Day 1 complete

Well, it was a long day, to say the least. I woke up at 7 a.m. in Florida and now it's 10 p.m. in Connecticut. A lot of big names got knocked out, a lot of big names never showed up and a few big names are still around. Jean-Robert Bellande is near the top of the leaderboard with 148K and Nam Le had a decent run (74K) as did co-host of the currently defunct PPT Mark Seif (105K).

I got a few interviews and a few connections. Talked with Joe Sebok and he said Barry Greenstein would do our show in the future (he got right back on a plane after that massive flight and debacle) so that's cool. Joe says his new show on PokerWire is going well, but he admits it sucks when he gets busted on Day 1A and has to stick around to do the show. They will be doing the same thing as they did with The Circuit, doing their shows from WPT events. Also, I have some news about CardPlayer, but I can't reveal my sources and I'll save it for Friday's show.

BTW: The winner of this tournament will get nearly $1.28 million, which ain't too shabby considering the smallish field.

Tomorrow (Sunday) should be interesting as only 113 players remain and everything kicks off at noon, which is when I'm supposed to be hooking up with some of the Ante Up! Nation.

For now I'm gonna turn in and call it a day. And what a day it's been.

-- Chris

More exits!

Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi is out, and he was on fire early. I won't say too much here because I tracked him down in the lobby and got a short interview. WOO-HOO!!

Also, 2002 World Champ Robert Varkonyi is gone, and here's the story. I walked up to him during a break and snapped his picture (at left) and he's chomping on a bag of Smartfood Popcorn. I asked him if he does interviews and he said he does but he's battling a bout of laryngitis.So we agree to meet up tomorrow and then I leaned over to him and said "Just make sure you survive until tomorrow." He laughed. Less than 30 minutes later he was gone. Guess he didn't eat enough Smartfood, huh. LOL! Oh well, another interview bites the dust.

I overheard some people looking up his stats and he has won only $30K since his Main Event win. I should have known he wouldn't last long.

Here are some of the big names who will be here tomorrow (surviving from Day 1A), and remember they started with 20K in chips: Hoyt Corkins (27K), double bracelet winner Eric Froehlich (47K), Bill Gazes (102K), Chau Giang (48K), John "The World" Hennigan (47K), Chris Reslock (22K), Ralph Perry (140K), Eric Seidel (13K), Gavin Smith (30K), David Singer (32K), and James Van Alstyne (64K).

-- Chris

Negreanu out!

Daniel had been short-stacked every since I arrived and now he's gone! He cashed last time he was here, but today he got it all in with AK vs. 88 and he got no help. The blinds are at 200-400 with a 50 ante. He had less than 3K I believe. I'm sure I'll see him at the cash tables with Cyndy Violette, David Williams and the other busters.

Other famous players still in the field on Day 1B: Miami John Cernuto, Victor Ramdin (a former WPT champ here) and defending champ Nenad Medic.

I was shocked by the number of players (less than 500) this time around. The easily could have had everyone play in one day, but the last time was such a debacle that now they look foolish.

-- Chris

Big names OUT!

Before I even knew it, Erick Lindgren was knocked out. And the list doesn't stop there. Cyndy Violette got her money in good with a flopped set of sixes only to be called by someone with an open-ender and he hit on the river. But, she was gracious enough to let me interview her. That'll be on Show 96!

Joe Cassidy, David Williams and Tuan Le are also recent casualties. They are dropping like flies, and nothing tops this next one.

One of the funniest/saddest stories so far is Barry Greenstein. He was jetting back from Monte Carlo and didn't arrive at Foxwoods until the levels were 100-200 with a 25 ante. He promptly sat down, won a $4,000 pot and was back to even. Then just like that he got all his money all-in preflop with KK vs. AK and two aces came on the flop. He's OUT!!!

I thought about approaching Bear for an interview, but I think I'll steer clear of him now. Can you imagine flying all the way from across the pond, sitting down and losing in less than 15 minutes? That's $10K just like that. Last time he made it pretty far, milking a short stack admirably by ultimately succumbing. His students, Joe Sebok and Tuan Le are gone, but Mimi Tran (3rd last time I was here) is still alive.

Sitting less than 15 feet from me is Eric Seidel, giving an interview to someone. I was going to ask him to talk to me, but Scott ruined that for me already. LOL!! I thought about going over there and saying, Hey Eric, only 415 in this field, pretty small huh? But I thought he might slap me. He's still alive so there's still a chance I'll talk to him.

More later.

-- Chris 

In Foxwoods

After a 3-hour flight, a little delay at my home base and a 70-minute drive on the hills of Connecticut, I have made it to Foxwoods. Of course I missed Day 1A yesterday but there were almost no names here and the ones who were here busted out (Allen Cunningham, John D'Agostino, Joe Sebok). But the people here on Day 1B mirror last November's field incredibly: Kathy Leibert (final table last time) Cyndy Violette, David Williams, Bobby Bellande, Hoyt Corkins, John Juanda, Evelyn Ng, Daniel Negreanu and that was just my first time through. There are some other faces here that I didn't see last time: Erick Lindgren, Ted Forrest and Sam Grizzle. So it should be cool.

They are about to go on break so I need to go try to land some interviews. I'll update as the day goes on and of course tomorrow is the Ante Up! mini meetup.

Wish me luck!

-- Chris

Tampa Greyhound Track to open poker room

Good news, Tampa Bay poker players: We'll soon have one more place to get frustrated in when the sweet oldy lady in Seat 9 drags in a monster pot with 7-3 offsuit even though it was capped on every street and she as distracted by betting "the cute little No 6 to win the third race": Tampa Greyhound Track.

As Times correspondent Don Jensen reported in this morning's St. Petersburg Times, Tampa Greyhound Track and Derby Lane will move to year-round racing beginning July 1. (They formerly swapped live racing seasons). Tampa Greyhound Track will open a 30-table poker room. (When? Story didn't say). The effect on Derby Lane from a poker perspective is minimal, since its poker room has been open year-round for the past couple of years under an agreement with Tampa Greyhound Track.

That means the Tampa Bay area will soon have four year-round, land-based cardrooms: Derby Lane in St. Petersburg, Tampa Greyhound Track in Tampa, One-Eyed Jack's at Sarasota Kennel Club and the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa. Pending action in the Florida Legislature, the Silks Card Room at Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar offers poker on a limited schedule from December to May.

And offshore, the Treasure Island Casino Cruz offers higher-stakes poker, and the Casino Royale ship is expected to begin sailing this summer with a poker room.

With Tampa Greyhound Track's pending opening, seems like a good time to survey our local listeners, and those who have visited, on which room you like best, and what things you'd like seen done differently. I know Sam Minutello from One-Eyed Jack's and Patrick Murphy from Silks Card Room gander at this blog sometimes, so there's a good chance your suggestions will be heard.

- SCOTT

Episode #94 recap

MAIN TOPIC

Sabina Gadecki, the new host of the World Poker Tour, called us up to tell us about herself and what to expect when the World Poker Tour's Season V debuts on Wednesday on the Travel Channel.

Some highlights:

• She's not the only thing new this season. Look for a brand new set, and plenty of new amateur winners.
• She had about week's notice before her first broadcast, but insisted on attending a WPT Boot Camp to learn the game. Now you can find her in a $2/$4 game.
• The crowd in Canada was the most exciting. (They're were probably still feeling the rush of blowing through a flashing green light).
• Her cellphone rings in the middle of our interview. Can you guess who was on the line?
• She ate more than Gavin Smith in one sitting. Impressive.
• How did we weave NSYNC's tour bus into the interview? You'll have to listen to find out.

OTHER TOPICS

FOXWOOD FOLLIES: Chris is off to Connecticut, where he'll meet up with our Nutmeg listeners and cover the WPT event. Scott gives him a gift. (Hint: It has a picture of our first president on it.)

WTO RULES: Bad news for the U.S. government in an ongoing case with the island nations of Antigua and Barbuda, who have been wondering (in a legal way) why our nation's lawmakers find it OK to let us bet on horses online, but not on anything else. The ruling opens the door to trade sanctions. Read the ruling here.

ROLL CALL: There's still time to get your recording added to the end of our special 100th episode. Just give us a toll-free ring at 1-866-371-9605.

HEAR FROM THE WSOP CHIEF: Ante Upper Alan Stewart interviewed Jeffrey Pollack, the head dude for the World Series of Poker. Hear snippets during our show, including a good one about the HORSE tournament, and stick around after the show to hear the whole interview. Thanks, Alan!

ETHICS, SCHMETHICS: Chris got a heated debate going on the blog about a Paul Wasicka article about joint sessions. We'll do a full show on ethics in the near future. It promises to be heated: Scott says online poker and live poker are different animals, with a different set of ethics. Chris, um, well, disagrees.

OMM: Columbo wins! He does, however, check on the end even after he correctly deduced that he had the best hand, but his opponent's error was "fataler," since he let Columbo catch up.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Brian from Kansas City gave us a hand that illustrates the trickiness of "Big Slick," Ace-King.

Brian bumps it from the big blind, then goes into trap mode when a King hits on the flop. His check-raise plans were ruined when his remaining opponent checked as well, and it proved "fataler" for Brian. A turn card immensely improved his opponent's hand, and left Brian broke. AK is a tricky hand, boys and girls.

- SCOTT

Just in time for AIPS: Razz

One of our listeners pointed us to this video on CardPlayer. Tom McEvoy, a Razz bracelet winner, is writing a Razz book, and he and Lizzie Harrison put together this piece to promote his upcoming book. He doesn't say when it's coming out, but he lists the 10 Commandments of Razz. And he says, accordingly, it will be the new Bible of Razz. Good stuff, though almost all of it was covered by our show. Still, a good refresher. McEvoy needs to learn how to pronounce "deuce." He sounds like Scott trying to say Deutsch! Anyway, here is the clip, and it's like 22 minutes long.

-- Chris

Ante Up! featured on iTunes!

The emails came pouring in from around the Ante Up! Nation this morning and afternoon, letting us know that our podcast was featured on iTunes today as one of their main selections under the Podcast tab. Many of you took screen grabs and emailed them to us, and we are grateful. Here's a cropped selection from one of those grabs. Not too shabby, huh? Hopefully this will generate even more listeners. One day we will be Ante Up! WORLD!!! LOL! Again, thanks. And if anyone ever sees a reference to Ante Up! anywhere, please let us know. We can never know too much about stuff like this.

-- Chris

Neteller: Hold the Turkey & (Canadian) Bacon

Turns out Americans aren't the only ones suffering from Neteller's decision to pull out. It was announced that the e-wallet company will no longer work with Canadian and Turkish accounts as well. Here is the link. Pretty grim.

Show #93 Reloaded

No, it's not a Matrix-like sequel. The wonderful world of iTunes had messed with my Encoder settings on Friday, reverting to a level that I had never ever even seen before. After numerous complaints from Ante Uppers and even our Producer Emeritus Dave, I re-encoded the show and reloaded it to the folder. So, if you want to get rid of your old copy and get the latest version it should be better. This also may address the problems some of you were having with getting the show to download on your players. But that is a crapshoot.

Hopefully this won't happen again. Actually it's my plot for getting twice as many downloads per week. You all download the crappy version first, then I fix it and you reload it, making Ante Up! TWICE AS POWERFUL!! Mwah-ha-ha-ha!!!!!

-- Chris

Is this ethical? OF COURSE NOT!

One of the rising stars of the poker world is Paul Wasicka. He finished second in the WSOP Main Event to Jamie Gold last year and he just won the NBC National Heads Up Championships. Lately I've seen posts on forums (even ours) referring to the column he wrote recently in Bluff Magazine on Joint Sessions. Here is an excerpt:

A joint session is simple: You sit at the same computer with a friend and make the decisions together, splitting profits and losses. You make note of the starting balance in the account, and when you're done, the difference between the ending and starting balance is the profit or loss, which is then divided by two.

How is this ethical? I know that Clever Moniker posted this same question on the forum, mentioning it was brought up on the Circuit as well, but it never really got discussed and no one really had a problem with it on our forum. So, does your silence mean it's OK to use the cloak of the Internet to commit collusion? Cuz that's what it is: Two minds working together to defeat opponents in a game of individuals.

What would happen if you were at Bellagio and a player was sweating another player's cards and they conferred on the hand as it was in progress? They'd get thrown out or beaten up!!! But it's OK to do the same thing at home because no one can see you? OF COURSE NOT! Leave it up to me to be the Ante Up! Nation's voice of reason ... or at least its voice of negativity.

Explain to me how this is fair to other players. Isn't it hard enough to win online without players joining forces to beat you, too? We have to dodge enough collusion online as it is, I don't think we need someone like Paul coming out and condoning buddies sitting in front of a computer and discussing hands. How would you like it if Scott or I asked one of the many pros we interview to sign in to Full Tilt one night, turn on their AOL Instant Messenger or Skype and watch us play in AIPS and give us advice on hands? Would that be fair? I'll say it again: OF COURSE NOT!

Sorry if reviewing a subject like this seems like old news, but I saw Paul on ESPN this weekend and it made me think about it all over again. So I revisited the forum to see what the consensus was among the Ante Up! Nation. When I saw that no one objected and there were really no posts discussing it, I felt I had to bring it up. Plus with the heads-up coverage beginning on NBC on April 8, you're going to see this guy a lot in the coming weeks.

I don't think it's ethical at all. I'll admit at first when I was reading it I thought "Hey, that sounds like a good way to learn and win." But the more I thought about it I knew it was wrong. It's just wrong! If you want to discuss hands with your friends, play against them and then talk about it afterwards. Or, have them watch you but not say anything until the hand is over, and even this last suggestion is iffy ethical territory because you're getting immediate feedback during a session from someone not in the hand, etc.

Am I alone in this?

-- Chris

Home game with ElSnarfoGrande

I wasn't sure if Scott was going to post about our home game, but since it's now early Sunday morning and he hasn't yet, I guess I will. I think he didn't do too well. Funny, he always busts my chops about losing in the home game, but I can't remember the last time he won and I lost at his house. LOL! It's always great to meet one of the Ante Up! Nation, and Saturday was no exception. Greg (known to most of you as ElSnarfoGrande) joined us for five hours of ripping good fun (God, I sound English ... Pass the crumpets!). Greg's a real good guy; he told us what it's like living in that wasteland called Joyzey, and he played some pretty solid poker. I think he was up a little when I left, but I couldn't be sure. We had another fellow join us, he wasn't an Ante Upper, but he was a neighbor/friend of one of our regulars, so we played eight-handed all afternoon, which I think is a record for our home game. Also, two of our newer regulars couldn't make it, otherwise we would've played 10-handed! I continued with my pattern of losing nearly my entire buy-in the first 90 minutes, then clawing back to nearly even and then winning a big pot to put me over my initial 100-unit buy-in. After that I was off to the races, again.

I usually don't call NLHE until later in the session unless I'm down (We play every HORSE game plus others like DoubleFlop, Crazy Pineapple and 2-7 TD, though we didn't play 2-7 Saturday because too many newcomers and too many players would have had to sit out) but by the time it got to be my turn to call the game I was down to 37 units. I needed to catch up in a hurry or go home and enjoy the perfect weather. So I called NLHE and won a decent pot right away to get back to about 50 units. That's when I picked up A♥10♥. Now, the blinds in this game are .50-1 and we have a 30-unit cap. (As a quick aside, you may recall from previous posts that I'm not sure if I like a cap because the last four times I've capped it or called a capped bet I've won and if it weren't capped I would've likely won a LOT more). Anyway, it got folded to me in middle position, so I raised to 4 units. The guy on the button called and there was 9.50 in the pot. The flop came A♦10♦J♦. Well, I didn't want a flush draw to get there, but even if he had the flush already I had 6 outs to boat up. I bet 6 units and he raised to 12. I instantly went all-in and with little deliberation he called. He turned over J♠Q♦ I knew he had a draw and a pair (which I also knew would be a coinflip at that point. Some people said he was a slight favorite, but I checked on CardPlayer and he was 48.88% and I was 50.61%) and I was determined to make him pay to hit it. He never got there and just like that I was nearly even on the day after two pots.

So when my 15 minutes of NLHE was over I was glad to be back to nearly even. But that's when the new guy, whose turn it was to call the game, said "Let's stick with NLHE!" Cha-ching! Two hands later I picked up 8♠9♠ UTG. I raised to 4 units to disguise the hand and the new guy called. We were heads up when the flop came Q♠J♣10♣. With nearly 10 units in the pot I put out what looked like a continuation bet of 6 units, and the new guy said: "Cap it." I did one of those INSTACALLS and said "I flopped a straight." Well, he had J♥10♥ so I had to sweat six outs twice, but I was nearly an 80% favorite to hold up and the outs never came (Of course they never came, this isn't online!). That put me over my initial buy-in and then there was no looking back.

Some other points: Do you have one of those players in your game who always says he folded the best hand once the hand is over and he wasn't even in it? Don't you HATE that guy? Today, I was THAT guy. And I hated myself, but I kept folding cards that were hitting. It was ridiculous. I would fold Q7o in DoubleFlop and the top board would come 7-7-2 and the bottom board would have two queens. Or I'd fold A5 UTG in HE and the flop would come A-5-3 with another 5 on the turn. Greg probably thinks I'm THAT GUY all the time in our home game and I'm not, but it was uncanny, and he was on my right so I kept leaning over to him and saying "I had the nuts!" If I had played just half of those hands I would've taken home 400 units easy. But I'm not complaining, especially since I was down to 37 units and ended up leaving with a 154-unit profit. I just couldn't believe how many of my folded hands would have won, which leads me to my next point ...

What would you do here? Now, you all know what a HUGE fan I am of limit hold 'em poker. Me and Greg Raymer agree on this game, it sucks. But anyway, a fairly tight player UTG+2 raised to 4 units, and after a fold the next player made it 6 units. So I looked down at 99 and thought "I have to call 3 bets cold with 99, and I don't think anyone behind me (blinds) is going to call, plus I don't know what the initial raiser will do. Should I cap it and try to get heads up with the reraiser? I thought it unlikely that I could get the first raiser out for just two more bets into a 21-unit pot. That said, I'm either WAY behind already or I'm racing 3-4 cards in limit. So I folded. I got up and went to the bathroom. When I got back I asked what the flop was and they said it came 9-high. So I would've flopped top set. And the turn was the case 9 for quads! Would you have folded there? Most of the guys said I was right to fold. I double-checked Small Stakes Hold Em and it said unless I was sure that there would be a LOT of players in the hand that I should fold to a raise and a reraise with 99. But Fatso and Greg (the two guys in the hand) said I should've capped it. I didn't agree, but I wonder what the rest of the Ante Up! Nation thinks. All in all it was a good day, and I still haven't had a losing session since my epiphany. No lying.

-- Chris

Show #94 guest: WPT's Sabina Gadecki

That's right! It's time for another season of the World Poker Tour, and our guest on the March 30 podcast will be WPT host Sabina Gadecki.

if you have questions for her, about her or about the World Poker Tour's upcoming season, post 'em here and we'll fire them away at her on Friday.

- SCOTT

One-Minute Mystery: Case of the Origami Tiger

Situation: Five-table no-limit hold'em tournament. Level 4, with blinds of 50/100, with a solid field.

Stacks: Columbo and UTG (2200 each), blinds (significantly less)

Preflop: UTG bumps to 400 (4x), folded to Columbo, who has 10h-10d. Columbo calls, blinds fold. Pot is 950.

Flop: 5d-2d-Kd. UTG bets 700.

The mystery: Do you want to tangle, and if so, what angle do you take?

Episode #93 recap

MAIN TOPIC

Greg "Fossilman" Raymer was our very impressive guest, and for you PokerStars customers, here was the big news:

PokerStars will soon offer customers the option of having an additional layer of security - a computer-generated 7-digit ID number that you'll enter with your username and password. This should prevent the type of hacking that made Raymer's account vulnerable recently.

Some of the other topics we covered with the 2004 World Champion:

• The WSOP Academy, at which he's an intructor, and his praise for fellow instructor Joe Navarro.
• The PPA's new muscle in Chairman Alphonse D'Amato, a former senator from New York.
• Legal issues from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, to the Neteller case to the players' dispute with the World Poker Tour.
• The difference between keeping track of chips won versus big bets won in each round of a tournament.
• His best games (he's not sure) and his least favorite game (limit hold'em), and lots of games in between, including 2-7 Lowball and Badugi.
• The progress on his book
• His possible inclusion on the 2008 Libertarian Party ticket.

OTHER TOPICS

SHOUT OUT: Be a part of our 100th Episode Listener Roll Call. Call our toll-free number 1-866-371-9605 and leave us a short message with your name and hometown.

NUTMEG NOT INCLUDED: Chris is heading back to Connecticut for the World Poker Tour. Swing by Foxwoods and take his money.

AUDIO MAIL BAG: Some great listeners calls, including ones about no-fold'em hold'em, an update on the Lord Admiral guys and, believe or not, we all won ANOTHER Ford Explorer.

MAGAZINE MUSCLE: Bluff gets the contract for the World Series of Poker's "digital publishing alliance."

HAND OF THE WEEK

Greg "ElSnarfoGrande," who's sitting in on the Ante Up home game this weekend, offered up a hand from a recent no-limit tournament where a player min raises in middle position with pocket 8s, flops a set, but gets run down by the nut flush. The big point from a bounty of Mr. Raymer's excellent advice: Cool it (mostly) with the min raises. We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

- SCOTT

Reduced juice at Tampa Bay Downs

Patrick Murphy, our good friend (we know you love it when we refer to people like that) and poker room manager at The Silks Card Room at Tampa Bay Downs, just e-mailed us to say he's rewarding loyal players with reduced-juice tournaments from March 27 through the rest of their season.

• All weekday noon tournaments will be $32+$3
• All weekday 6:30 p.m. tournaments will be $32+8.

So for all of you who whine about the ridiculous rake in Florida card rooms (yeah, that's us too), get out of bed a little earlier and enjoy some cards at a much more reasonable rate. As Patrick said, "Just wanted to give something back to our patrons that stick with us through the everchanging schedule of dates."

- SCOTT

Table selection, online

What do you look for when perusing the tables online? Are you looking for average pot size? Average hands per hour? How many players to the flop? And can we trust those stats? In other words, if I like a table to have big pots and I see this No Limit table is averaging $15 pots, how do I know they didn't just sit down and start playing at this table and the first pot was $15? The same could be said for average hands per hour, etc.

Here's what I like to do: I click the OBSERVER TABLE button and watch for a bit. If I like what I see, I sit down, and if I can sit to the right of a passive player or to the left of a maniac I will. Sometimes I just want to play or the site is super busy and I don't have the luxury of picking and choosing, but for the most part I like to take my time and make sure my game/table selection is set for maximum profit.

Last night, as I waited for Raymer's camp to confirm once and for all that he could do the interview this week, I opened Full Tilt Poker and watched some Stud/8 tables. I wasn't sure if I was going to play, but if I saw something I liked I would sit down as I waited for the confirmation.

At one table I saw a guy complete with a 9♥ as his door card with four hearts on the board, two aces behind him and two other nines on the board. It was obvious he couldn't have trips and the flush draw was all but dried up by what was on the board. When an ace hit his board you knew he was drawing thin to a straight. But he stuck with it till the end, and mucked when one flush got there and so did a 7-low. This is who I want to be playing Stud/8 with! I watched a little more and he completed or played every hand. Another player at the table twice completed with an 8 door card (and he was going solely low) and, of course, he didn't win when he made his 87 twice.

So I sat down, and in a half-hour I had some nice cheddar and worked off a coupla more bucks of my free FTP bonus. I got confirmation from Raymer's people and went to bed a tidy winner.

So I ask you again, what do YOU look for when you play online (and to a lesser extent LIVE, since you can't really pick your tables anymore). Is it hands per hour? Ridonkulous play? Big pots?

Let me know.

-- Chris

NETELLER REACHES AGREEMENT!!!

Neteller has reached an agreement with the U.S. to return the funds to American clients within 75 days. Here is the story.

-- Chris

Foxwoods, here I come!

Well, I never did qualify for the spring WPT event at Foxwoods, but I'm going to head there anyway to cover it for the Ante Up! Nation!

I just couldn't swing getting there for the super satellite day, and I can't get there in time for Day 1A (March 30) but I am flying in to Bradley International Airport at 12:30 and will go home first before heading to Foxwoods. I'll probably get there around 3 and spend most of the night there. I'll likely return for Day 2 (Sunday, April 1) and then I'll be there for the final table (Wed. April 4). The only other day I might head there is Saturday April 7 but that's too far away.

If anyone wants to stop by and say hi that'd be fine by me. It won't be as grand as the L.A. meetup, but I wouldn't be opposed to playing some poker.

-- Chris 

100th Episode idea

Scott had posted that our 100th episode was upcoming and he asked if there were any ideas out there. Well, one of them really struck a chord with us and we need your help. It's the Ante Up! Roll Call! What we'd like you to do is call our toll-free number any time between now and May 4 (our 100th show is May 11 but we have to have a cutoff somewhere) and leave us a message for our 100th. Say anything you like (within tasteful reason) and we will end our show with every person who calls. Also, say where you are calling from etc. and try to keep it short because it could take a while to get through all of them.

We want as many as humanly possible, so get on the horn!!!

In case you haven't seen the number on the right side of this blog, it's 866-371-9605. We have some surprises for you, but nothing would be better than hearing your own voice on the show, right? And no, Scott won't be sending out DVDs for every caller. He loses enough money at the tables to me, he doesn't need to go into hock anymore!

-- Chris

AIPS Razz event open for registration

The fourth event of AIPS II has been created and is open for registration.

It's Razz, an Ante Up favorite, and will be played at 9 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, April 26. Password is anteup.

And follow this link for all the AIPS details.

- SCOTT

Episode #92 - Redux

I'm back at work and I reloaded Episode 92 with the proper music and bumpers. I have no idea what happened with the show. When I opened the original Audacity file the music was still there. So I re-saved it and it's fine now and back up on the server. Please delete the version you have now and re-download the show, that way we'll get more downloads and you'll be able to re-listen to the show the way the director intended for you to hear it. LOL! Maybe I'm the next Coppola?

-- Chris

P.S. Don't forget Fossilman on Friday!!!

Fossilman Greg Raymer on the March 23 show

World champion Greg Raymer, known as Fossilman, is booked as our guest on the March 23 show. Certainly one of the most interesting pros out there these days, we have plenty to ask him, from his work with the PPA to his championship in Vegas a few years back. But, as always, we like to share the spotlight with our listeners, so fire off some questions here for the champ.

- SCOTT

IEM tournament champion

Michael Cantwell, an assistant tennis professional and pro shop manager at the Avila Golf & Country Club in Tampa, won the Independent Executive Management LLC (IEM) and Fox News Radio 970 WFLA Texas hold'em tournament at Tampa Bay Downs' Silks Card Room this month.

A deal was struck heads-up that gave chipleader Cantwell the trophy and his opponent, known only as "Buying Brian," half the prize money. Here they are, Cantwell on the left. Money also was raised for the Jessica Rose Foundation.

Episode #92 recap

MAIN TOPIC

Mailbag! Here are some brief answers to listener questions. For all the details, well, you have to listen!

In razz, I open with hands with three cards 8 or lower and raise with three cards 5 or lower. Do you guys play more hands?

Not many more. Sometimes when in position, and sometimes with nonthreatening door cards are behind.

Are you going to alternate AIPS events on Saturdays and Thursdays?

As best as we can, but the biggest determination on when future AIPS events are is our schedule. Razz is next up at 9 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, April 26. Get all the AIPS details here.

How hard is it to set up a private tournament on FullTilt?

Easy as felting a fish. Just send all the details to privatetournaments@fulltiltpoker.com

When you arrive at your tournament table, what questions do you ask opponents to help size them up?

We usually keep to ourselves, but one good one Chris uses is "I don't see you here much."

What new poker books are you reading?

Not many. But we always make time to reread the classics.

In a stud game, the dealer ran out of cards and made a community card for 7th street. Correct?

Yup.

Do you guys split your bankrolls online?

Well, not anymore in this online climate. In a perfect world, though, Chris would keep the same amount of money in any site, while Scott would put more money on sites where he prefers to play cash games, versus tournaments.

On FullTilt, you can accumulate "medals," which you can trade in for your own private table. What kind of table would you choose?

Chris said $2/$4 razz; Scott said $2/$4 HORSE.

How long do you think it'll be before the remaining online sites shut out U.S. players?

On or about July 1 is the day to watch; that's when the enforcement regs for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act are expected. Scott's hunch is that Bodog will be the first to go, since it offers sports betting.

In a tournament, a big stack was playing "behind" during a color-up. Another player went all-in, not realizing his stack. What does a tournament director do?

Action stands. Players have to be responsible for following the action.

Who has provided the most valuable reading material to the poker world? Sklansky or Harrington?

Sklansky.

What are the differences between CardPlayer's online and print editions. Is it worth it to pay $80 in Canada for a print subscription?

Seems like most everything is available online. Chris says its worth it for the print version; Scott's so cheap he grabs a free copy at the casino.

OTHER TOPICS

THE TONY STEWART OF I-75: Chris recounts his harrowing road trip home from Venice. Scott pretends he would miss him if he was gone.

FULLTILT: What's up with all the outages lately? But, hey, some pretty nice bonuses offered for giving some cheddar to the PPA.

THURSDAY NIGHT POKER NIGHTS: Scott and Chris promise to get back into them on FullTilt. Scott is in between seasons of kickball; Chris is in season on playing poker online. Log on the to chatroom Thursday nights and see where AnteUppers are playing.

OMM: Columbo calls, spikes and Ace and there's much rejoicing.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Robin (Popeye39) finds that playing a big pocket pair out of position can be frustrating.

- SCOTT

Poker legal briefing, from Florida to Congress

Kudos to listener Gambit who sniffed out a CardPlayer article on a law that's making its way through the Florida legislature. (I'm not linking to the CardPlayer article since it appears to have inaccuracies).

Actually, there are two poker-related bills under consideration in the Florida legislature:

Senate Bill 216/House Bill 591: Would authorize licensed cardrooms in the state to hold up to one, weeklong high-stakes poker tournament every 6 months, that may be televised. Here's a link to the text of a Senate committe substitute bill.

Senate Bill 1192/House Bill 1419: Would allow licensed cardrooms to offer poker games on days when live parimutuel racing is NOT offered, provided they conducted a full schedule of live racing in the preceding year. Here's a link to the House text.

Good stuff - if it passes. The latter bill has been proposed in the past and never made it anywhere. What it would mean for local players is that Tampa Bay Downs' cardroom could be open year-round, and not just during the six-month live racing season. Also, Derby Lane, which recently closed on Sundays because it decided not to offer live racing on those days, could operate their poker room if they desire.

The tournament bill SOUNDS exciting, but I'm a bit skeptical. Live-game betting limits are not changed by either of these bills, so the end result would be the ability to offer high-stakes tournaments without being able to offer the high-stakes cash games that most pros crave, and insist upon. So I wouldn't necessarily expect the World Poker Tour to star knocking on Florida's door, aside from something similar to the WPT Celebrity Invitational recently held in L.A. Of course, with proper packaging, anything can be made palatable to certain people, though. And "high-stakes" and "televised" doesn't have to mean "major" either. Something akin to the Poker Dome challenge may have legs. And most Floridians I think would just be happy to not have to rely on the Indian casinos for a decent tournament payday. Satellites might even be an option.

You can follow these bills as they move, or stall, in Tallahassee by clicking here. Search for "poker" in the bill text field.

The Financial Times has published a story quoting Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank as saying he's mulling introducing a bill that would repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, a law he calls one of the "stupidiest laws" ever passed. You need to have a subscription to FT to read the full story, and a related one on online gambling interests' efforts to repeal the law, or register for a free 15-day trial. Click here a free Bloomberg News summary of the Frank story.

- SCOTT

Another Top 5 for Ante Up!

Just a quick shoutout to Mark from Oxford for calling to our attention the little writeup in WPT magazine about poker podcasts. The magazine lists the top five poker podcasts out there and we were the third listed. There were negatives written about a few of these shows, but nothing negative about us.

A mix of top guests, such as Johnny Chan, mixed with banter between co-hosts. Entire shows are dedicated to games like Razz and Triple Draw. A blog runs in tandem with the show.

Not too shabby! The magazine also set up a url for readers to listen to our show. That address was tinyurl.com/uzahd So thanks Mark, and it's always nice to be recognized.

P.S. I'm off for the rest of the week, so Scott and I recorded Show 92 today (3/14) and I'll be editing it from home. It might be up early Thursday or Friday.

-- Chris

My mini-Ante Up! meetup

As coincidence would have it, one night last week I was perusing the tables of Full Tilt Poker and saw our good friend ChicagoMike at a final table of a tournament. He said he was going to be on Longboat Key (here in FLA) this week and was wondering which card room he should visit. As luck would have it I was off Monday and was planning a trip to Venice (about 20 minutes south of Sarasota/Longboat Key) so I asked him if he wanted to meet at One-Eyed Jacks, the finest card room in Tampa Bay. We hooked up with another friend of Ante Up!, card room manager Sam Minutello, and talked with him for a bit before he had to leave.

Mike was real cool, and he admitted Ante Up! has creeped into his everyday life so much so that he sometimes jokingly wishes us harm. Confused? Here's what he meant: He rented a car, turned on the radio and heard the DJ say: "You're listening to the Eagle!" And Mike thought to himself "Shouldn't that be "The Dove?" LOL! We joked around and had a lot of laughs.

Once Sam split a few minutes later two seats opened up at a regular hold 'em table (We refused to play Action Hold 'Em. Can't imagine paying an ante on every hand unless it's a stud game). So I played my normal tight strategy for no fold 'em hold 'em (Mike raised my BB twice, grrr! LOL!). About 20 minutes in I picked up Qh10h UTG and just called. Mike raised to $4 (at that moment I told him I was going run him down) and we had a few callers. The flop came with two hearts. He bet out and got a few callers, myself included. The turn was a blank but someone bet out so I called and so did two others. Mike folded here, assuming correctly his pocket pair was no good to the Ah on the board. I hit my flush on the river but didn't 3-bet it when I had the chance. I think my initial thought was someone could easily have the king-high flush, but I also didn't want to scare out the two guys behind me. If I had 3-bet it I figured I might lose money. Well, one of them had a set of aces so he would've come along and the other guy had something too, but you live and learn. Anyway, my flush was good and I raked a pretty nice pot. I won maybe three other pots, but they were all nice-sized and in an hour I was up $65.

Mike got some decent cards, but in Florida, home of the $2 bet, pocket queens and jacks almost always need help to stand up, which he rarely got. He was up a little early, but I think he was all-square or down a coupla bets by the time I had to leave. I cashed out up $57 and left for my hour drive home. It was great meeting Mike and talking with him and Sam.

Here's the bizarre thing: On the way home, right in front of me I watched a semi clip a car driven by a woman on I-275 and she spun around at least five times going about 65 mph. I was in the left lane and she hit the guard rail, coming to a stop in my lane. I ran over her bumper and skidded, headed right for her driver-side door. I literally stopped an inch from her door (I would've killed her had I been looking anywhere else for that a split second). The truck kept on driving (he eventually pulled over like a mile away but we couldn't know that because it was on the other side of a hump in the highway). I made sure she was OK, calming her down and helping her out of the passenger side of her car (her side was crushed shut), then I gave my account to the state trooper. This woman was very lucky, and she was fine, just a little scared. Her car, however, was in rough shape.

It's amazing, one moment I'm driving home happy as a clam after winning some cheddar and meeting an Ante Up! friend, and the next minute I almost cash in all my chips for real. Whew! That was close!!!

-- Chris

Ante Up NCAA bracket

Sure, you can conkulate the odds that Chris won't hit his flush in an AIPS event, but how well do you know your college hoops?

Put your, er, mouth where your mouth is (no money involved), and join the Ante Up Nation March Madness Bracket Challenge!

To register, click here. Password is "cosenza"

As I said, NO entry free, NO cash prizes, NO money involved at all. I will, however, ship to the winner an "unofficial" Ante Up banana.

Good luck, baby!

- SCOTT

AIPS II #3 Champion: Joker10690

Congratulations to Joker10690, who wins the third AIPS II banana as champion of the Pot-Limit Omaha High event, which drew 65 entrants.

Joker10690 took down the title with quad Aces against nate_46's Ace-high flush. This was Joker's first PL Omaha event. Joker had a massive stack at the final table, lost almost all of it, and built it back up. Fasso (stpetebeach) takes 3rd, and earns a bounty to boot. And once again, Blazman makes a final table. Unstoppable!

Bounties go to:

• nate_46 (Fasso, 3rd)
• StaikKling (Scott, 27th place)
  stpetebeach (Chris, 32nd place)
  I Like Ike (Columbo, 63rd place)

NEXT EVENT: Razz, Thursday, April 26, 9 p.m. Eastern

Click here for the Player of the Year standings. (Special thanks to Ante Up! scorekeeper Gambit for compiling them and the first bananahead of the year Blazman for hosting the results).

Click here for the schedule and all the info on AIPS II events. We'll update it as we set dates for future events, and recognize champions. (This link is also permanently posted on the right-hand side of the blog with all the other important links).

- SCOTT

Congratulations to Joker10690, who wins the third AIPS II banana as champion of the Pot-Limit Omaha High event, which drew 65 entrants.

Joker10690 took down the title with quad Aces against nate_46's Ace-high flush. This was Joker's first PL Omaha event. Joker had a massive stack at the final table, lost almost all of it, and built it back up. Fasso (stpetebeach) takes 3rd, and earns a bounty to boot. And once again, Blazman makes a final table. Unstoppable!

Bounties go to:

nate_46 (Fasso, 3rd)

StaikKling (Scott, 27th place)
stpetebeach (Chris, 32nd place)
I Like Ike (Columbo, 63rd place)

Episode #91 recap

MAIN TOPIC
We scoured every tube on the Internet to bring you a motley group of 10 great poker blogs and 10 great poker Web sites. Hopefully a few of them are new to you. Check 'em out, and let us know what you think, and let us know what ones we missed:

BLOGS

hammerplayer.blogspot.com is the blog of Hoyazo, from New York. He's a key member of the WPBT and a fine player. What I like about his blog is he talks a lot about theory as he weaves in his results and daily thoughts. He has a nice following and there are a lot of comments. He is the Hammer Player. He also has an index of poker strategy posts.
guinnessandpoker.blogspot.com is the blog-father of poker, but Chris still doesn't understand it.
taopoker.blogspot.com: Dr. Pauly is good for circuit updates, photos and articles of current news.
loukrieger.blogspot.com: Poker author means good writing; good writing means good reading.
pokerati.com: It's the complementing site to the show Beyond the Table, and the blog is current, keeping track of news, for instance, the Texas bill HB3186 to make Texas Hold Em legal was introduced on March 8 and it's up on the blog the same day.
fullcontactpoker.com/poker-journal.php: Daniel Negreanu doesn't blog every day, he averages a post every 3-4 days, but he's very honest and holds no punches. He also has a poker video diary. 
joesebok.com: Chris likes the site as a whole, but the blog, like Daniel's is honest and funny. It's a whole multimedia experience, from music to photos.
kickasspoker.blogspot.com is a fun blog by someone named Haley, and it mixes news with an edgy but humorous voice. The site is pretty complete with a forum, leagues, news, etc.
1struleofpoker.com is an interesting blog in that the owner of the site offers his hands up a lot for evaluation. It's not about news, just his opinions and explorations of rules. If you like to analyze hands, etc. this site is pretty good.
apairandadraw is a blog that is from a guy named Patrick who plays pretty high stakes in Vegas. His site has some "strong" stuff on it. And a lot of blogs seem to do that, and that's the beauty of blogs, you can't be censored. But most if not all of the blogs mentioned are pretty clean.

WEB SITES
worldpokertour.com: Search for videos of every hand of every broadcast on the WPT, and get information on when tournaments are, how to qualify for them and how to watch them in person.
pokertop10.com: Large collection of Top 10 lists, from easy ones like Top 10 Starting Hands and Top 10 Online Poker Rooms, to fun ones like Top 10 Poker Movies (Cincinnati Kid!) and interesting ones like Top 10 Resources to Avoid Poker Cheats
homepokertourney.com: Great resource for setting up a home game, with links to chips, tables, cards and clocks, advice on how to run a tournament, such as seating and moving players, and Scott's favorite - how to build a kegerator
wizardofodds.com: Best site you’ve never heard of. Loads of terrific info on all forms of gambling. In fact, if you’re going to play any other casino game besides poker, this is the ONLY site you should be visiting. But Michael Shackleford has recently added a lot of valuable calculations on Texas Hold’em, including power rankings based on how many players are left at the table
pokerpages.com: Everything-but-the-kitchen sink type of site, with up-to-date news, articles, player profiles, etc., but what we like best about it is the Cardroom and Tournament databases. You can quickly find details about all the big rooms and tournaments
allvegaspoker.com: Great reviews of every Las Vegas poker rooms, with amazing detail (not only types of games, but how regularly they’re spread). Lots of trip reports and competing and complementary reviews are also posted, too, giving you a very good idea of what to expect before stepping foot in any of the rooms.
pokereh.com: All things poker in Canada, from a cardroom directory, to tournament listings and information on laws. Forums and profiles of Canadian pros
holdemhumor.com: Has submitted jokes, one-liners and cartoons, as well as links to other poker stuff. One timely joke: Nicky OD was playing 10-20 hold'em and was stuck about 300 dollars when he looked down beside the table and saw a little green leprechaun. Quit playing poker forever right now and I'll give you a pot of gold worth a million dollars, said the little fellow. Nicky replies, Let me get even first.
pineapple-poker.com: Dedicated to teaching the basics of a great hold’em variant where you’re dealt three cards and have to discard one. Can be played hi/lo, too. Stock up on Tylenol
gambling-law-us.com: Run by Colorado lawyer Chuck Humphrey, it has a very easy to use search of state laws concerning poker. He’s posted comments on the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, as well.

OTHER TOPICS
THE STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG: Chris "Evel Knievel" Cosenza almost rubs Scott off the road on the commute to work. Scott wonders how Chris has time to shower and catch up to him.
MOOSE: As if we didn't already have enough nicknames for the lesser host, here's a new one
TIMES, THEY ARE ACHANGIN': Sadly, we lost the services of our amazing producer Dave, so we're doing the best to pick up the pieces. Look for Ante Up! every Friday now.
AIPS: Don't forget - Saturday (March 10) at noon Eastern on FTP, PLO!!!.
SARASOTA SLIM: Chris takes his spare tire to One-Eyed Jacks in Sarasota on Monday to meet up with Ante-Upper ChicagoMike. Join 'em if you have the time.
THE MAD GENIUS OF PINELLAS PARK POKER: Chris finally managed to convince some ladies he was teaching that it's OK to peek at your cards when you're in the "blinds," and some of them actually did pretty well in a tournament he ran.
CRUISIN' WITH DA FISH: Jake from Boston phoned in to ask how to strategize for playing poker on a cruise ship. Our advice: Don't bluff. You'll get called.
ONE-MINUTE MYSTERY: Columbo returns with what appears to be an easy decision concerning AK. But what we love best about Columbo is the decision is never as easy as it might seem. What would you do?
HAND OF THE WEEK: Amy from New York graciously agrees to sacrifice herself on the altar of Omaha education by sharing a hand from the Omaha Hi/Lo portion of a HORSE tournament. Amy readily admits she's learning the game, so we gave her some important pointers when playing O8:

Starting hands are critical: With four cards, winning hands are going to be stronger, so your starting requirements need to be tighter. You want four cards that work together, and in O8, you preferably want low and high cards so you can scoop.
Be wary of any flush that's not the nuts: For that matter, be wary of any hand that's not the nuts. With so many cards out, it's very likely you're beat if you flop just a Jack high flush. And when the board pairs, very likely someone has a boat, and when three low cards are on deck, you'll be splitting the pot if you don't have a low, so factor that into your pot odds calculations.

- SCOTT

What percentage are you?

One of the things that boggles my mind when I read poker books (specifically anything written by Sklansky and the 2+2 gang) is when they assign percentages to intangible things. How the hell am I supposed to know if "Player A is 40% likely to fold if I raise" in this situation? How can you quantify that? If I'm in a home game with Scott, how can I decide if he's 50% to bluff on the end? Do I have to know the outcome of 10 hands where he shows his cards and then register that on 3 hands he bluffed in that exact situation, on 6 hands he had the best hand and on one hand he thought he had the best hand but he didn't?

On the surface this seems a lot harder than they make it out to be. Plus, a lot of these percentage situations are brought up in these books regarding players I have no idea how they play. "If you think any of the four players behind you are 10% to reraise you with a baby doorcard, but one of them is 30% to just call, while it's 25% that the other two are doing their laundry and not paying attention, plus, if there's a 50% chance the clouds are covering the moon at midnight, then you can go ahead and complete the bet with an 8 showing and two babies in the hole ..." What??

Am I missing something here? I just don't understand how people can write a book with so much data regarding so many specific situations, and then tie all of this to percentages of people's behavior.

Just the facts, maam!

-- Chris

Caught between a limit and a hard place

I often wonder how I'd perform under high limit circumstances. And when I say limit, I mean limit, not high NO LIMIT circumstances. Here's my reason for wondering: When playing Razz online, it's very difficult to beat the rake at the lower limits, especially .25-.50 (it's even worse for split games such as Stud/8). I've never been real comfortable playing for higher limits online because I always feel like my stack can get away from me. When it's just a number in front of you it's easier to let it get away from you, plus the betting moves so fast. But when you have actual chips in your hand you can get a feel of how you're playing and it's real, not 2-dimensional. I don't know if this makes sense, but let me move on. ...

I prefer to play $1-2 and $2-4 Razz because those are levels where the rake doesn't absolutely kill you, and those levels are on par with my home games. BUT ... even at these levels people take more risks than you would think, and sometimes you get some rough beats put on you because of this fact. So .......

Last night when I sat down there was no $2-4 game and the $1-2 games had waiting lists. But there was a short-handed $3-6 game. I decided to buy in. Now, in this day of few resources for depositing money, it's a scary proposition playing $3-6 when you have less than $200 in FTP. If you get dealt A-2-3, you could be looking at betting around $27-$30 (or more) on that hand. That's a good hunk of your bankroll, and if you lose that hand, you've taken quite a hit. No one wants to deposit some exorbitant amount these days for fear of another Neteller episode. But if you can't beat the rake and can't find a good game at the aforementioned limits, what can you do? Should our bankroll always dictate our limits? I guess so, and I think this could mean the end of online poker someday, provided no legit deposit methods arise and no regulation comes about. But I digress...

Sklansky's Razz book uses two limit structures as reference: $15-30 and $30-60. HOLY GOOD GAWD!!! Can you imagine playing $15-30? My entire online bankroll could get swallowed up on one hand!!! So obviously I'm not sitting down with David Chiu and Huck Seed and playing these levels, but I do wonder how I'd do. In case you're wondering how I fared at $3-6 I absolutely crushed the game to the tune of doubling my bankroll. But I'm not stupid, I don't have any grand delusions that I'm this great Razz player and can start playing higher limits, but I did make a lot of cheddar. And I just as easily could have blown it too. (Of course if I got down $50 I woulda quit.) I just don't know if I'm comfortable playing at higher levels. And it's not so much that I can't handle losing the money, it's that I'm fearful I won't be able to get more in there if I do. I wish I could be rich for one day and play the levels that I want to, just to see how I'd do.

Do any of you struggle with this? What are your thoughts on higher limits? Are there thousands of people out there who could kill the higher limits but are just scared for one reason or another and don't try it? Are the guys playing $15-30 on FTP really that much better than me or do they have disposable income and it doesn't matter as much?

-- Chris

Top Set vs Flopped Straight

I was playing in a low-limit PLO SNG to prepare for Saturday and wondered about the Top Set vs Flopped Straight (or Flush) situation. Are you willing to commit all your chips on top set when an opponent's betting (and the board) indicates he's flopped a straight? What are the percentages?

Mike