bet with middle set as well. He did, and he made his flush and got his banana to boot. Now send us a photo Columbo!!! LOL! This mystery also sparked a Tourette-like tirade by Fatso, which ultimately set off a wild night of cursing on FullTilt, which got his chat privileges banned for a month. A chain of events I'm glad I missed. Sorry Lance.
MAIN TOPIC: Well, unless you have been living in a cave for the past week, you know I'm in Connecticut covering the WPT event at Foxwoods, the World Poker Finals. I made numerous contacts and have plenty of interviews to broadcast for you. And I'd like to take a moment here and say these interviews are just short little snippets, anywhere from 2-8 minutes long. You have to remember, I have to catch these players during their 10-minute break. They won't be covered over numerous shows; I'll more than likely have them all on next week's show. Anyway, topics I covered included peeing with Scotty Nguyen, flirting with Freddy Deeb, joking with Doyle Brunson, and hanging with Cyndy Violette. Enjoy!
HAND OF THE WEEK: We think our friend from Melbourne, Australia (not Florida) misplayed his hand in two spots (by not opening with a raise with QJ and by not betting the turn with the straight with two diamonds on the board) and got lucky he wasn't up against a boat in the end. Remember, you want to make draws pay to get there (even though he didn't have a draw, but he just as easily could have had K9 and filled up on the river, too)
OK, that's a quick look back. Any last words Fatso? ... Mike? .... Lance? .... Pesto? .... Bard? .... Oh well. Maybe next time.
-- Chris
Before reading any further, I will be revealing the winner of the WPT World Poker Finals at Foxwoods (and the winners of the Father-Son event), so you have been warned!
The week wrapped up in grand fashion. I had primo seats (I'm right behind Mimi Tran a little to her left a few rows up, you'll see my on TV a lot. I'm wearing a white shirt) and the whole thing went really well. I sat with Sabina Gadecki's family (she agreed to come on the show when the WPT's season debuts in Feb./March) and in front of me was Barry Greenstein and Joe Sebok. By the way, they won the Father-Son special as well, edging out the Brunsons, Van Pattens and Shulmans.
Well, it started out as a historic evening with two women (Tran and Kathy Liebert) at the final table for the first time in the WPT's existence, but the night wouldn't end on a historic note as both women were knocked out before they got to heads up.
The night started off with a bang on the first hand as Mike Perry (fifth in chips, about $700K) came out raising. Chip leader EG Harvin ($4M+ in chips, from West Palm Beach, Fla.) pushed all-in. Perry had no choice but to call with his pocket kings. Harvin turned over 2h 2d. The flop: Ah, Kh, 3h. Now Perry had to fade a heart. An 8d came on the turn and a 10h ended his fate, one hand into the final table. BRUTAL! But the $200K will make it a little easier to swallow)
Liebert would exit next, despite being a heavy favorite, and her hand was even more brutal. I think I will save it for Hand of the Week, but let's just say it was a huge pot, and she was blindsided. She made $257K for fifth.
After about 25 minutes we had 2 people gone and a few minutes later we were down to three-handed when Mike Omelchuk (who had just doubled up to about $900K a little earlier) was knocked out by Harvin when Omelchuk's J9 was outkicked by QJ on a board of 10-J-6-10-5. The man they called Chuckles was gone in fourth place ($344K).
From there Mimi Tran couldn't do anything right. She stayed aggressive till the end, but Nenad Medic and Harvin just kept abusing her with their big stacks, either reraising her or pushing her off her hands. Ultimately she went out to Harvin when she had second pair and Harvin had aces. She made $472K but history was not with her.
Before it got to heads up, the hand of the night made things a little interesting. Medic had about $2M when this hand started and the chipleader, Harvin, had about $7M. Mimi was still at the table, but wasn't involved. In an unraised pot and a flop of 10d-10h-2d, Medic led out with a smallish bet, but Harvin came over the top for $300K. Medic thought about it for a bit, and then re-reraised to $1.1M. Harvin went all-in and Medic instacalled with 10s-2s. Harvin was bluffing with Ac-8d. Medic doubled through to take the chip lead.
Medic would make two pair a coupla times vs. Harvin when the got heads up and then Harvin took most of those chips back when he made trip deuces and then a boat later with pocket queens. But the end was near. Harvin had knocked out every player at the final table ... could he do it one last time.
I'm pretty sure this was an unraised pot. The flop came 5d-5c-3d. Medic led out with $150K. Harvin raised to $650K. Medic thought about it and then called. The turn was the 9s and Medic checked. Harvin bet $1M. Medic called after going into the tank. The river was the 9c. Harvin went all-in and Medic went into the tank again before calling. He turned over 5h-7c. EG turned over Ac-Jh, and just like that it was over. Medic had him barely covered, and the Cinderella story from West Palm Beach, had bluffed off all of his chips on two very big hands with Medic.
When it was all over I talked to Medic and asked him if it was a hard call to make in the end, given Harvin's aggession. Here's what he had to say: "It was an easy call. I don't know why I took so long to call. When he bet a million on the turn I knew he couldn't have had a nine in his hand."
On Tuesday, I walked with Medic to dinner break and talked to him about the phenomenal year he was having. When the tournament ended I asked him if he had any inkling when we were talking that day that he would be the winner. "You know, in tournaments like this, when I get into the money and I have more than the average chip stack I tend to do well. On Day 1 I was feeling good and the same on Day 2. I had a feeling I was going to do well."
By the way, Medic is from Falls View, Canada. The very same Falls View that Scott and Fatso visited.
When asked what he was going to do with the money Medic said: "I plan on putting it back into the poker community, of course!" And then he laughed. Nice job, Medic.
All in all, it was an amazing week. I talked to so many pros and so many good people. The experience was incredible, and I made a TON of contacts for the show.
As for my playing? Well, I dropped a few bills in the $1-2 game ... once when I had pocket queens and a guy flopped a set of 8s, once when I had pocket jacks and a guy woke up with KK, and another time when I had A9 and the flop came A-2-4. I was shortstacked and pushed and got called by a guy with AK, who didn't raise preflop. But, at that last table, one guy asked me what I did for the WPT. I told him that I actually represented the Ante Up! Nation. He says, "Get the hell out of here! Are you Chris or Scott?" I said "You've heard of us?" He said: "Are you kidding? I'm in the Navy and the only thing that gets me through the week is your show and the Circuit! And now that the Circuit is gone, it's just you!" I shook his hand (his name was Jason) and gave him one of my cards. Now that was AWESOME!
I'm looking forward to returning in April, and I will post all of the photos I took when I get home. I really don't have the right computer here to do that with, but I have a ton. And I'll post some more as more thoughts and stories come to me. Right now I want to enjoy what little vacay I have here with my family and friends.
Here are the people I either interviewed or got contacts for this week: Scotty Nguyen, John Cernuto, Todd Brunson, Doyle Brunson, Mike Sexton, Sabina Gadecki, Freddy Deeb, Kathy Liebert, Cyndy Violette, Clonie Gowan, Daniel Negreanu, Nenad Medic, Joe Sebok, local guy John Gordon, Hoyt Corkins and a bunch of people with CardPlayer and the WPT. So this should keep us busy for a while.
OK, I'm off to watch some poker on TV ... what? I must be sick.
-- Chris
Well, the final table for the WPT/Foxwoods World Finals is set! Here are the players and their chip counts:
1. EG Harvin 4,618,000
2. Mimi Tran 2,518,000
3. Kathy Liebert 2,500,000
4. Nenad Medic 1,281,000
5. Mike Perry 682,000
6. Michael Omelchuk 533,000
Not a bad final table, huh? Two female pros, Medic (of Aussie Millions fame) and some unknowns. This could be a historic event if a woman wins it (and I think it's the first time we've had two female players at the final table of a regular event), and I'll be here ifit happens! Gotta love that! The final table is Thursday at 4 p.m. ET. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is an offday (but they'll be taping a special event) so I'll enjoy not having to drive 90 minutes each way. I'm gonna hang with a buddy of mine, record the show, and then just relax. I'm gonna hit the $1-2 NL tables Thursday morning, so wish me luck.
Some interesting things that happened today
At the dinner break I wandered downstairs to the poker room and saw Cyndy Violette. She saw me and smiled and said "Hey!" I said "I was just sick last night when you lost that hand. How did you end up doing?" She said "I never left." I'll let that sink in ... that's right, she's been at the cash tables for 24 hours (at least). She said she'd do the show and gave me her email address. So that's cool, but can you imagine? I hope she's up.
The "Original" David Singer: If you're checking the results, don't be confused when you see David Singer going out in 11th place. This isn't the Full Tilt Poker David Singer with the rings. It's this eccentric dude who, to be honest, is a very straight-forward player who's very easy to read. But he kept picking up cards at the right moment. People kept calling him the "Original" David Singer since he's so much older than the popular pro. He says he never played hold 'em until May. Not too shabby. I'm thinking of asking to be his protege! LOL! BTW: Negreanu's protege, Brian Fidler, was here hanging out on Day 1 and I forgot to mention it. I asked him why he didn't enter and he said he has a real job. Funny.
Not exactly: Someone on the blog was speclulating that Lizzie Harrison would take over as host of The Circuit. I talked to her and that's not the case. I'll have some audio clips next week from interviews with Gavin Smith and Joe Sebok that might shed some light on the situation, but Lizzie is merely taking over Scott Hoff's duties (sans the podcast) and she'll be responsible for driving content, doing pieces for CardPlayer.com, etc. She says she hasn't been told anything regarding The Circuit.
PPT Update: I've been told the PPT is not dead yet, that they're still shopping it. I also was told I would get an email with an official statement regarding the situation, but I have yet to get that. My hunch is that if it's not dead it's on life support. Seems like it's shrouded in mystery. And to be honest, if it does go away I will be disappointed. It's a very good show in that it takes us through a whole tournament and lets us see plays, relationships, battles, etc. Here's hoping it sticks around and gets a sponsor.
Me and Todd, separated at birth? Someone told me I was Todd Brunson's doppleganger. They said I even had the same mannerisms as him. I told him it wasn't the first time I had heard that. Maybe that's why Doyle agreed to talk to me ... he thought I was Todd? LOL!
Did I say this is brutal? Again, I cannot stress how brutal it is when it gets to the money and two or more tables are still around. At that point each spot gets paid more than the last, so they have to go hand-for-hand until they get to the final 9.
No, thanks: And it's funny, when I was a sportswriter back in the early and mid '90s, I used to cover pro sports, such as the PGA's Greater Hartford Open, the ATP's Volvo International in New Haven and the PBA's Tums Classic. This event is very similar to those, and when I used to be a semipro bowler I used to think seriously of joining the PBA Tour. But, that was until I covered the PBA event for the newspaper and saw how those guys lived. It totally turned me off. I really think this poker tournament turned me off to the idea of being a tournament player for a living. Not that I had any real aspirations of doing it, or that I'm insane enough to think I'm good enough, but if I ever did, this would've changed my mind: living out of a suitcase, the stress, the long hours (and I do mean LONG hours). It gets old real fast to me. Of course making thousands or even millions for a few days' work is probably enough to make that all go away, but I digress.
OK, off to bed. Hope the show goes well tomorrow.
-- Your roving (and tired) reporter, Chris
One of the fine individuals of the WPT is letting me use his laptop right now to update you. It's 3:30 p.m. ET and Kathy Leibert (2M) is the chipleader with 17 players left. Mimi Tran is in the top 3 with about 1.4M.
Daniel Negreanu went out in 27th place early today when he chose to smooth call with AA. The flop came out K86 and they got it all-in. The guy turned over K6 and Kid Poker was out with $25K.
Clonie Gowan was next when her KK lost to 99 when the guy flopped a set. She went out in 25th, same money as Daniel.
One amazing hand that sent Mimi into the stratosphere was when she called a preflop raise of about 70K and she called. The flop came Js-10s-6d. She pushed, he instacalled and she had JJ and he had 1010. That put her over 1M.
OK, gotta go, someone's all-in! More tonight!
-- Chris
Another great day at Foxwoods ... well, except for that wonderful Connecticut weather! My day started at noon and what a start I had. Texas Dolly was sitting on the sideline just taking in the atmosphere (he was knocked out the night before when his pocket aces were cracked). So I sat down next to him and asked him to chat. That's right, me and Doyle Brunson sharing the buffet together. So he obliged, and it was an incredible interview! I got him to talk about everything from Doyle's Room and the Internet Gambling Act to Super/System and how he'd fare vs. today's NBA players if he had never gotten injured and could hypothetically play vs. these guys. Wait till you here his answers to my questions! That was totally the highlight of my poker journalism career! Since I have no way of transmitting these interviews they'll have to wait for Show 76, but it will be worth the wait Ithink.
As for the tournament, it was a long brutal day. The field needed to get down to 30, but the brutal part was when it got down to making the money. They paid 60 spots, and when it got to about 67 players the play just halted. I mean they took literally two full blind sessions (2 hours) before it finally got to 60 from 67, and when it went hand-for-hand with seven tables left, it was just agonizing. It's not like the Internet or smaller tournaments where you're just waiting for one or two tables to finish. Three or four tournament directors watch every table and let the announcer know when all hands are completed, and when it gets to one table still playing, they stop the clock. Oh My GOD! That took forever! But, ultimately, one kid went all-in with something like K-10 and two guys called and checked it down and he was out. The place erupted and then the short stacks couldn't get all-in fast enough. In case you're wondering, 60th place paid a little more than $14K.
So, who would you know that's in the money? Daniel Negreanu, Clonie Gowan, Hoyt Corkins (whom I interviewed earlier in the day) Mimi Tran, Kathy Liebert, Nenad Medic (of Aussie Millions fame), and some die-hard fans might know Pete Giordano. A lot of no names made it (especially since Foxwoods runs $60 satelites that turn into $600 SNGs and then one MTT in Act III that gives out multiple spots). Everyone I mentioned is healthy, but they aren't the leaders. One guy named Daryn Firicano has been leading for a while with more than $600K, but that could change by 1 a.m.
As for interesting hands, I was standing next to one table when there were 62 players left and everyone had left for the break. This guy pushes all-in and then jumps out of his seat, pacing, and really selling it. Everyone at the table left except the BB, who sat there and waited and waited. The guy who jumped up looked around for someone to talk to, but everyone had gone. He looked at me and then came over and said "Give me some luck, brother!" and then he put out his fist. So I tapped his fist with mine. Then he walked over to the table and really sold it, saying "I'll gamble with ya; I need to double up!" That did it. The guy called and turned over 99, and my new best friend turned over AA. The flop: 8-10-2... Turn: J ... River: Yep, it was a 7. So much for being friends.
Another unreal hand: AA vs. KK vs. QQ and all three got it all-in preflop. Guess which hand won ... Yep, QQ flopped a set and turned quads. That guy would've been out of the money, instead he's in the money and near the chipleaders. Is this FullTilt? LOL! One guy made a straight flush in a hand and got paid off when his opponent made a boat. Then like five hands later the guy who had the straight flush raises and gets called. The flop comes A-8-8. He bets out and the other guy goes all-in. The guy who bet out instacalls with QUAD 8s! This comes on top of making the straight flush. The other guy had AK. How many times do you make these hands and get action to boot? This guy was blessed, and oh, he made the money, too.
David Williams update: As you may have noticed, David Williams' name isn't among those who made the money. In fact, he never made it past Day 1. After I had left he had a meltdown of epic proportions. He was the massive chipleader when I left at 8 p.m. and he was out by 1 a.m. I don't know what happened, but it couldn't have been good.
Father-Son Picnic: They're having a made-for-TV event on Wednesday that features fathers and sons. Doyle-Todd, Barry-Joe and the Shulmans will be squaring off. Apparently it'll be tag team so that should be fun, but I think I'll be missing it. I talked to most the people playing and they seem excited, but I have to do the show that day and I need a break from that hour-long ride.
Local guy: There's a guy named John Gordon from Clearwater who's in the money. He's a very successful tournament player and has cashed in and won numerous undercard events. He was named player of the week by some organization and I chatted with him. I'll have that for next week, and he's interested in being on the show as well. I don't anticipate him being there when I return in the morning,though, as he was severely shortstacked when I left.
I'm bad luck for Cyndy: On Day 1 I sat down with Cyndy Violette to see if she would be interested in talking. She said sure but she wanted to use the ladies room first. I said cool, we'll hook up later. Well, she got knocked out and I thought that was the end of that. So today, I wandered down to the cash tables to see who was playing and I saw a few pros. Then out of the corner of my eye I see her and she spots me and waves me over. I told her I actually wasn't looking for her and thought she'd be long gone by now. She said "Maybe we'll do the interview a little later." I said that was fine and I was just stretching my legs and getting away from the raise-fold-fold-fold monotony of the tournament. So I stuck around to watch her play with PPT champ Lee Markholdt and a coupla other pros. She was playing $25-50 NLHE (and every hand had a $100 live straddle). Buy-in was $5K. For 30 minutes she didn't win a hand. Then one guy raised preflop to $400 and she called. The flop was 6-2-2 rainbow. He bet like $2K. She raised him to like $6K and he asked how much she has left. She had a decent amount of chips and a wad of $100 bills. She counted it out and said between $6K and $7K. He deliberated and then threw in a $10K chip. She called and turned over QQ. He turned over AA and she got no help. I thought I was going to be sick. There goes that interview. She promptly pulled out another wad of $100s and bought back in as I slid away unnoticed. Sorry Cyndy. Maybe some other time. I'm sure she'll remember me, I'm the guy who watched her lose about $10 on one hand.
OK, tomorrow (Tuesday) they play down to the final 6, so that should be interesting. Maybe I'll get to play a little. If not, there's always Thursday.
-- Your roving reporter, Chris
What a day! I arrived at Foxwoods at 9:15 a.m. and didn't leave until 8 p.m. (and they were still playing until 1 a.m.!) With the tournament starting at 10 a.m. my wife and I checked in with security and got our credentials just before the cards were in the air. As we were waiting to enter the Sunset Ballroom, I look over my wife's shoulder and see Scotty Nguyen, and he's sporting two gold bracelets. I approached him and asked if he had any interest in being on the show and he said "Yeah, baby!" So I asked him for his email address and phone number and he gave it to me like it was nothing. Unbelieveable! That's pretty much how the day went. These guys were extremely gracious.
I talked to a bunch of different players, and I don't want to say too much because I want to leave some for the shows, but I will tell you that I have the definitive answer on the correct pronunciation of T.J. Cloutier!
There were 609 entrants, but all of the players couldn't fit in the Sunset Ballroom, so they had roughly 150 players downstairs in the WPT Poker Room, which kinda sucked because players such as Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, John D'Agostino, T.J., and Tuan Le were on the bottom floor while the main ballroom had Barry Greenstein, Doyle and Todd Brunson, Carlos Mortensen, Allen Cunningham, Scotty and the like. Top prize is $1.7M. Not a bad chunk of change.
So, when I was upstairs in the main room checking out the action, Ivey got knocked out early and was already gone before I could get down there. So much for that interview.
An interesting story about Doyle: He literally arrived at Foxwoods at 10:30 a.m. Apparently three different flights were either cancelled or missed. Then once he arrived in Providence they couldn't find him a cab that would carry his scooter. My wife and I stood right next to him as he had to pony up the entire $10K (I have a picture), and the tournament had already been running for almost an hour. He wasn't having a good tournament, hovering around the original 20K stack for the entire day. When I left at 8 p.m. he was stil alive but the blinds were 300-600 with either a 50 or 75 ante. He needed to make something happen soon, as did most of the big names.
The chipleader for most of the day (and he still was when I left) was David Williams, who the dealers were referring to as "luckbox" because he was picking up some sick hands, flopping sets and making backdoor straights, etc. He had close to 100K for most of the evening.
One of the best moments came around noon when I was standing in the downstair poker room and the break was just about over. Just then I hear this voice: "Chris?" I turn around and it's BLAZMAN! Erik drove over from West Hartford to hang with me and we had lunch. We hung out for a while (I had pizza and he had a chicken salad that he practically had to beg the counterlady to make) and then he ultimately sat down at the $5-10 Limit HE game and I went back upstairs to cover the event. He came by when he was leaving and we agreed to hook up Thursday before the WPT's final table and play a little $1-2 NL.
Oh, while we were having lunch Mike Matusow came over to have a slice of pizza and I walked up to him as he waited. At first I thought he was out, but he was just scrambling for a bite because they weren't getting a lunch break. I asked him how he was playing and he said he was Rocky (that means he's playing tight) and that since it was 2 hours into the tournament and he still had chips that was a good thing. I asked him if I could talk to him later in the week and he said if he was still around sure. But I think he got knocked out. Here's a bit of news: I overheard him talking to a CardPlayer photog and he said "Looks like we might be working together again. Did you hear about the Circuit?" Matusow may be returning to take the show over again, but that's just my speculation based on that comment. I did, however, talk to Gavin Smith about the Circuit and he told me what happened. I'll have that clip for Show 76, when I return to the studio.
I have a few funny stories that I'll share on Wednesday when I do the Show 75 with Scott via telephone, including one about Freddy Deeb, who also gave me his phone number and said he'd like to be on the show. I have a TON of photos that I will put on the gallery, including one of me and Blaz, so all of you guys who love to argue with him here and on the forum can make your voodoo dolls look just like him. LOL!
I'm exhausted so I'm gonna sign off. I'm headed back up tomorrow morning and will be there probably till late again.
-- Chris
OK, our player of the year, Craig Kunimoto (aka 2a3) is having a little trouble coming up with a name for the AIPS trophy, so here's your chance to help him out. If you were fortunate enough to have won the AIPS Player of the Year, what would you have named the trophy? And yes, I'm lobbing this softball up there for all of you to hit out of the park, but just keep in mind how I performed and how my Ante Up! counterparts performed. LOL! Have at it!
Here's one to get you started: The Dirty Banana
-- Chris
Hey, folks, Mike here. I've enjoyed chatting with some of you on FullTilt, but I need to let you know that I've been muzzled for 30 days because of some, ahem, angry words I spewed the other night during a Horse SNG. (There was a guy who was obviously stalling during his weak games, timing out on EVERY decision, and I lost my cool.) So don't be offended if you run into me and are greeted by a wall of silence. I'll be back on Dec. 9. Grrrrrrrrrr. This reminds me of the time I fired a card into a dealer's forehead -- another bad move that did me no good. I must learn to chill..........OUT! Hey, maybe we should talk about losing your temper at the table and how to avoid/control it on a podcast sometime.
Hey all,
I leave for Connecticut tomorrow night (Friday 11/10) and will check in with the WPT media people on Sunday morning. The tournament gets started real early on Sunday (10 a.m.) and then the rest of the week it starts at high noon. I'm real excited about covering the event for a number of reasons.
-- Sometimes I miss being a reporter. I used to be a sportswriter but decided the stability of an editor/designer was more appealing. Occasionally I miss interviewing athletes and writing.
-- I'll be meeting a lot of the great players we see on TV ... nuff said.
-- I'm hoping to make contacts with players and others in the industry for future shows. I'll be giving them my business cards so they can have something to refer to when I call them down the road and ask them to be on Ante Up!
-- I think it will be interesting to see the underbelly of the WPT and how it works, plus I can get a real idea of the editing and how long it actually takes for a final table to finish, etc.
So, if it works out that I have enough time afterward, I will try to do daily entries here, sort of like a diary. I don't know exactly who is going to be there or who I will end up talking to, but I hope to get as many people as possible. I know Daniel Negreanu and Joe Sebok will be there because I talked to them about it, and the WPT's Karen Trachtenberg and Lyndsay LaGree have been very helpful. I talked to Karen yesterday and she said if I let her know who I want to talk to that she'll arrange interviews. I'm thinking I definitely will talk to the new host, Sabina Gadecki and probably Mike Sexton, since he's friends with Kenna James and just won the Tournament of Champions. As for WPT players, I'm hoping the big guns are there like Doyle and all of the Phils.
With that in mind, if there's someone you want me to interview or try to arrange for them to be on the show, tell me here and I will do my best. Also, if you have any questions you want asked list them here and I'll see if I can squeeze them in.
Wish me luck.
-- Chris
If you haven't listened to the show yet, what are you waiting for?!?!?! Go download it right now and don't read this until you're through! But if you did listen to it, here's a look back at what we discussed.
Special Guest: We've had a lot of you requesting photos of Mike "Fatso, Pesto, Bard, SPB, Zero Points" Fasso, so here you go. That's him on the left. Being the good sport that he is, Bor... I mean Fasso, decided to show his face in the studio DESPITE his poor performance in the AIPS tournament and give us another quality impression of a roaming Kazak journalist.
WSOP Tournament of Champions: We have some issues with this event, but it still made for some great TV, including a great hand between Mike Sexton and Mike "The Mouth" Matusow. We won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it, but do catch it on reruns. Our main gripe with the tournament this year is the format, which slights this year's WSOP players and double rewards last year's main event final table participants.
ESPN.com Poker Players: Is it time for you to go back to school? The WSOP Academy is ready for your tuition, which, if you are an ESPN Poker Club member, can be free if you can prove you're one of the best! In its current promotion four winners will head to the WSOP Academy and learn from Phil Hellmuth, Greg Raymer, Scott Fischman and Joe Navarro (From Show 73 and author of READ 'EM AND REAP)! If you want a free entry into a Sunday Qualifier, listen to the Poker Edge to find out how. The final tournament takes place on Dec. 17th!
HEADS UP TOURNAMENT: Our friend Sharkey is itching to play heads up vs. the Ante Up! Nation, so he started the Ante Up! Heads Up Invitational on PokerStars. The details are here and it starts at noon Eastern.
AIPS MAIN EVENT: Speaking of Sharkey, he came in second in our final event of the AIPS tournaments, as 2A3 captured the crown. We spoke to 2A3, aka Craig Kunimoto of Solvang, CA. Speaking of Solvang, Fasso says if you're ever there look for the pea soup joint. That Fasso, he's such a globetrotter. Craig tells us AIPS was only his seventh MTT and he almost wish he didn't win because he was afraid of doing the interview. Once we told him to picture Fasso in his underwear he was fine. He was a fun interview despite his hesitancy and we thank him for being so gracious. One of the keys to his quick rise to success was PokerXFactor. He really wanted to marry someone like Vanessa Rousso to teach him how to play, but he used the online training tool instead, and he says it improve dramatically improved his results.
PLAYERS' CHOICE AWARDS: OK, so the idea was lame, and it was my idea, but that's what I get for trying to inject a little culture into the Ante Up! Nation. LOL! But we did have some voters and the highlight was declaring HeffMike the players' champion. There really is no disputing his play getting the most votes and comments on the blog and boards. His worst finish came in the Main Event, but he still did better than pretty much anyone who was contending for the award. As for the rest of the categories, you'll just have to listen.
OMM: Columbo uses a hand from his AIPS HORSE victory, and flops a monster, but he's still confused as to what to do ... well, sort of. Fasso has some interesting comments about this. You'll have to forgive our Bard, he's running a little cold as of late. It's the case of the Frozen Banana.
HOTW: Our good friend Loren sends in a hand from a NL game and learns pretty quick that suited connectors are best for hitting straights and not medium flushes.
That's about it. I'm headed to the WPT Foxwoods event this weekend and will be reporting from there for Wednesday's show and hopefully will have interviews for my return show on Nov. 22.
Also, remember, if you won a banana and haven't sent in a photo of you with it, you should. We'll hang it up in our virtual gallery. I'll be taking plenty of shots while I'm at Foxwoods. Wish me luck! Maybe I'll even tip a waitress this time.
One last thing: You know how DVDs have Easter Eggs? Well, we put a little extra something in there just for the dedicated listener. See if you find it.
-- Chris
Our good friend Gambit took it upon himself to get out his trusty spreadsheet and plug all of our AIPS stats into the formula PokerStars uses to determine its winners of series events. Very interesting ... I have taken a screen grab of the document (so you can only see the top 50 or so, but any player after that really didn't do much in the tournament anyway) and put it here. If you click on it you will be able to read it fairly clearly. What makes it so interesting is our player of the year, 2A3, drops to 10th place. HeffMike, as might be expected, wins. Zerkaboid is second, RiceF88 is third, I (willhopper) and fourth and sixama if 5th. I have the document as an Excel spreadsheet if anyone would like it.
Check these three links to see how it was done: Description Spreadsheet Formula Calculator
Also, there is still time to vote for the Players' Choice Awards. Just email us and tell us what you think. All submissions are kept anonymous. For details, click here. And one final update, I have added some new pictures to the photo gallery. Nothing major, but what have you got to do anyway? --- Chris
Sharkey has set up a heads-up tournament for all of you who have been clamoring for one. Here are the details:
Name: Ante Up! Heads Up Invitational
When: Sat Nov. 25, 2006
Where: PokerStars
Buy In: $10+$1
Game: NLHE Heads Up Matches
Password: thenation (case sensitive)
It was a hand Columbo would have loved - 2a3 turns pocket 6s into a set on the flop, and Sharkey420 goes down with a pair of queens to give 2a3 the final banana in Event #10, No-Limit Hold'em Double Stack. Oh, and the Main Event championship. Oh, and the AIPS Player of the Year trophy!!! And 2a3 had to go through some pretty tough competition to win: A special SunPoker swag bounty was put on Ante Up! friend Kenna James, and 2a3 claimed that, too.
Tune in this week, when we hope to have 2a3 on the show - and find out what the POY trophy will be called for all eternity.
Congrats to Sharkey420 for holding a monster chiplead for much of the final table - 7 to 1 for a bit heads up. Scott (OffDeadline) saved his best performance for last, finishing one AFTER the bubble for a change to get legitimate POY points. Chris (willhopper) was taken out by MirroRobin, and Valmont747 bountied Fasso (stpetebeach).
This has been great fun, all. Thanks for playing, and start saving up for AIPS II.
FINAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS
*(Banana winners)
1. *2a3 399.00
2. Sharkey420 256.40
3. *heffmike 198.00
4. imtoomuch4u 189.90
5. *RiceF88 186.54
6. HollidayNuts 181.90
7. Zerkaboid 131.05
8. sixama 119.25
9. *KJPoker 118.93
10. AHCS110 115.45
11. willhopper 114.49
12. *SoupNzi 108.00
13. *jhazen 104.75
14. TooncesTDC 102.80
15. *MarkyBar 101.90
16. *9Gaiter 101.25
17. J_Chitown 91.20
18. *gadzooks64 90.00
19. *columbo 77.00
20. khanwoman 75.40
21. nichimanen 68.40
22. Wile E Coyote86 65.55
23. TTitan71 59.95
24. PokerGeek 57.75
25. babaghanoush 56.90
26. BadBeatTD 56.10
27. Mobile Geek 53.60
28. SlySelea 52.33
29. MacAnthony 51.75
30. OffDeadline 50.60
31. rbaikal211 44.95
32. beammeupfast 44.25
33. TableImage 42.38
34. gosabres66 41.48
35. Blazman 39.05
36. Gambit727 34.05
37. Tucman 30.40
38. blindguy74 27.30
39. Dante1126 27.07
40. Thornado 27.00
41. HoyoDC 21.30
42. ElSnarfGrande 20.25
43. UtahLaw 18.60
44. gnashville 18.00
45. jaf911 17.10
46. bodie25 16.95
47. makememore 16.50
48. godard 15.30
49. ErsatzSantiag0 13.47
50. txBoot 12.85
51. C furbee 12.71
52. zsg 12.46
53. ChicagoJoe6 10.80
Zerbet 10.80
55. mmmGuinness 8.47
56. EDcrash 7.20
Dmat 7.20
58. ski2005 7.06
rh52056 7.06
60. Unimpressed 5.65
61. Nikademus 5.40
schoon157 5.40
63. Beaker D 5.00
danlpoon 5.00
Carlzak 5.00
rascony 5.00
MirroRobin 5.00
Valmont747 5.00
As promised, I have emailed FTP for the stats for all of the AIPS events. I weeded through them and compiled the stats for all of the event winners and the top cashers. If you think someone is missing from this list and want to nominate I can easily add them, but I think this is the most complete look at the tournament. Some banana winners really didn’t play enough (MARKYBAR, KJPOKER, 9GAITER, JHAZEN) or cashed just in the event they won (SOUPNZI, COLUMBO, GADZOOKS64). AHCS110, who didn’t win a banana but is in the top 10 on the POY board, only played in four events. Here are the events, followed by total players per event and then the average number of players per event.
AIPS
EVENT 1 NL HE: Total players 113
EVENT 2 STUD: Total players 72
EVENT 3 PLO: Total players 45
EVENT 4 RAZZ: Total players 62
EVENT 5 SHNLHE: Total players 51
EVENT 6 STUD/8: Total players 57
EVENT 7 PLO/8: Total players 55
EVENT 8 LIMIT HE: Total players 71
EVENT 9 HORSE: Total players 36
Average players per event: 62.4
Five players stand out with the most cashes and best overall finishes. Here are their complete results. If you would like to report an error in the stats please do so because I have all of the results saved and can double check. Now, do you penalize people for not playing all events, or do you think if they had played they would've done even better? That’s up to you, after all, this is your "award" to give. Note: An asterisk next to a finishing position denotes a cash finish.
HEFFMIKE
EVENT 1 NL HE: 1*
EVENT 2 STUD: 12*
EVENT 3 PLO: DNP
EVENT 4 RAZZ: 22
EVENT 5 SHNLHE: 3*
EVENT 6 STUD/8: 16
EVENT 7 PLO/8: DNP
EVENT 8 LIMIT HE: DNP
EVENT 9 HORSE: 11
Total events played: 6, and never finished out of the top 22, cashing 3 times. Average finish: 10.8
RICEF98
EVENT 1 NL HE: 3*
EVENT 2 STUD: 23
EVENT 3 PLO: 38
EVENT 4 RAZZ: 1*
EVENT 5 SHNLHE: 34
EVENT 6 STUD/8: 28
EVENT 7 PLO/8: 19
EVENT 8 LIMIT HE: 26
EVENT 9 HORSE: 17
Total events played: 9, a pair of top 3 finishes. Average finish: 21
SIXAMA
EVENT 1 NL HE: 63
EVENT 2 STUD: 2*
EVENT 3 PLO: 39
EVENT 4 RAZZ: 52
EVENT 5 SHNLHE: 4*
EVENT 6 STUD/8: 30
EVENT 7 PLO/8: 40
EVENT 8 LIMIT HE: 7*
EVENT 9 HORSE: 8
Total events played: 9, 4 top 10s. Average finish: 27.2
WILLHOPPER
EVENT 1 NL HE: 7*
EVENT 2 STUD: 72
EVENT 3 PLO: 28
EVENT 4 RAZZ: 2*
EVENT 5 SHNLHE: 10
EVENT 6 STUD/8: 12
EVENT 7 PLO/8: 5*
EVENT 8 LIMIT HE: 53
EVENT 9 HORSE: 9
Total events played: 9, 5 top 12s, 3 cashes. Average finish: 22
ZERKABOID
EVENT 1 NL HE: DNP
EVENT 2 STUD: 4*
EVENT 3 PLO: 33
EVENT 4 RAZZ: 4*
EVENT 5 SHNLHE: DNP
EVENT 6 STUD/8: 51
EVENT 7 PLO/8: 52
EVENT 8 LIMIT HE: 2*
EVENT 9 HORSE: DNP
Total events played: 6, 3 cashes and all of them in the top 4. Average finish: 24.3
It's Thursday night, and my thoughts fall to my fellow Ante Up! Nationals, and I wonder if any of them are online at Full Tilt for the Ante Up! Poker Night. So I log on and at first I don't see anyone, so I peruse the tournaments and see there are two freerolls, one for Razz ($100 prize pool) and a NLHE freeroll (well, there were some points involved but I had plenty) for a spot in the Red Rock final. It paid 18 spots and less than 300 registered. I figured, what the hell? I've been away long enough, maybe I'll play in a freeroll to break the ice and maybe start my slow comeback into online play. So, here is the third hand of the night, and I was in the BB. The reason I started with 1,470 was because I had limped on Hand No. 1 with A10o and then someone went raised too much and I folded.
Full Tilt Poker Game #1186599937: Satellite to Red Rock Final (7600538), Table 7 - 15/30 - No Limit Hold'em - 21:05:45 ET - 2006/11/02
Seat 1: FishBomb (1,485), is sitting out
Seat 2: buckeyeinco (1,785)
Seat 3: HEMIDREAM (1,755)
Seat 4: willhopper (1,470)
Seat 5: PilotP (1,410)
Seat 6: rona27 (1,320)
Seat 7: Robrent (1,275)
Seat 8: QMan22 (1,500), is sitting out
Seat 9: Binnz12 (1,500)
HEMIDREAM posts the small blind of 15
willhopper posts the big blind of 30
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to willhopper [Kd Ad] <------------------NOT BAD, AND IN THE BIG BLIND TOO!!
PilotP folds
rona27 folds
Robrent folds
QMan22 folds
Binnz12 calls 30
FishBomb folds
buckeyeinco folds
HEMIDREAM calls 15
willhopper raises to 210 <----------------------------- Let's raise it up since it's a freeroll you know I'll get a caller.
Binnz12 calls 180 <--------------SEE?
HEMIDREAM folds
*** FLOP *** [Ah 8c 7d] <-------------------- Perfect flop, let me play my "out of position" disadvantage and check to trap him like a baby seal.
willhopper checks
Binnz12 bets 450 <---------------------BINGO!
willhopper raises to 1,260, and is all in
Binnz12 calls 810 <---------------------TRAP CITY!
willhopper shows [Kd Ad]
Binnz12 shows [As 9c]
*** TURN *** [Ah 8c 7d] [Td] <-------------------- UH-OH, CAN YOU FEEL IT? CAN YOU FEEL THE SUCKOUT COMING?
*** RIVER *** [Ah 8c 7d Td] [Jh] <-------------------- I even guessed it was going to be a jack too!
willhopper shows a pair of Aces
Binnz12 shows a straight, Jack high
Binnz12 wins the pot (2,970) with a straight, Jack high
willhopper stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,970 | Rake 0
Board: [Ah 8c 7d Td Jh]
Seat 1: FishBomb didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: buckeyeinco (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: HEMIDREAM (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: willhopper (big blind) showed [Kd Ad] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 5: PilotP didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: rona27 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: Robrent didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: QMan22 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: Binnz12 showed [As 9c] and won (2,970) with a straight, Jack high
What was I thinking? Full Tilt said "Silly boy! Did you really think you could come back to online poker and not suffer yet another bad beat?" Of course I was thinking it might take more than 3 hands, but I digress. Now I wait for the Razz tournament, but since there's 1,800 people vying for a $100 prize pool, I doubt I'll take it seriously. Let's see, maybe I'll make a 6 and lose to runner-runner wheel.
This set me back a coupla more months at least. 8-)
UPDATE: Read the comments to see what happened to me.