Episode #129: The Jetts

Times photo  - Debbie Wolfe

MAIN TOPIC

Don't adjust your computer monitors; you are reading this correctly! Episode #129 is up and ready to roll. Chip and Karina Jett are in town to play in the Pros vs. Joes tournament at One-Eyed Jacks so they stopped by the studio. Listen to the episode here.

We chat with them about balancing poker, marriage and a family, their business ventures (including JettPoker Inc. and the Pokers Most Wanted card deck), how they handle playing against each other and ... and you're not going to want to miss this ... our version of the Not-So Newlywed Game. You're gonna learn a lot about the Jetts.

OTHER TOPICS

Negreanus splitting up: Unfortunate timing, on a show when we have a very happy poker couple as our guests, but Kid Poker and his wife are splitting amicably.

Who signs with PokerStars? Yeah, that's right ... ex-tennis star Boris Becker, that's who.

Casino Player surprises us with good poker stuff: The general interest gambling magazine has never been really insightful on poker, but the November issue had three articles worth discussing: 1. Mad Genius Mike Caro suggests changing gears based on your chip stack, 2. Which is the better table image - rude and in your face or sweet as honey?, and 3. Classic Poker Cruises is now World Poker Tour Cruises.

Hotline: It's buzzing again, with calls about multitabling online and how to play heads-up at the end of a MTT.

Columbo's Revolving Mystery: It's solved with a raise just big enough to pot-commit our opponent. Unfortunately, the cards aren't in our favor, though.

HAND OF THE WEEK

The Jetts stick around to help us break down a hand that ended up being a duel between Karina and long-time AnteUpper Sharkey. (And Sharks, just warning ya, Karina wrote down your name. Savor success, because we're not sure she's going to let you again).

The $3/$6 razz hand on FullTilt begins nicely for Sharkey, who has (3-6) 4. He completes it, and gets three callers, including Karina, who has an 8 showing.

Fourth Street is very nice to Sharkey (Ace) and Karina sticks around with 8-9.

Fifth Street bricks Sharkey (10) and presumably puts Karina in the lead (3). She bets out, but Sharkey likes his draw and calls.

Sixth Street gives Sharkey a 9 and Karina a scary 5. She keeps firing, but Sharkey isn't going anywhere.

Seventh Street is perfect for Sharkey (2), and turns out to be a brick for Karina, who calls and loses with a 9-8.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

Remember - it's a long layoff. We'll be back on Dec. 7 (salute your local WWII vet, please) with the always popular Fasso for a show on Stud 8.

- SCOTT

What card are you?

Tomorrow we will have Chip and Karina Jett in the studio, and one of their projects is called Poker's Most Wanted. It's a deck of cards using famous poker players, and we'll be sure to ask them some questions about this venture. But it got me to thinking: What card are you? Have you ever given that some thought? When I was a kid I used to love the King of Clubs because for some reason it reminded me of root beer, which to this day is my favorite soda (pop). Don't ask me why, and even if Dr. Freud were alive he'd never solve that riddle. But it just stuck with me and so I liked the King of Clubs. Also, my nephew, as he grew up, associated cards with his family members, and to him I'm the King of Diamonds. My wife in turn would be the Queen of Diamonds, etc. So, what card are you, and why? We'll have a little fun with Chip and Karina on this subject tomorrow. And don't forget to keep those questions coming. We have a bunch already from you, but if you get them in we'll try to ask them.

-- Chris

Episode #128: Foxwoods interviews

MAIN TOPIC

Chris got some awesome interviews while prowling around Foxwoods this month. Click here to hear the whole show, which includes interviews with:

• Bill Edler: When is he "Bill"? And when is he "William"? And man, he really loves his wife.
• Freddy Deeb: Chris' BFF talks about his big HORSE win, those colorful shirts and why the poker boom will never be over.
• Lee Childs: Ante Up's resident pro chats about how his life has changed now that he's on the pro tour, and why playing online is tougher than playing live.
• Eugene Todd: Trust us, you will be on the floor rolling after this interview, bro.

OTHER TOPICS

Episode guide: Many, many thanks to Ante Upper Nikademus, who's compiled an amazing resource of past Ante Up! shows. Click here to see it.

"Foreign" happenings: First, some U.S. congressmen are fightin' mad that the U.S. Trade Representative isn't asking them for help in dealing with the ongoing World Trade Organization disputes over online gambling. Also, Harrah's is pondering entering the online poker business in Europe.

Knockout tournaments: Don't call them "bounty" tournaments, Full Tilt says, but the online poker site has started "knockout" tournaments where you earn a prize every time you felt a player.

Hotline: Two great calls this week: one about dealing with a bad run of calls and one about unfortunate muckage. (Is that a word? I guess it is now).

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: Derby Lane has rolled out a number of changes, including later hours. Click here for the details.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Nick from Jersey phones in an audio HOTW.

In a $1/$2 no-limit game in an underground card room, he's looking at a $5 straddle and a mess of callers with his 4-4 on the button. He limps in, and hits his set on a flop of 4-5-J. Checked around to him, and he puts in a bet of $25, which chases everyone out but one.

The turn is a 9; he bets $65 and is check-raised to $165. With $320 left, he decides to call.

The river is a 5, and his opponent puts him all-in. Somehow he has the strength to lay this hand down. Good thing, too: His opponent had J-5.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

On a special Tuesday edition, Chip and Karina Jett visit the Ante Up! studios to tout One-Eyed Jack's Pros vs. Joes event and to talk about a whole lot more.

- SCOTT

Columbo's Rotating Mystery: Ace-Ace

We're in an online MTT, just past the first break. We have an above average stack of 9K.

Blinds are 120/240, with a 25 ante.

It's folded around to the button - a player who we know nothing about - and he pops it to 1,200, leaving him 5K behind.

We're in the SB, and look down at A-A.

The mystery:

How do we get our opponent's chips? Go for it now, or wait for the flop? And if so, what do you plan to do on the flop?

Times file photo

The Jetts confirmed for Show 129

Photo by Getty Images
When I sit down to my turkey dinner tomorrow I know I'll be giving thanks for a lot of things, including being thankful for Chip and Karina Jett, who are coming to our studio on Nov. 27 to record a very special edition of Ante Up! Chip and Karina are always on Full Tilt, playing in low limit games (especially Razz and Stud/8) against a lot of our Ante Up! faithful (I had a Stud/8 hand vs. Karina that was so memorable she practically yelled at me over it when I met her at the WSOP this year). They are in town to play in One-Eyed Jacks' Joes vs. Pros tournament on Nov. 30-Dec. 1. But before then we have them all to ourselves and we have a LOT to talk about. But, here's your chance to ask one of the most famous married poker couples on the planet a question. Ask it here or send them in to poker@tampabay.com and we'll do our best to ask it.

-- Chris

Changes at Derby Lane

I just got word from Derby Lane of some pretty big changes. Normally we'd save this stuff for the show, but since some of the changes will happen before Friday's show, we felt obligated to post it now. Plus you'll be sure to hear about it in the spots on the show as well.

Starting immediately: The poker room now offers $2/$5 no limit with a $100 min/max buy-in.
Effective Thursday (11/22/07): The Bad Beat Jackpot changes to four (4) Equal Progressive Royal Flush Jackpots. You must hold two parts in your hand for Texas Hold 'Em and 7-Card Stud.
Effective Thursday (11/22/07): The room will offer a $3/$5 limit structure for Hold 'Em and Omaha/8, and a $2/$4 limit with a $5 kill for both games as well.
Effective Nov. 30, 2007: Derby Lane's hours of operation will be Sunday-Thursday 1 p.m.-1 a.m. and Friday-Saturday 2 p.m.-2 a.m.
Effective Nov. 30, 2007: In honor of the new hours of operation Derby Lane will run a high-hand promotion of quad deuces, 2 p.m.-2 a.m. The hand wins $222.

A few more things:

• On Thanksgiving, the high hand of the day will win $1,621, in honor of the year of the first Thanksgiving.
• Two new tournament formats are debuting: Rerun ($20+$0, with $15+$5 rebuys) and Rebuy ($35+$15, with $20+$0 rebuys).

That's it, but that's a lot. And, of course, tune in to Ante Up! to hear more about Derby Lane's upcoming plans and tournaments.

-- Chris

Anatomy of a $26 token victory

I can feel Scott's pain. If you recall, a few shows ago we talked about his attempts to win a $26 token for the AIPS Main Event. We laughed at how many times he failed and how the $26 token ended up costing him like $35 or whatever. Well, I won't risk my puny bankroll on such things, but I had thousands of points saved up and decided (since there isn't Full Tilt Poker toilet paper in the FTP store, though that Photoshopped image is my dream) to give those 600 FTP SNGs a shot. I never thought I'd use those points for anything except these types of satellites, etc. anyway, so what the hell? But, as I said on the show this week, I played like four of them and finished third every time, but once (I had KK raised 6X, got one caller and the flop came AAQ. Guy had A2 and I was out in last place). Last night I was still stinging from my tough-luck session the night before, but I thought, "I still have enough points to try for a token, and since technically it's not costing me anything let me try again."

Well, after folding a bunch of horrible hands, I finally got 99 on the button. I raised 3X and the SB raised 9X and the BB shoved. My patience got to me and I thought "Screw it. They may think it's just a button raise and they may have each other's cards. They only pay one spot in these things and I'd be short if I folded. So a triple-up might propel me to winning one of these damn things."

So I shoved. The SB instacalled with AA. The BB had AK. The flop was ragged and I turned a 2-outer to triple up. Woo-hoo!!! But by all rights I should've been gone. Two hands later I picked up KK, I raised, got a reraise and I just called. The flop came jack-high and I bet half his stack. He shoved and I called. He had AQ and I eliminated another player. I was chipleader and kept thinking I had to close this out; I couldn't let it slip away. But just like that the poker gods giveth and they taketh away.

After a lull for about 10 minutes I picked up KK again. There was a raise UTG and I re-popped it to 3X his raise. That's when the button shoved for 2K. (??!!??) The initial raiser, who said he had 66, folded. My raise was 720, so I instacalled and he had 10-10. Of course the flop came with a 10 (and a 6, BTW, though since he folded his 66 I don't know if a 6 would have come if he had stayed in). The guy with 10-10 apologized, saying he misread me. I said "No sweat, I'm actually freerolling after that 99 hand so I can't complain).

So now he was chipleader and I was middle of the pack with like 2,300. My stack got all the way down to 1,900 while the guy with the 10-10 grew his stack to about 7K.

One thing I failed to mention was the guy on my right. He employed the KILL PHIL tactic and either folded or shoved on just about EVERY HAND. He got us down to 3-handed with this strategy, and the chipleader and I kept talking to each other about him, calling him a one-trick pony, etc. But this guy shoved with KJ and the chipleader called with AQ. The chronic shover hit his king and doubled through, bringing the leader back to the pack. On the next hand I had 99 and the all-in-or-fold guy shoved with A3. I called and doubled through him. So now we all had about 4,500.

I kept praying the shover and the other guy would get involved in a hand. I knew I could outplay either one, I just wanted it to get heads up no matter what the chip differential. Finally they got it all-in with a similar hand as before AJ vs KQ and the Kill Phil guy won. So he had a 2-to-1 chip lead on me when it got to heads up. But, the funny thing is, he kept folding his blinds or just minraising. He got away from his strategy and that was what let me get even fairly quickly.

I just remained patient, read his betting patterns and chipped away. Then with him ahead about 1,100 chips I got KK and limped. Every time I limped he raised me, so I wanted to trap him. On cue he shoved and I called. He had 77 and that left him with 1,100. He actually got back to about 4K before I picked up 55. He minraised and I thought, if I shove here I think he'll call. I shoved; he took a while, typed in "LOL, gl" and called with Q7o. I knew he would call because I was outplaying him and he needed to double through. The flop came 3-4-A and I said "Put a deuce up there and end it." Sure enough, a deuce turned and I finally won a damn token.

But, I had to get lucky (for a change), otherwise I would've been out early again.

In live play, in my last 5 SNGs, I have 4 firsts and a second. Online in my last 5 SNGs I have 1 first, 3 thirds and a last.

But that Kill Phil tactic worked well for this guy. He clearly didn't know how to play, though a lot of the Internet pros institute a tactic very similar to this when the blinds get high in SNGs, so maybe he did know what he was doing. But it all fell apart for him in the end. And I'm glad it did, as I am playing the AIPS M.E. for free!

-- Chris

Maybe I'm just unlucky?

I've never given luck, good or bad, much credence once I read SuperSystem a handful of years ago. Doyle Brunson made me understand there's much skill in poker and consistent winning is not tied to luck. There may be luck on any given hand or even session, but we all know the cliche: In the long run the skilled players will get all of the money.

So when someone says luck dominates poker, I always steam a little, and try to explain to them why they're indeed ignorant. And ignorant isn't a harsh word or an insult. It merely means "being uneducated in a specific area," and in this case, when people don't understand how to play poker and they always lose, they say they were unlucky. And I'm the first to say "No, you just need to understand the game better." I'm actually working on a piece about this for the paper.

But lately, the losing I've been experiencing online has me wondering about this luck factor. I keep waiting for variance to catch up, but I'm not sure my bankroll can handle it. And it took my wife listening to another one of my sick hands to point it out to me. She said "I think you're just unlucky online." I started to laugh, but then I wondered if there's actually merit in that point of view. And this post comes immediately after I finally won a $26 token with my FTP points last night (and I needed to get lucky one time during the match. I'll talk about that a little later in another post).

So here's a hand that sparked the conversation, but I'm not whining about it (calm down Zerbet, if you're even reading this blog anymore) and it's not a bad beat, just an unfortunate turn card. I'd been up and down playing NLHE for small stakes (one time my kings held up vs. AJ and once they lost to 10-10). But I was finally up to about $30 (after starting with $10). I was dealt 6♠8♠ in the BB. It's unraised with two limpers (the SB folded). The flop came A♠4♠4♥. So I checked and it got checked around until the button, who bet the minimum. Everyone called. I thought about a check-raise, but chickened out because I don't like ALWAYS betting a draw and a check-raise there screams "flush draw."

The turn was the 5♠, which gave me the flush and a straight-flush draw. I bet pot, thinking if someone has an ace I'm going to either felt them or I need to protect my hand from someone having a higher spade. Both called. DOH! "Someone has a 4 and someone has the K♠," I thought. The river was a 3♥. I considered checking, but I thought, "I better put out a defensive bet in case someone has a higher flush." So I bet like a third of the pot. The cutoff min-raised and the button shoved. Well, it was a nominal re-raise and didn't open the betting again so I called, as did the min-raiser. THEY BOTH FLOPPED A FULL HOUSE!!! They both had A4!

Now, how unlucky is that? I saw the flop for free, made my hand on 4th street (practically drawing dead, ultimately drawing to one out after the turn). I can't fold after that flop, right? For a min bet? The odds of someone holding A4 and flopping a boat is 1,088-to-1 or .9% (according to SuperSystem's tables). I can't imagine what the odds are of two people having A4 and both flopping a full house. So I have to think a flush might be good on the turn. On the river I thought I might've lost to someone who limped with J♠10♠ or some spade-spade variation, or A♣5♣. But I had to pay it off regardless. Should I have I checked the river and called anything reasonable?

I lost about half my stack on the hand, and I understand with the paired board I shouldn't have gotten too committed to this hand, and it's really not a bad-beat story. I got away for the minumum, I think. Plus you really shouldn't go broke in an unraised pot (another SuperSystem gem). I just think I got unlucky again. I mean, 8♠6♠ is the type of hand you want to bust people with, and I see it all of the time. But when I make my hand TWO people have monsters? I used to say that I can't be afraid of the monsters under the bed all of the time, but I've been getting so unlucky lately that I am gun shy. Not live, but online.

And can I play this hand any differently? Obviously I'm not raising out of position with 8♠6♠. So I can't be faulted for letting the A4 hands see a flop, right? And shouldn't I protect my hand when the turn completed my flush? How much do you bet there on the turn? Do you check-call? Do you shove? Do you bet half the pot and let someone with a lone 4 call to hit his 10 outs? As it turned out they both had boats (flopped no less). I actually had one out on the river, but that isn't happening unless there's $420 in the pot. LOL!

And if I say my losses are from bad luck, am I now a hypocrite? Did I just play it wrong? Do I not understand NLHE anymore? Even if I did play this hand wrong (which I'm definitely open to suggestions on how I should've played it), it still doesn't account for the other beats I've been taking, such as set over set, etc. I won't list the bad beats AGAIN!

I think I'm destined to be a "live" player only. The bad beats and unlucky hands may still come, but as you all have pointed out to me, we don't see as many hands live so it doesn't hurt as much and as often. I'm WAY more successful live than online these days, and that hurts. I used to win so much online.

Those days are gone, I'm afraid. I used to think if I played higher limits the luck wouldn't be so much of a factor, but that clearly isn't the case. And if you play low limits people play anything. Poker is a tough beast to tame for me lately, and the frustration continues to mount.

-- Chris

Episode #127: Jean-Robert Bellande

CBS photo

MAIN TOPIC

Jean-Robert Bellande, recently booted off the hit reality show Survivor, gives us a ring to chat about the show, poker and how the two worked together. This spring, he has a book coming out, Broke and Living Like a Millionaire, and he gives us a preview of some of the humor that'll be in it. And check out the exhaustive, and entertaining, interview with him in Bluff. Click here to listen to the show.

OTHER TOPICS

AIPS: Congrats to two-time banana winner C furbee, and mark the calendar for the Main Event on Dec. 15. Click here for details.

Conn home game: Chris shares some more details from the Ante Up! MeetUp home game in Connecticut.

Don't eat these chips!: The state of Arizona says there is too much lead in Paulsons.

Hotline: Listeners call in to chat about the possibility of a daily show ... as long as it isn't in a parking garage. You, too, can be on the show. Just call toll-free 1-866-371-9605.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: Scott recounts his experience at the Vinny Lecavalier charity tournament, including an odd encounter with Ante Upper and WSOP bracelet winner Don Baruch; the first Battle of the Bay goes to the Silks Cardroom at Tampa Bay Downs; and we chat briefly about the Seminoles' compact with Florida.

One-Minute Mystery: Did you make the call? Well, you're on the rail then, as our opponent had K-10.

HAND OF THE WEEK

SamRiver57 does us the pleasure of letting us break down a pot-limit Omaha High hand.

With an early position min raise, and a call from the cut-off, our hero makes the call from the SB with 10s-7d-10c-5h, and the BB bails. We're not a fan of entering this pot out of position with such a weak holding.

The flop is 10h-6c-Ks, so we hit middle set, but that's dangerous in Omaha, especially with a straight draw on board. Our hero bets out pot, gets the raiser to fold, but the cutoff calls. Ouch.

The turn is 9h, completing two straights and adding a flush draw, none of which we have. But our hero bets out big again, and is raised big by his opponent. Seeing erratic play from his opponent previously, SamRiver moves all in for a small raise and learns he's up against the nut straight. The river is no help.

Our advice: Position is huge in Omaha, and you need a monster - or redraws - to bet confidently out of position. Second set doesn't cut it.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

Chris shares his interviews with pros from his trip to Foxwoods

- SCOTT

AIPS II Event #11 Champion: C furbee

Congratulations to C furbee, who wins the 11th AIPS II banana as champion of the HORSE event, which drew 108 entrants. It's C furbee's second banana of the season, after winning Event II (Stud).

C furbee won the last hand against Aquaman H20 , but I can't offer any details since my Internet connection failed with two tables left and just came back this morning (Imagine if I had been still playing - or worse! Chris had still been playing!). Congrats to the entire final table!

Bounties go to:

• bodie25 (Fasso "stpetebeach" 42nd place)
• CallMyBets and wvapoker (Scott "OffDeadline" 83rd place)
• Mickey Jay (Columbo "columbo" 96th place)
• Big Koi (Chris "willhopper" 104th place)

NEXT EVENT: No-limit Hold'em Main Event, Saturday, Dec. 15, noon 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 C furbee, who wins the 11th AIPS II banana as champion of the HORSE event, which drew 108 entrants. It's C furbee's second banana of the season, after winning Event II (Stud).

C furbee won the last hand against Aquaman H20 , but I can't offer any details since my Internet connection failed with two tables left and just came back this morning (Imagine if I had been still playing - or worse! Chris had still been playing!). Congrats to the entire final table!

Bounties go to:

H.O.R.S.E. P.R.E.D.I.C.T.I.O.N.S.

Tonight's the night! We will be playing HORSE for the AIPS event on Full Tilt Poker ($5+.50, password is anteup) at 9 p.m. ET. I'm wondering how you think you will do tonight and why. Also, how do you think the Ante Up! trio will do as well? I'm predicting Fasso makes the final table and Long and I go out somewhere near the final two tables. Our defending champ, Columbo, will be a force, but I have a feeling he will not make it to the final table. Let's see if he proves me wrong.

I really want to take it down, but the Nation has gotten much stronger in all of the games over the past year, so it will be harder for me to improve on my top 10 performance from last year's event. Good luck to all tonight and have fun. And remember, if you are in a pot with me, fold.

-- Chris

State, Seminoles agree on gambling compact

Gov. Charlie Crist has just announced a compact deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, allowing for an expansion of casino gaming at the tribe's seven Florida casinos, including the Hard Rock near Tampa.

• "Class III," or true Vegas-style slot machines, will replace the "Class II" video bingo machines that look like slots.
• "House-banked" card games, like blackjack and baccarat, are now allowed.
• Craps and roulette are NOT allowed.

For poker players, it doesn't appear much will change. The compact allows "high stakes poker games," but what it really means is games that are permitted under Florida law. (I guess to some people $5 bet limits constitute "high stake.")

Specifically, the compact says, "The Tribe presently conducts and shall continue to conduct poker in each of its Facilities in compliance with provisions of Florida law, including provisions that limit wagers and pot sizes."

Interestingly, in the last draft of the compact, this was the line:

"The Tribe shall conduct poker in each of its Facilities in compliance with provisions of Florida law that limit hours of operation, wagers and pot sizes."

The "hours of operation" is a huge thing. And it's not in the final compact, though it's unclear at this point why it was taken out, or whether the final wording is meant to include it.

If so, it'll be a tough break for poker players looking for a legal game in the dead of night (Tampa Bay pari-mutuel rooms close anywhere between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. every night, and don't reopen until 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the next day). But again, it appears to me that the current 24/7 operation will be allowed to remain.

Obviously most of us were hoping a compact deal would lift poker restrictions so we could finally play the game somewhere around here like it's meant to be played, but let me revisit an idea I posted briefly here before. Perhaps this is a good deal for Tampa Bay poker players.

The Hard Rock will undoubtedly score a larger percentage of the gaming dollars in the Tampa Bay area now, as people who used to play the dogs or the ponies - or even poker - will now play blackjack and other new games. Pari-mutuel operators are, justifiably, concerned about how this will affect their bottom lines, if not their very existence.

But ensuring that at least the poker is compatible between the different rooms gives pari-mutuel rooms a fighting shot at competing for at least poker players. We've seen gradual improvements in the poker laws over the past few years, and anything can happen in the future.

My guess is the pari-mutuel lobby will become more vigilant in Tallahassee, citing the compact as a threat to their future, and encouraging even more liberal poker laws be passed. It's not inconceivable that within a few years, poker laws will be less stringent in Florida, and we'll still have multiple rooms in which to choose from. For my money, that's better than one "Taj Mahal" size room and nothing else, which easily could have been the near-term future if the Seminoles were allowed to deal whatever they wanted.

- SCOTT 

Scott lasts 83 minutes in Vinny charity tournament

It's all Chris' fault.

Well, it's almost always Chris' fault, so let me narrow it down for you.

I'm in what proves to be the pivotal hand for me in Monday's Vincent Lecavalier Texas Hold'em Celebrity Poker Tournament for charity at the Hard Rock (that's me with Vinny here. OK, OK, go ahead and be hatin' on the quality. Like you could do better with a 1-megapixel cellphone camera in suboptimal lighting, Ansel Adams). Blinds are ridiculous now (it's a 3-hour tournament, so they juice the blinds to get people out as quickly as possible). For most of us, the only decision is all-in or fold. It's folded to the button, who's a good player (you can tell because he was wearing a baseball cap and baggy clothes), who raises it enough to put me all-in. The small blind insta calls. I look down at my cards in the big blind and see:

A-10.

OK, normally this is a race to the pot for me. Short-stacked, what more do you want than an Ace with an average kicker? (Yes, Chris, 10 is average). But I folded. Why? First, the insta call from the small blind scared me a whole lot more than that the raise from Mr. Baggy Pants. But ultimately, it came down to this: I've (We've!) been railing Chris for holding up this hand as the Holy Grail of Poker. If I called and won, I would have had to admit it, and Chris wouldn't have shut up for years. Decades maybe.

So I folded. The button flips over A-5, the small blind Q-J (c'mon man, what's the deal?!?!). My A-10 would have held up, I would have tripled up and had enough chips to last until, well, the next ridiculous blind level. Instead, I call all-in on the next hand with A-2 sooted in the small blind. I pair my deuce to take the lead on the turn, but the big blind's K-4 catches up with a river King, and I slink back to the VIP room and drown my disappointment at the open bar (ah, if only every tournament offered this amenity). My solace is that I went out on the same hand as my table's celebrity (he had A-3 and never improved). Oh, and who was that celebrity? Well, last year I had Daniel Negreanu. Maybe you've heard of him. This year, the guy who sits down in Seat 5 looks like he's 12. Chris would call him a "kid," but then again, Chris calls everyone "Kid." It's probably not a great thing when the dealer asks the celebrity who he is, so the entire table doesn't have to. He smiled and said, "Anthony Furlong. I'm a pro skateboarder."

But let me tell you this. I had a blast playing with Anthony. He knows poker, and he was hilarious. My favorite line, which came after he inquired why drinks weren't comped at the table and some girl came over and gave him a Red Bull, and felt it important to tell him "And I don't even work for Red Bull!": "Well, neither do I," he says, tipping his ROCKSTAR cap to her.

He was one cool dude, and my wife even got him to sign a coaster for me.

All in all, another fun night. My strategy of protecting my 1,000 in starting chips like they were encased in a chastity belt served me well, though I never really got any hands anyhow. I made it to Level 5, past the crazy rebuy period, which is much better than Chris and I did last year. I was all-in three times, and one other hand when it folded around to me as the single blind. Ha.

I also awkwardly acknowledged Mike Alstott in the line at the bar. Me (in my head): "Hey, that's Mike Alstott." Mike (in his head): "Hey, Creepy Dude, quit checking me out."

The Wife, the world's biggest music fan, had an awesome time, too, even though she was outbid for a piece of Beatles art in the silent auction and didn't get a chance to flirt with Robin Zander, who was booted way before me. (Robin, if you're reading this, do me a solid and walk down to our house and sign a coaster for Laura. Just hang a Louie on North Bay Hills and another one on Hillside.)

I'm already looking forward to next year, my one night of the year that I can pretend I'm rich. Next year, I'm playing A-10. Promise.

- SCOTT

Jail time for online play?

I know I'll still be playing in the this week's AIPS event, but someone is trying to throw you in the joint if you do and you live in Massachusetts. Take a look at this. Our thanks to listener Robert Greco for alerting us to this story.

-- Chris

Recap: Ante Up! CT meetup

Starting with me in the black shirt and going clockwise, the photo IDs are: Blazman (Erik), Aquaman (Chris, with an Ante Up! shirt!), Joe Unimpressed (and I was unimpressed, LOL), Loren, Jason, Harold (Jason's dad) and Ben (Jason's brother-in-law).

I had a blast playing with the Ante Up! Nationals in Connecticut. As per usual I was the first one there, but that was because I wasn't sure how long it would take to get to Jason's house from Foxwoods.

Loren, aka Captain Fink, rented a car and came in from Manhattan and stayed overnight in a Motel 6 down the street. He left New York at like 4:30 and didn't get there until almost 9. Gotta love NYC traffic. He requested we blind him off until he arrived, but it didn't take him long to get those chips back. More on that later.

Aquaman came in from Boston (he, too, got a room at the Motel 6) and showed up just before the start of the $20 SNG w/rebuys. And he brought more of the Ante Up! Ale, much to everyone's delight. Jason's dad (I met him once at Foxwoods) and brother-in-law (Ben, I think) showed up right after me, as did Blazman and Joe Unimpressed. Speaking of Joe, he came in and tossed me a package of Puffs tissues and said "I figured you might need these." I took it to mean that I'd be crying soon and threw the package back at him and laughed. But he meant I sounded like I was really sick during the show. Turns out I was just allergic to the cats at the house where I was calling in from, so I'm fine.

Early on in the SNG I tried to bluff at a pot that no one seemed interested in and Harold made the call with 55. From then on I knew he was pretty much a calling station and I'd trap him later a few times. Play during the rebuy period (first three levels) was standard, nothing too out of the ordinary, and when I flopped two pair with a big-blind special (83o) I tripled up to a massive chip lead when Blaz and Harold called my all-in after their raise and call ahead of me. Blazman rebought twice (he was the only one who had to rebuy) and that's when Loren showed up. Right away I could tell Loren would change the texture of the game. He plays for much larger stakes than the rest of us, so a $20 SNG to him is like a raindrop in the ocean. Right off the bat he was super aggressive, and clearly was the best NLHE player at the table. I steered clear of him with my massive chip lead because I didn't want to double him up. Very early on he got paid off when his Q-10 rivered a boat.

Ben stayed quiet early on and then woke up with some hands when the blinds started to escalate and he grabbed the chip lead from me.

After the rebuy session, one by one the Ante Uppers began to fall. I can't be sure of the order they went but I think Jason went first, followed by Aquaman, Blaz, Harold and Joe. I could be wrong, but when we got to the bubble it was me, Ben and Loren, with Ben having the chip lead and Loren a little bit ahead of me. With the pace speeding up I went all-in with AQo and got called from Ben, who had just lost a pot to Loren the hand before. He had 66 and I sucked out on the river with an ace to double through. Now Ben was the short stack and I had a decent lead on Loren. One or two hands later I got AQ again and Loren went all-in. I called and he had 10-10. I didn't improve and now Loren had the chip lead, something I really didn't want. But the hand that propelled me into the money and gave me a massive chip lead couldn't have worked out any better. I had been super aggressive with the button, raising just about every hand. So when I looked down at KK I thought a limp might look suspicous, so I made it 3X. Loren called and Ben folded. The flop came jack-high and I bet out about half the pot. Loren pushed, which I knew he'd do if he hit, and I turned over the Kowboys and then called. He had AJ and I eliminated him on the bubble.

It only took about 3-4 hands to eliminate Ben. I had him outchipped like 6-1 and he shoved with AQo. I looked down at 67c and gave it a shot. I flopped a 7 and a club draw. He never improved and that was it. But I needed to get lucky with that ace on the river earlier, otherwise I would've been the bubble boy.

It was great winning, but I think the best part was having Blaz rebuy twice, not finish in the money and when it was over I got to tease him, thanking him for putting more money in the prize pool for me. He had been busting my chops a LOT on FTP and on the forum, saying he was going to take my money, etc. So that felt good, especially since he might be our AIPS II Player of the Year.

Funniest line of the night? I think Joe said it but it could've been someone else. Everyone had been playing the A-10 and making references to it as "The Cosenza," and ribbing me when they lost with it, etc. So finally I said "I'm telling you guys, I'm not going to rest until that hand is named after me, like in a book or something." And that's when someone said "Well, you better write your own book then." Hilarious laughter ensued. That's OK, I can take it and I can dish it out.

As for the cash game, Loren owned the table for most of the night, even winning at games he didn't even know how to play. But here's the catch: Jason's home game is NO LIMIT all the time!!! No matter what the game is, it's no limit. That's something I couldn't believe. Omaha? No limit. Crazy Pineapple? Yep, no limit. Stud games? No limit!! But that's where I drew the line. I explained to them that NO LIMIT stud isn't even a game and if you wanted to play spread limit or just limit that was fine, but no limit was insane. They agreed and we played normal stud without an ante. So the no limit games played right into Loren's strengths and he cleaned up. Early on I splashed around because I was freerolling after my big tournament win. But then I said to myself "What the hell are you doing? It's still money and you should try to win as much as you can." So after being down as much as $48 in the cash game I decided to buckle down and take advantage of the NL games (as they are my strength as well). I pwned Crazy Pineapple and Double Flop, two games I have a LOT of experience with, and when they made it NL that was just awesome. Eventually I finished ahead $1 for the cash-game session. The tournament paid $130, so minus my one-time entry fee and I cleared $111 on the night. I can't say how everyone else did, but I'm happy with my play. There's more to say but I think I'll save it for Friday's show.

The game broke up at 3 a.m. and I thanked everyone for coming, especially Jason for hosting. He says whenever I'm in town he'll organize a game, so this could be a regular thing for me.

-- Chris

Episode #126: Poker boom over?

Bloomberg News photo

MAIN TOPIC

Chris calls in from Foxwoods and the World Poker Tour's World Poker Finals with a startling conclusion: Is the poker boom over? Click here to listen to the show.

Chris says the mood at the event is different than in the past, the number of spectators is way down and the number of entrants has trailed off a tad. Certainly, this is one small piece of the larger discussion, but it's something to think about. Scott poses an interesting, er, "captivating," question: So what if the boom is over? Of course, Ante Up! grew and continues to feed off poker interest, but maybe it's time for a natural market correction, where the worst shows fail, the worst books don't sell and the only quasi-interested players move on to another hobby. What do you think?

OTHER TOPICS

AIPS: Second-to-last event of the year is at 9 p.m. Thursday. Come get your banana! For details, click here.

Gambling bust: WSOP "divisional" champ (darn sloppy media!) Paul McKinney was pinched in a Tennessee poker game raid. They even took his pills.

Phil Ivey's one and only tip: The elusive Tiger Woods of Poker (aren't you glad that silly name has faded away?) finally offers up a tip for FullTilt players, and Scott loves it: Phil says read about poker all you want, watch all the poker you want, listen to all the poker you want, but when you're at the table, play your own game. Ahhhh, music to Scott's ears. Chris, of course, was sorta unimpressed.

This is ... "exhilarating!" Longtime listener and frequent e-mailer Mary "The Opus" offers Scott a "inspiring" list of synonyms for "interesting."

Vinny can play hockey ...: but can he play cards? Scott will find out in Monday's Vincent Lecavalier Charity Poker Tournament at the Hard Rock in Tampa.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: Scott reviews the Hard Rock in Tampa. Bottom line - 24/7 is a great thing.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Engstrok becomes a member of the HOTW's Three-Timers Club (you know what that means everyone - send us some HOTWs!) with a hand where he can't bet a monster.

In a $5.50 45-person SNG on PokerStars, he's dealt Jc-7h in the BB of Level I. The button had min-raised, and our hero calls, as do four others. The flop comes Js-7s-Ah. It's checked around, and the turn is a beautiful Jd. Our hero bets out a tiny 60, which is min-raised by the button (an appropriately named JiveTurkey7). Engstrock just calls, and checks the river 4s. JiveTurkey bets 120, engstrock calls and loses to A-J. Ouch.

It's almost impossible to put Jive on A-J here (who would let four players get a free turn card with flush and straight draws on board?!?!), but alas, anything is possible in low-level online tournaments. The good thing for engstrock: He lost as little money as is humanely possible here.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

Chris' interviews from Foxwoods, plus Jean-Robert Bellande!

- SCOTT

One Minute Mystery: The Case of the Slapped Face

We're in Level 2 of a 10-table MTT, and our starting stack of 3,000 has been whittled to 2,230 after making laydown after laydown, especially to the button.

UTG, we're dealt Qd-Qs and bump it 3x. We get four callers, including the button and SB.

The flop: 2d-5c-10d.

SB bets out 420, about half the pot. We min-raise to 840 and after calling "time," the button calls. The SB calls the raise, too.

The turn: 10c.

The SB checks, as do we. The button, which has us covered, pushes all-in and the SB folds.

Can be make this sick call?

Times file photo

Heading out for last time

I'm getting ready to head out of Foxwoods, and it's a little bittersweet because I really think that, unless some unusual circumstances arise, this will be my last WPT event I cover here. The first time I came it was for the thrill of it and it was out of necessity. Our show was still relatively new and making contacts was very important to the longevity of our product. But now that we've made all of these contacts through the WPT and the WSOP and through basic word of mouth, I just don't know if I need to come here anymore to secure guests and interviews. Each time I come back my stay at Foxwoods shortens. This time I only came for 2 days. Plus I'm doing this on my own time, and if it's not absolutely essential, why should I burn my vacation on this? Right? I didn't even play one hand of poker while I was here. I know I'll be playing in the home game tonight, but to come all the way to Foxwoods and not sit down at $2-5 or $1-2 NL? That's never happened.

I interviewed Freddy Deeb and Bill Edler today, and both guys were very personable and gracious, so that should make for a good show next week, combined with my other interviews and of course Jean-Robert Bellande. It could be one of our best.

As for an update on Lee Childs' dad, Bill, he's at around 110K with the blinds at 800-1600. I'll have Lee keep me posted and will let you know how he finishes up. Deeb is one of the chipleaders and the field is down to about 180 players.

It's been fun Foxwoods, but I must bid you adieu.

-- Chris

Lee Childs ... OUT!

Lee came into Day 2 with less than 24,000 chips so he didn't have much wiggle room. He suffered a setback earlier when he tried to represent an ace on the turn but his opponent wouldn't have any of it and called him down. So with about 11K left David Fox raised preflop to like 3K from UTG and Lee, in the BB looked down at 22. He shoved, forcing Fox to actually have a hand, and he did, AK. A king on the flop ended Lee's run. He says he might play the $5K event at Borgata on Sunday.

But, that doesn't mean the Childs name is done for at Foxwoods. Lee's dad, Bill, is having a great Day 2, soaring to at least 150K right now. One hand I watched he had 89 and turned the aboslute nuts with a board of 6-7-3-10. The player on his left, Paul Spitzberg (you may remember him from this year's coverage of the WSOP main event) shoved for 35K more, and after a little deliberation (we're not sure why) Bill called and Spitzberg turned over 45 for a smaller straight. It took Bill three hands to pile all of his chips.

Other Day 1B notables still alive that I hadn't mentioned earlier: Justin Bonomo and John Juanda.

More later, but I will be talking to Freddy Deeb on the next break.

-- Chris

Jean-Robert Bellande on Show 127

Was my hunch right or was it right? Jean-Robert Bellande got voted off of Survivor last night, so I called him today and he said he'd be happy to do the show next week, provided no complications come up. We will have all kinds of questions for him but if you have one, please email us at poker@tampabay.com.

-- Chris

Day 2 - Foxwoods WPT

I just sat down for the start of Day 2 and a few more players showed up than I thought. Some big names survived Day 1B (Josh Arieh 46K, Freddy Deeb 108K, David Benyamine 80K, Farzad Bonyadi 15K, Mike Binger 37K, Haralabos Voulgaris 20K, Alex Jacob 81K, Al Krux 112K, Nam Le 71K, Kathy Liebert 20K, Jeff Madsen 34K, Eugene Todd (Bro) 31K - and he says he just needs to win the first hand he plays and he'll be right back in it; Isabelle Mercier 28K, Chris Moneymaker 49K, Victor Ramdin 90K, Erica Schoenberg 42K, Nick Schulman 76K, David Singer 21K, - I just talked to him and he's as calm as ever; and David Williams 62K). There are more names, but I didn't want to just fill this post with a list. You can find coverage on CardPlayer if you want it.

I have to stand corrected when it comes to the number of entrants dwindling. The late signups and constantly running satellites made the total number of entrants jump to 575. That's a decent tournament, to say the least, despite still being less than last November's event here.

Do I still think the poker boom is over? Yes. But it's good to know there are a lot of big names here , and there are about 350 players left, so there's still some good poker to be played. One of the best stories for the Ante Up! Nation is Lee Childs' father, Bill. He came up here to play a little blackjack and follow his son. But Lee convinced him to play in a single-table satellite to try to win a seat. After 4 hours (now THAT is one long SNG) he won a spot for Day 1B and today he stands as one of the chipleaders at 71K. Pretty remarkable.

Looking forward to the home game tonight with the Ante Up! Nation and I'll give a report on that sometime in the next few days.

I'll try to have some updates throughout the day before I have to leave for JLBSox's house tonight.

-- Chris

Final Day 1A update

OK, it's 12:30 a.m. and I just got home from Foxwoods. As you may or may not know, Lee Childs made it to Day 2, which will be played Friday. He has around 23K in chips (he rallied to about 40K at one point but a couple of bad beats knocked him down late in Level 5. Even though that stack is under the average and below his original starting stack of 30K, he still feels he doesn't have to panic since he still will have roughly 30 big blinds left.

I talked with Tom Schneider a few times and he finished up at around the mid 30s, as did Bradley Berman. You can see all of the chip counts on CardPlayer, since they are the official media outlet of the WPT (remember how mad they got at me this morning?)

Tomorrow is Day 1B, and I may or may not make it. Though I do enjoy covering the WPT occasionally, this is my vacation too, and I haven't seen some of my friends. So I haven't decided if I am done with Foxwoods or if I'm returning. I'm looking forward to Friday's home game, though I may go to Foxwoods in the afternoon before heading over to JLBSox's house.

Couple of small tidbits before I sign off: I saw Chris Moneymaker playing $25-50 NLHE and I saw Allen Cunningham signing in with his girlfriend, Melissa Hayden. Also saw Paul Darden playing $150-300 Stud/8 (man I wish I could sit in that game!). And the best part of the night, Eugene Todd (Bro) invited me back to his room and I got the greatest interview in the history of Ante Up! The censor beep will be working overtime next week. I can only hope he doesn't tell the same story on Sebok's show (though he probably will).

OK, that's it for now.

-- Chris

Sick beats at WPT

I have seen some really sick beats today, almost as sick as the ones I have had recently. HAHA.

Here's one: J.C. Tran is involved in a hand with a guy and flops trip 9s. JC bets, the other guy shoves and JC calls. The other guy, who was bluffing, folds and starts to walk away. The cards never actually hit the muck and the dealer pulled them out. He dealt the rest of the board and the guy made runner-runner straight to survive. JC wasn't happy.

Here's another one: Hoyt Corkins has QJ and is in a hand with another guy. Flop comes AAJ and they get it all in. The other guy has JJ. Turn was an A blank and river was an ace. They split the pot. Just sick.

Lee finished Level 4 with 24K but has rallied as of late. This is the final level and he's over 40K. Barring a "disaster" he will make Day 2 on Friday.

-- Chris

Levels 1 and 2

After 1.5 levels Lee Childs is at 40K, give or take, and Tom Schneider was at 55K. Not a lot of movement in the way of chip stacks, but you can imagine with 30K to start there's no real reason to force the issue. There will be a 15-minute break in 6 minutes, and then they will start Level 3.

As I look at the WPT merchandise I can see a shirt that says ANTE UP on it. I have alerted the Times lawyers and Steven Lipscomb and he will be hearing from them real soon. LOL!

Turns out Freddy Deeb is here, but I think he is playing tomorrow. I'm not sure I will be coming tomorrow or not, but I might, since we are taping our show at 11 a.m.

I've already been moved three times today by the WPT staff. There's almost no media here, and yet then keep moving me. This time I had to move for Sebok's crew. I gave him some guff for it and he laughed. He says that's what I get for messing with the big boys. Little does he know I have an entire Nation behind me and if choose to unleash its collective power he will be in for a world of pain!

More later.

-- Chris 

Update: LEVEL 2: Lee was at 32.5K after Level 2. The day should end around 9 p.m. Schneider was hovering around 50K still.

Vinny Lecavalier charity poker tournament is Monday

... and I'll be defending Ante Up!'s honor again this year, though with a much different strategy than last year. Obviously, with one comped sponsor entry and no rebuy bullets, you're not going to see me in a pot from any position except the button, cut-off or big blind with anything less than QQ. And I'll be ready to push it all in with any hand that I'm willing to put money in the pot with. It's a longshot, but it's just fun to play.

Here are the details, if anyone wants to play or just swing by the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa and watch. (Last year, they kept people out of the part of the poker room where the tournament was held, but you could rubberneck the outer tables). Festivities begin at 6 p.m., and cards are in the air at 8 p.m. Cost to play is $550, with unlimited $100 rebuys for one hour. Top prize is $10,000, and you get a bounty prize for knocking out any of the celebrities.

Daniel Negreanu is a tentative celebrity, pending his success in the WPT event at Foxwoods.

Here are the other celebrities playing:

• Lightning players: Dave Andreychuk, Marc Denis, Chris Gratton, Paul Ranger, Brad Richards, Andre Roy, Marty St. Louis, Tim Taylor and, of course, Vinny Lecavalier.
• Pro athletes: Mike Alstott (Bucs), John Bale (Royals), Mardy Fish (tennis), Matt Geiger (ex-NBA) and Winky Wright (boxing)
• Entertainment stars: Julie Cialini (Playboy Playmate), Stacey Gardner (Deal or No Deal briefcase toter) and Robin Zander (Cheap Trick and fellow Safety Harborian)

- SCOTT

Update

OK, I just scanned the room and realized they are starting with 30K in chips. That's the first time that's ever happened. They start at 50-100 though. I saw one hand where Lee Childs raised in the 6th position and was called by Darrell "Gigabet" Dicken behind him. The flop came Ac-9d-Kd. Lee bet out 4K into a 6K pot and after about 2 minutes Dicken folded. So Childs picked up a nice pot there. Also at his table is Bernard Lee. You may remember him from the WSOP when he had the picture of his kids and he always kissed them when he would go all in. John says I should call him Bernie.

Another guy I met the last two times here is playing, his name is Dan Frank, and he's a local guy. I saw him at his table with Tom Schneider, Vanessa Rousso and Alan Kessler. Dan was in a hand with Schneider, and he bet out on the river with a board of Kd-Jd-8h-9d-2s. Schneider essentially minraised and after about 4 minutes Dan called with a set of jacks. Schneider had turned a queen-high straight.

Other pros that I've seen at the tables: Tuan Le, Fred Goldberg, Steve Zolotow, Mimi Tran (who made the final table here last April), Eric "Rizen" Lynch, Bill Edler, JC Tran, Erik Seidel and Hoyt Corkins.

More later,

-- Chris 

Already reprimanded at the WPT

Did you know that I picked out my wardrobe this morning with the sole intention of ticking off the World Poker Tour people? I showed up for my credentials today and got a little flak for wearing a WSOP shirt. Doh! How was I supposed to know I couldn't wear this shirt? Apparently there's a waiver that I am supposed to sign and that waiver says I can't wear any logos. But no one said anything for about 25 minutes after that. They just sort of joked with me. And then someone came over and handed me a black strip of electrical tape and asked me to cover it up. And let me tell you, this person was NOT nice to me when she asked. C'est la vie. I didn't lose my temper I just put the tape on. Tomorrow I'm thinking about wearing a Poker After Dark shirt. LOL! So, just in case I'm caught on film in a segment that airs on GSN, the viewing public doesn't want to know that I choose to wear WSOP gear. Unreal. 

So I'm sitting outside the entrance of the Sunset Ballroom entrance with Ante Upper John Silva, aka yzerman13, and we're making fun of everyone who walks by. He drove 3 hours and we both met Lee "Mr. Final Table" Childs about 15 minutes ago. Lee has some good stories to share so I'll interview him later and we'll use it for the either this show or next week.

Joe Sebok came by and we laughed bout his Canadian nightmare. He's the competition again now so I can't talk to him anymore. HAHA! No, he's real cool. Every time I'm here he comes up to me first and chats. I saw Barry and thought about saying hi but I'll wait till alter.

Whoa! I just had to seperate John from Amnon Filipi. Remember when John had that spat with him at the WSOP? Well, Filipi just walked by and John almost lost it. I had to grab John and pull him into a corner. It was scary. ... OK, I'm kidding. Amnon looked right at him and didn't even recognize him. And John said it wasn't worth needing me to bail him out of the Stonington jail.

Ran into Tom Schneider just now. Great guy. He said he enjoyed being on the show and he's hoping to final table here so he can really move up in the Player of the Year race. He says he's all "tournamented out" and I can believe it. I'm all "tournamented out" too and I don't even play.

I bumped into a certain Survivor contestant and asked him if he would talk to me, but he said he couldn't because of the show. All these rules are really cramping my style. No logos, no conversations with players from Survivor. What's the deal? So the general public ACTUALLY thinks Survivor is going on RIGHT NOW!!! So, he gave me his number and email and we might have him on the show after he gets "eliminated."

Just talked to Chad Brown. He says he really enjoyed being on the show and then he talked to me for about 10 minutes about the nightmare of public relations. I asked him if Vanessa Rousso would want to be on the show and he said she's here so talk to her today. And he gave me her number so that might happen soon too.

OK, I'm gonna go into the room and check out the play, see how things are going.

Haven't seen some of the regulars such as Daniel Negreanu, The Grinder, Cyndy Violette or the Brunsons, and where's Freddy Deeb? Maybe he's playing Day 1b.

-- Chris

 

Seminole Hard Rock Tampa review

Well, I definitely dropped the ball on not getting to a review of the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa in as timely as a fashion as I did the other rooms. No real excuse, outside of a brutal travel sked over the past couple of months. But I finally got out last Wednesday to check the room out. Not a bad room at all, and open 24/7 (for now - more on that later), which is a huge competitive advantage.

THE ROOM: Not bad, not great. That sums it up. It's tucked into its own area of the casino. The 50 or so tables fit snugly in the room, though it's less than claustrophobic. The tables are new or held up well, but not as flashy as one might expect from a Hard Rock. But the chairs are the best in town. Very comfy. The room does have Hard Rock touches, like large photos of rock stars on the walls. (I was seated in direct line of sight of the oh-so-lovely Ms. Jewel, which doesn't bode well for one's concentration on the cards). A couple of plasma TVs hang from each wall, half with TV sports and half with the wait list (or tournament clock), which is a nice touch since the room is so large. But the biggest problem with the room was the chaotic registration area. They have two employees manning the front lines - one to sign up for live games and tournaments, and one to claim your seat - and even though they were marked clearly, it was confusing. I waited for at least five minutes at the front of the sign-up line before I got a seat, as people kept popping up to check on their status or to ask questions. Also, while they had wait list screens inside the actual room, there oddly wasn't one at the sign-up desk. You had to peer at the worker's computer to see the games that were offered.

THE GAMES:

Stud: $1-$5, $1 bring-in, no ante

Omaha 8: $2/$4 with a kill to straight $5

Limit Hold’em: $2/$4 with $1/$2 blinds and straight $5 with $2/$5 blinds

No Limit Hold’em: $1/$2 blinds, max $100 buy-in, pot rake

Tournaments: MTTs run every day (click here for the schedule) and SNGs from $120 up to $1,040 were offered the night I was there.

Rake: 10 percent up to $5 max, but with a $1 minimum (ouch! be careful about raising too much in stud, or you'll just get your money back and the house will get the bring-in - happened to me).

Progressive jackpot: $1 from every pot of $10 or more is dragged. You need a royal flush in spades to win it.

Okay, you may have heard that the tribe is negotiating with Gov. Charlie Crist for a compact to offer other games. The federal government has mandated a drop-dead deadline of Nov. 15 for a deal to be reached. It's fairly safe to say a deal will be made (if not, the tribe gets the games anyway, and the state gets nothing), but what's unknown is what kind of deal will be reached. A draft proposal dated Oct. 2, consistent with media reports, would allow Class III (Vegas-style) slot machines and house-banked card games, such as blackjack and baccarat. However, that same draft would make the poker consistent with pari-mutuel laws. In other words, same limits, etc., and same hours (only 12 a day). Again, until a deal is reached, we don't know anything for sure, but this proposal would kill the only 24/7 poker we have here, but it might save the pari-mutuel rooms. An interesting dilemma, for sure.

THE PERSONNEL: Dealers were good. No mistakes while I was there, though you could see that one of them let his mind wander a bit much during stud. Plenty of floor personnel roamed the floor, but I never had a situation at my table or a neighboring table to see them in action. The cashiers were friendly, and the cocktail waitresses were quick.

MY PLAY: I sat at $1-$5 stud table for about 3 hours. I could see from the beginning that it was a pretty good table. Only one or two skillful players, the rest a bunch of calling stations just there for entertainment. Very little pre-4th Street raising, so it was easy to speculate for a buck, and then bet big if you hit. In fact, I had one deftly played hand when I was the bring-in with rolled up 4s. I came in for only a buck, and let a player with an Ace showing lead the action until 6th Street. The set held up. But in the end, I was drawn out on too many times to mention (well, not too many times for Chris to mention). I left down $20 after deciding I need to fold Broadway on 6th street to a player with four diamonds showing.

As always, post your experiences from Hard Rock here.

- SCOTT

A sign of things to come?

As I sit in the terminal at Tampa International Airport, I can't help but reflect on a horrible night of online poker. And, I hope it's not a sign of things to come as I'm scheduled to play in a home game with a bunch of Ante Up! Nationals on Friday night.

My day started out pretty uneventful, losing my $5 Stud/8 buy-in when my A237 bricked three times and my aces up lost to a 10-high flush. So I played NLHE for a bit and earned back my buy-in with some pretty decent play. I was up 50 cents after about an hour of play and thought "I'm on vacation and am going to CT for a few days. Why not quit with a measly 50-cent profit?" But then another voice said "You're on vacation. If you can't play online for a few hours while you are on vacation, when can you?" So I played a few more hands of NLHE when this hand came up: I had 77 on the button. It got raised in the cutoff to 3X and he had me covered. I called and the blinds folded. Flop was A97, 2 diamonds. He bet half the pot and I min raised him. He shoved and I called. He had A9 and turned an A. I went broke and now was down $15 on the day.

Do I quit or do I play something else? Well, I AM on vacation.

I played HORSE for a bit and managed to grind out a small profit after the first rotation, though I did lose a pot in HE when I had A9 and the guy on my left had AQ with a board of AQ927. So I fought back during the stud games to actually get above my $5 buy-in when we started the second rotation through the games. First hand in hold 'em I picked up QQ UTG. I raised and the guy who beat me in that last hold 'em pot made it three bets. It got folded to me and I cap it. He called. Flop: A-Q-7 rainbow. I bet and he raised. We capped it. The turn was an A giving me queens full of aces. We capped it, and the last bet put me all-in. He turned over ... yep, AQ. Drawing dead with queens full. Now I'm down $20. Do I stop? Still plenty of time till dinner, so I played stud/8. I was treading water there for a bit when Blazman and loser64 started railing me and asking if I wanted to play a HORSE SNG. After I described the bad beats I've been dealt and the hit my bankroll took I declined. But after a bit I decided "What the hell, I'm on vacation and this might help with AIPS." So I gave in and we got into a $5+.50 SNG.

I won a small HE pot with KK and lost a bigger pot with A9 on a nine-high flop when Blaz showed me pocket jacks. I got beat up in O8B when three of us split half the pot with A2, but then I took down a big pot in Razz to get back into the top 3. Then it all fell apart in stud. With an ace-high flush on 5th street I pumped it up but got beat by not one but two full houses, including one that didn't even have a pair showing. After that I was just begging to be eliminated. I survived till stud/8. Drawing to a 7 low with a pair I got it all-in. I made ace