Episode #155: Poker music

MAIN TOPIC
St. Pete Times pop music critic Sean Daly, who also co-hosts the Stuck in the '80s podcast, rocks our studio to talk about the best music to play for your home game and the best tunes to fire up your iPod with at the tournament table. Click here to listen to the show.

OTHER TOPICS
We're TV stars: If you missed our appearance on TV this week, here's your chance to catch it.

AIPS: Congrats again to rascony for winning the wild, wild rebuy event. Remember, razz is next!

WSOP: The World Series of Poker gets started on Friday with a $10,000 World Championship event (pot-limit hold'em). An eco-friendly poker table will be on display this year, and we wonder aloud about the quality of dealers in Vegas for the next couple of months with a bouquet of other tournament series in town at the same time.

Hotline: PokerGeek says Ante Up helped him through recent tornadoes in Minnesota (glad to hear everyone is alright), and Sharkey gets his aces cracked.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: The bad beat jackpot at the Seminole Hard Rock casino in Tampa is north of $400K, and One-Eyed Jack's in Sarasota is launching new WSOP guarantee tournaments.

One Minute Mystery: Columbo gets cold feet and checks his A-7 down. Good thing. His opponent had played 9-9 - poorly.

HAND OF THE WEEK
Nicholas from Australia sends us a stud8 hand where he starts with buried aces and a 6 door card. He caps the action on 3rd Street, pairs his 6 on Fourth but can't chase anyone away.

It's bricks around on Fifth, and it's bet, call, call. But on Sixth, the original frisky bettor pairs his door card (7) and the action gets capped. On 7th, everyone slows down, which is good for our hero, who loses the high half of the pot to Aces and sevens. Ouch.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW
TBA

- SCOTT

We made the 4 p.m. news!

One of our listeners, Michael Weber, is a producer for Channel 10 news and recently visited our studios and produced a news segment on us. It just ran on the news, but here is a link so you can check it out.

-- Chris

Send us your music choices

This week's show is dedicated to what might make for great music while you play poker. We've brought this up on the blog but we never had our special guest, St. Pete Times Music Guru Sean Daly, on before. So, send us what your favorite music to listen to (either on your iPod or in your home game) and tell us why and we'll try to bring it up on the show.

-- Chris

AIPS III Event #6 created

The sixth event in this year's AIPS has been created and is open for registration.

It's Razz! Buy-in is $5+$0.50. Cards in the air at 9 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, June 26, on FullTilt.

For all the info on AIPS, from the schedule to past winners to registration details, click here.

- SCOTT

The sixth event in this year's AIPS has been created and is open for registration.

It's Razz! Buy-in is $5+$0.50. Cards in the air at 9 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, June 26, on FullTilt.

For all the info on AIPS, from the schedule to past winners to registration details, click here.

- SCOTT

AIPS III Event #5 Champion: rascony

Congratulations to rascony, who wins the fifth AIPS III banana as champion of the No-Limit Hold'em Rebuy event, which drew 101 entrants, 394 rebuys and 82 add-ons.

rascony won the title very early this morning when he paired his 8 on the flop to beat the pocket 5s of Rant2112. Congrats to everyone who made the final table!

Just-for-recognition bounties go to:

• Unknown (Chris "willhopper" 24th place)
• rascony (Scott "OffDeadline" 27th place)
• Unknown (Columbo "columbo" 85th place)
• (Fasso "stpetebeach" DNP)

NEXT EVENT: Razz, Thursday, June 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 Blazman for hosting the results).

Click here for the schedule and all the info on AIPS III 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 rascony, who wins the fifth AIPS III banana as champion of the No-Limit Hold'em Rebuy event, which drew 101 entrants, 394 rebuys and 82 add-ons.

rascony won the title very early this morning when he paired his 8 on the flop to beat the pocket 5s of Rant2112. Congrats to everyone who made the final table!

Just-for-recognition bounties go to:

• Unknown (Chris "willhopper" 24th place)
• rascony (Scott "OffDeadline" 27th place)
• Unknown (Columbo "columbo" 85th place)
• (Fasso "stpetebeach" DNP)

NEXT EVENT: Razz, Thursday, June 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 Blazman for hosting the results).

Click here for the schedule and all the info on AIPS III 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 rascony, who wins the fifth AIPS III banana as champion of the No-Limit Hold'em Rebuy event, which drew 101 entrants, 394 rebuys and 82 add-ons.

rascony won the title very early this morning when he paired his 8 on the flop to beat the pocket 5s of Rant2112. Congrats to everyone who made the final table!

Just-for-recognition bounties go to:

• Unknown (Chris "willhopper" 24th place)
• rascony (Scott "OffDeadline" 27th place)
• Unknown (Columbo "columbo" 85th place)
• (Fasso "stpetebeach" DNP)

NEXT EVENT: Razz, Thursday, June 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 Blazman for hosting the results).

Click here for the schedule and all the info on AIPS III 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 rascony, who wins the fifth AIPS III banana as champion of the No-Limit Hold'em Rebuy event, which drew 101 entrants, 394 rebuys and 82 add-ons.

rascony won the title very early this morning when he paired his 8 on the flop to beat the pocket 5s of Rant2112. Congrats to everyone who made the final table!

Just-for-recognition bounties go to:

• Unknown (Chris "willhopper" 24th place)
• rascony (Scott "OffDeadline" 27th place)
• Unknown (Columbo "columbo" 85th place)
• (Fasso "stpetebeach" DNP)

NEXT EVENT: Razz, Thursday, June 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 Blazman for hosting the results).

Click here for the schedule and all the info on AIPS III 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 rascony, who wins the fifth AIPS III banana as champion of the No-Limit Hold'em Rebuy event, which drew 101 entrants, 394 rebuys and 82 add-ons.

rascony won the title very early this morning when he paired his 8 on the flop to beat the pocket 5s of Rant2112. Congrats to everyone who made the final table!

Just-for-recognition bounties go to:

• Unknown (Chris "willhopper" 24th place)
• rascony (Scott "OffDeadline" 27th place)
• Unknown (Columbo "columbo" 85th place)
• (Fasso "stpetebeach" DNP)

NEXT EVENT: Razz, Thursday, June 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 Blazman for hosting the results).

Click here for the schedule and all the info on AIPS III 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 rascony, who wins the fifth AIPS III banana as champion of the No-Limit Hold'em Rebuy event, which drew 101 entrants, 394 rebuys and 82 add-ons.

rascony won the title very early this morning when he paired his 8 on the flop to beat the pocket 5s of Rant2112. Congrats to everyone who made the final table!

Just-for-recognition bounties go to:

• Unknown (Chris "willhopper" 24th place)
• rascony (Scott "OffDeadline" 27th place)
• Unknown (Columbo "columbo" 85th place)
• (Fasso "stpetebeach" DNP)

NEXT EVENT: Razz, Thursday, June 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 Blazman for hosting the results).

Click here for the schedule and all the info on AIPS III 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 rascony, who wins the fifth AIPS III banana as champion of the No-Limit Hold'em Rebuy event, which drew 101 entrants, 394 rebuys and 82 add-ons.

rascony won the title very early this morning when he paired his 8 on the flop to beat the pocket 5s of Rant2112. Congrats to everyone who made the final table!

Just-for-recognition bounties go to:

Episode #154: Mailbag!

MAIN TOPIC
It's been a few months since we've opened the Ante Up! Mailbag, so hear our answers to questions about bubble play, our intro music, "overcalling," online competition, Twitter, mystery money transfers, the Ante Up! store, badugi, loose passive tables, small blind calls, angle shooting, flopping the nut straight, stud 8 and the legality of online poker. Click here to listen to the show.

OTHER TOPICS

Unplug the TV, Chris!: Despite my constant pleas to my co-host to avoid the pain that televised poker brings him, he's a sucker for punishment. Check out the most recent blog posts to get the story.

AIPS fruit delivery: Just in time for tonight's fifth event of AIPS, Chris finally gets around to sending out the first four bananas. Winners, send us a photo with your prize - and the elementary school envelopes they come in.

Poker comes to Macau: The Chinese gambling mecca that very soon will make us forget about Las Vegas gets its first live poker room, named for PokerStars.

Hotline: ScottyPeppers from Washington rallies against his state's stifling poker laws, and Lee from Long Island gives Scott a reason to rant yet again about the World Series of Poker's delayed final table.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: The Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood stages a $3,000 buy-in event, and Derby Lane is giving away a Rolex.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Ante Up home-gamer Snuffy sends us a stud 8 hand from a $6/$12 live game table:

He starts with split Aces and a king, completes and gets two callers.

On Fourth Street, he pairs his king and opts for a check-raise.

On Fifth Street, the action-leader pairs his Jack (the case one), and a raising war breaks out.

On Sixth Street, everyone whiffs except for the player going low, who picks up a baby. It gets capped nonetheless.

On Seventh Street, Snuffy misses and check-calls, losing to a low straight.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW
Times' music critic Sean Daly and poker music. Post your questions, playlists, stories, etc., about music here.

- SCOTT

One Minute Mystery: The Case of the All Too Common Scenario

We're deep into a three-table no-limit tournament. Blinds are 200/400 with a 25 ante. We have about 9,800 in chips, with an M of 15.

The table is slowing down when it's folded to us in the cutoff with Ad-7c. We raise 3x, and the big blind calls.

The flop: 10c-Jc-8d. Big blind checks, and our bet of 1,400 is called.

The turn: 10-h.

Big blind checks. What do we do?

Times file photo

PAD editing: Brilliant or horrible? UPDATE!

Photo courtesy of NBC

Last night I watched the first episode of Analysts Week on Poker After Dark and I have to admit it wasn't easy. These guys were all talking up a storm, which is fine because that's really what the producers want. But one end of the table would talk about one story and the other end of the table would talk about another one. I'd start listening to one story and then the mikes would get turned up on the other end of the table and I'd lose track of the first story. And even the players were getting ticked off at Ali Nejad. He took like three minutes to act whenever he had a hand, and it was mostly because he was TALKING!

But nothing was worse than when Chad Brown was trying to tell a story of a prop bet with Mike "The Mouth" Matusow and he couldn't finish his story because Robert Williamson wouldn't shut up. Williamson kept talking and saying he knew what the prop bet was and that he had heard it already. WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE COUNTRY? I sat there and paused the TiVo and SCREAMED at the television for RWIII to SHUT UP!!! And wouldn't you know it, when he finally let Chad tell the story the damn episode ended and he never finished!!

I didn't tune in after 2 a.m. this morning to see if they actually let the rest of the story be broadcast or if it ended up on the cutting room floor. I couldn't find the episode online yet, so I'll have to wait till I get home. But if that story isn't completed I'll be ticked off ... almost as mad as I am at David Goldhill of GSN!!!

Regardless if I get to hear the rest of the story, I can't decide if this was a brilliant piece of editing or just a terrible mistake. If I wasn't such a die-hard fan of poker I might be discouraged enough to say "Screw this show!" and not watch it. It was a very frustrating episode.

UPDATE: OK, so I had a chance to watch the second show and they returned to Chad Brown's story about his prop bet with Matusow, and they even made a point of having the substitute announcer (a job I COVET) say "And now Chad Brown continues telling his prop bet story." So, my final verdict is this editing job was both brilliant and horrible. Brilliant because it got me to write about it today (and I'll likely talk about it on the show) but horrible because of how ticked off it made me and obviously others since people posted here with the same feelings. In the end it was a good move for PAD because any publicity is good publicity and I fell for it. Oh, and by the way, the story was a HUGE letdown.

-- Chris

An open letter to GSN CEO David Goldhill

To: David Goldhill, new CEO of Game Show Network

Dear Mr. Goldhill,

My name is Christopher Cosenza and I represent a very powerful group: the Ante Up! Nation. I'm writing this letter to help you understand the importance of High Stakes Poker on Game Show Network. True, poker isn't a game show, and so under that argument you win, but it is a game ... of skill. Of course I'd argue Love Connection isn't exactly a game show either, but I digress.

Word is you may dislike having HSP on your network because it's "gambling." Well, I'm here to tell you poker is less like gambling than nearly every show on your schedule. Let's take Press Your Luck for instance. Aside from some mindless trivia to earn a spin, those contestants are merely playing an oversized antiquated slot machine. There's no skill involved. Sure, they may have a strategy when deciding to pass or press, but let's be fair: There's no skill in Press Your Luck. In fact, I would venture to say 95 percent of all of your shows are based on chance and luck (hell, it's right there in the title!). And don't get me started on BINGO AMERICA!

Poker, on the other hand, is a test of skill, cunning and psychology. Sure, large sums of money are involved, but what game show doesn't have large sums of money these days? Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Again, it's right there in the title. And if we're being completely honest, your job is to secure ratings and revenue, is it not? Name ONE other non-poker show where contestants put up THEIR OWN MONEY? You can't. Sure, the poker players get paid a nominal fee to be on your show, but that merely adds up to one big blind for these talented indivuduals. And, your overhead must be extremely small on a show like this: The set is all but provided by the casino, the cameras are at most a handful and the salaries of the hosts are minimal. Sure, there's a crew and production, but what show doesn't have that? It's part of running a network.

On behalf of the Ante Up! Nation and all TV poker fans out there, I'm asking you to please pick up the phone and call Mori Eskandani and order another season of High Stakes Poker.

-- Chris Cosenza, Ante Up! co-host and High Stakes Poker fan

We have a new hero

Photo courtesy of WPT

Not sure how this got by me when I was up there, but this is Rich Meli, and clearly he has his priorities in order. What's more important to him ... winning the Foxwoods tournament or winning a banana? This man knows the importance of the yellow fruit! If you don't know who Rich Meli is, don't worry, neither do I. But he has one WPT cash for $27K (19th @ Foxwoods). I remember watching him play but I didn't know who he was. I came across this shot while scanning through WPT photos. I think I'll try to get him to play in the next AIPS event.

-- Chris

Let the maniac do your betting

I had been on this guy's left for about 20 hands and it was so clear that he was a maniac. He played almost every hand and raised just about every pot as well. If anyone would check to him he would bet big and people would fold their marginal hands. His stack's not exactly indicative of his play because he called an all-in with only a gutshot and one card to come and he made the wheel to double through a guy with two pair. So I folded to him a few times, which is why I was under my $25 buy-in. But then the following hand came up, and it's not the greatest hand ever, but it shows how a maniac who is desperate to not lose a pot can just shove with reckless abandon, praying (or assuming) the other player would fold like a cheap tent. Plus this gives me a chance to use the Pokerhandreplays.com tool.

Gotta love having him turn over his cards and know he was drawing dead. And the quads on the end was pretty sweet, if not overkill. A few hands later he got it all-in A7 vs. my QQ and I cleaned him out. When he left I typed in the chat box: It was only a matter of time boys.

The moral of the story? If you have a maniac at your table, be sure to have him on your right and then let him bet your monsters.

-- Chris

High Stakes Poker cancelled? UPDATE!

I awoke this morning to news that High Stakes Poker on GSN may be in trouble. Numerous sites are reporting the HSP folks haven't filmed a new season yet and there doesn't seem to be plans to either. Pokerati.com quoted AJ Benza in its report as well, and AJ doesn't seem happy: "Far as Gabe and I know ... the show isn't coming back." Also CardPlayer talked with Mori Eskandani of POKER PROductions and he confirms that GSN hasn't ordered any new episodes yet. Here is the story.

Dennis Oehring at Poker PROductions emailed me today and here's what he said: "Many decisions about poker are currently being made by GSN, which is under new leadership since the departure of ex-CEO Rich Cronin. But I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that POKER PROductions has never been notified of the show being cancelled, despite what you may have read from the so-called pundits out there. I suspect we will know a lot more about the course of GSN's future programming after next Saturday (May 24), the deadline for them to decide whether to renew the WPT's contract for Season 7. Once we hear, I will be sure to let the poker community know."

If this news becomes official I'll be handing in my digital cable box ASAP! GSN is the only reason I got the box in the first place. For those of you who haven't listened to our latest show yet, I mentioned High Stakes while I talked to Justin Bonomo. Will HSN go the way of Courtney Friel, Sabina Gadecki and Shana Hiatt by joining the curse of Ante Up? For the first time I truly hope not.

Sad day for poker if this is true.

UPDATE: Mori has gotten back to me and he apparently read the blog because here's his response when I asked him if GSN cancelled his show: We have gotten no such a notice. Our relationship with GSN remains as strong as ever. We respect any decision that they make regarding poker in general and HSP in particular. Last time I spoke to them, the network was trying to figure out if poker can work/exists in the direction that they like to take their future programming. It is totally possible that we get a call tomorrow and receive an order for more seasons. NO ONE KNOWS. Please don't return your cable box just yet.

-- Chris

Episode #153: Justin Bonomo

JustinBonomo.com

MAIN TOPIC
Pro Justin Bonomo, aka "ZeeJustin," gives us a ring to talk about his meteoric rise in the poker world, his string of recent final tables, his new affiliation with Team Bodog and, yes, his past and how he's dealing with it. Click here to listen to the show.

OTHER TOPICS

Race for the Hundy: Chris is still out of breath from his prop bet win against Fasso. If you missed it, check out the story and video.

AIPS: Event #5 (NL hold'em rebuy) is just a week away. Click here for all the details.

MySpace poker: That's right - this hideously hard site to read has started a poker room. You can even order virtual beers. (Well, not Chris. He's doesn't even drink virtual booze).

Trump does it again: This time, The Donald will install 12 electronic poker tables in the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City by June. Booooooo!

Get your stock on: CNBC has launched a stock-picking contest. One of the prizes? A seat in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event.

More on the WSOP delay: Scott is hung up on just how success or failure will be determined in the World Series' biggest gimmick of the year. Give it up. (Or, keep the debate alive).

Hotline: A caller lets us know of a soccer player named Ante Razov. Close, but no banana ...  and Roger calls in to let us know we can catch NBC's National Heads-Up Poker Championship on the Internet.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: Help out a good cause and get a legitimate reason to say "boobs" by participating in the Bikers4Boobs & Walkers4Boobs Poker Run and 5K Walk on June 8. Click here for the details.

One Minute Mystery: Columbo is on vacation, no doubt solving a crime. He'll be back soon.

HAND OF THE WEEK
Alright, we took a chance (you know what that means). It was our first single-draw no-limit 2-7 lowball HOTW. Neither Chris nor I nor Justin, who stuck around to help us out, have played this version of lowball.

Jan, an Ante Upper playing in a loose 5-person dealer's choice low-limit home game, is in the big blind with 2-3-4 and two paint cards. Everyone limps, and Jan checks. The small blind draws three, Jan two and the rest of players: two, two, three.

Jan improves to 8-7-4-3-2, and after the small blind checks, he bets 6 units into a 5-unit pot. He gets one caller, and then the small blind check-raises to 20 units.

The bet smelled fishy to us, and Jan called, just as we would have. Good move. His 8-7 beat his opponent's rougher 8-7.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW
TBA, but in two weeks, St. Pete Times' rockin' music critic Sean Daly joins us to talk about music and poker.

- SCOTT

What occupations create the best poker players?

Associated Press

I'm catching up on back episodes of one of my favorite new TV shows, FX's The Riches, starring the dreamy Minnie Driver and the very funny Eddie Izzard.

The two play the married head of a family of cons who have assumed the identity of a dead family. In a recent episode, Driver's character tries to come clean with a parole officer, only to be dressed down by him after he could easily tell that he was being lied to.

And immediately, I thought "I bet parole officers make good poker players." We've all heard actors say they are good players because they can fool their opponents with their acting skills. And dealers love to tell us that they make good players because they've watched thousands and thousands of hands.

What other occupations do you think breed talented poker players?

- SCOTT

How will success be determined in the WSOP's delayed final table?

Argue if you will over whether the World Series of Poker was right in deciding to delay this year's Main Event final table for 117 days, but a more interesting debate I think is:

How will delay's success or failure be judged?

I'm a fan of WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. A reasonable debate can be had over whether his, and Harrah's, aggressive commercialization of the WSOP is fuel for poker's continued popularity or a tragedy to tradition, but I don't think you can debate whether he listens to players and acts quickly on their suggestions.

Case in point: The tent used for some of the events last year is gone this year. Folks didn't like it, and he figured out a solution. But in that example, failure was easy to diagnose. Players - lots of them - grumbled loudly about the playing conditions.

But what's the benchmark for success or, more importantly, failure of the final table delay?

Will a mass outcry of opposition from players be as convincing when in reality only nine players - not the hundreds like in the tent example - are affected? And how many of the nine will have to argue against it for their concerns to carry weight?

Short of ESPN saying, "Hey, we didn't get the ratings we were hoping for," or a PR nightmare if one of the nine finalists doesn't make it the final table (death, visa holdup, etc.), do see any way at all this experiment can possibly be labeled a failure by WSOP officials?

- SCOTT

Analyze This: Conclusion

The opponent was holding 7-8 of diamonds and rivered the straight.

The 2X raise was used because it had reached the stage where 2X had become the raise of choice about half the time (and was getting the job done).

Thanks for the input. Shoving on the turn sounds better.

Analyze This

This is from a $2+0.25 rebuy tournament on FullTilt.

We are past the rebuy period, down to 21 players from 77 (nine paid), and I have about 4,500 chips with blinds at 150/300/25.

UTG on a seven-handed table, I am dealt KK. I raise to 600 and get one caller, who has about 20K.

Flop is 9-5-K, two spades (the K is one). I bet 1,500 into an 1,825 pot. Opponent calls.

Turn is 3 of spades, the third spade. I check; opponent checks.

River is 6 of hearts. I bet 1,500; opponent raises me all-in. I call.

Race for the Hundy video ... and mug winner

We missed the 11 p.m. SportsCenter, but here's Snuffy's great video from the Race for the Hundy:

And congrats to 2cunning4yew, who wins the highly sought after Bicycle-brand coffee thermos for his Nostradamus-like prediction ability. He picked all three questions right (Cosenza to win, Cosenza for fastest lap, one walker and then boldy picked 9:03 as the winning time, just a mere 6 ticks off of reality.)

2cunnning, e-mail me with your address and we'll get that prize out to you. And thanks to everyone who made a guess. I'm trying to keep the prop bet fire burning at Ante Up! HQ.

- SCOTT

Race for the Hundy winner is ...

Jeanne Cosenza photo

SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - On a beautifully breezy 88-degree day, two warriors went to battle on an unpopulated asphalt track in this quaint burg, just a card's throw from Old Tampa Bay.

The Official Arrival Ceremony lived up to the hype. Fasso, escorted by Scott Long, entered the arena from the North, sporting a Fly Emirates red cap and slurping a Dunkin' Donuts coffee, venti. From the South, Cosenza stalked the track, escorted by Ante Upper Erik, with a 67-ounce bottle of Gatorade pinned to his lips, a WSOP ballcap screwed on backwards and an iPod Shuffle dangling from his neck.

For a death-defying 33 minutes, the combatants exchanged quips, threats and taunts. Negotiation over the rules was tense at times. Cosenza refused Fasso's demand that he run in Lane 6 the entire way, but did agree to not step to the left of the inside white line - until he was way ahead and Fasso couldn't see.

The roaring, collected crowd (population 4) smirked at a request to station track stewards at each 100 meters.

Shortly before kickoff, Chris' wife arrived, offering moral support and photographing the historic event for posterity. Fasso's wife never arrived, not much of a surprise, seeing as he doesn't have a wife.

Like buckin' broncos at a rodeo, the fighters were restless and wanted to start early, but the crowd booed and made them sweat out the next 4 minutes.

At the stroke of 11, the gun (really just Scott yelling) sounded, and they were off!

Cosenza blasted from the blocks and scorched to a race-best 1:33:06 lap on the first trip around the asphalt. Fasso, using his patented "recumbent bicycle" stroke, was slow and steady, finishing the first lap in 1:42:34.

At the 600-meter mark, the tank clicked "Empty" on Cosenza's gut and he was forced to walk. (BIG surprise). Fasso didn't take the bait, keeping his slow and steady strategy intact.

At the end of three laps, the noticeably dying "athletes" crossed the line at the same time, setting up a bell lap for the ages. They kept neck and neck, ankle to ankle, for the next 200 meters, when Fasso made his move. He boosted his mph from 1 to 2, and left Cosenza in the dust ... for about 3 meters.

Chris dug in and put on the turbo boost (and you don't want to know what his "turbo boost" is. We got a whiff of it prerace) and streaked (fully clothed, thankfully) to the finish line, taking the Race for the Hundy in a startling 9:09.01.

Fasso, to the polite encouragement of the peanut gallery, finished in 9:21:17 - never having to walk a step.

Congratulations to both of these bold men, who have inspired couch potato turtles everywhere.

Stay tuned for the video report, expected from Snuffy later tonight or Sunday.

And after the Ante Up! Home Game, which begins in just 10 fateful minutes, I'll go through the several Race for the Hundy predictions, and crown a winner. That lucky soul (not as lucky as Rant, but still ...) will be shipped a Bicycle-brand coffee thermos.

Maybe you can loan it to Fasso for Race for the Hundy II.

- SCOTT

ZeeJustin on Show 153

The once-controversial (but always talented) poker player Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo will be on Ante Up! for Episode 153. The 22-year-old pro just signed with Team Bodog and we'll be sure to ask him all about it. But what would you like to know? You may think he's all about NLHE, but he was the youngest player left standing in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event at the 2007 World Series of Poker so he'll fit right in with the Ante Up! Nation. Please post your questions here, and time permitting we will do our best to ask them.

-- Chris

Photo courtesy of Bodog

Episode #152: Dissecting a HORSE tournament

Associated Press

MAIN TOPIC

Hey, we finally did it! Here's the long-awaited (or at least long-promised) show dissecting a HORSE tournament. We'd like to think SickBrain80 for his e-mail that spurred the topic. In a HORSE tournament, you need to be able to adjust to the different games, as well as the changing table. It's the most challenging type of tournament out there. Click here to listen to the show.

OTHER TOPICS

Ante Up shenanigans: I treat Chris to a Threshers game, and he blows four of my bucks with weak launch-a-ball tosses ... a plastic banana is up for the taking for any and all Ante Uppers who officially name their baby "Ante" or "Ante Up," or have their kid's name legally changed to it ... Race for the Hundy is Saturday, so get your picks in for a chance to win a really cool coffee thermos.

CardRunners wants to train you: ... if you make it to the final table of the World Series of Poker's Main Event. The online poker training community will pick one of the final tablists this year and offer he/she free tutoring.

Casino Player gems: The May issue has an interesting column by gambling expert I. Nelson Rose on why Barack Obama's election is the best chance for legalized online poker, and it also has a brain teaser from the Mad Genius of Poker Mike Caro on what is the lowest-ranking hand that's guaranteed to win.

Mississippi Stud: Here's a new table game in which you're dealt two cards and have three community cards. You can fold or raise 1x, 2x or 3x on each street. If you get a pair of jacks or better, you win. Wizards of Odds Michael Shackleford breaks it down for you.

Hotline: Jeremy, and his adorable daughter, call in to make fun of Cosenza ... and Jen from Canada (via Australia) needs help dealing with the pain of bubbling out.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: If you're looking for a semi-serious group of players in Pasco County who play for fun, check out www.pascopokerplayers.com.

One Minute Mystery: Columbo goes into the tank, but he tosses his Q-Q. Good thing, too. He was up against A-A.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Longtime listener Tom Turley writes in with an Omaha 8 hand from a recent CHIMPS event.

It's three-handed, and Turley completes his small blind with 10s-3c-2s-5s - a dubious hand no doubt, but arguably playable three-handed, especially as chip leader. All three remaining players see a flop of Qc-6s-7c.

Tom check-raises the button, and gets the big blind to fold.

The turn: 4s

With a made straight and the third-nut low, Tom bets out and reraises his lone opponent. Too aggressive, perhaps?

The river: 8s.

Tom's strong straight turns into a weak flush, and his low doesn't improve. Check-call situation in our opinion, but Tom bets out, is raised and gets scooped. Ouch.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

Internet phenom Justin Bonomo, the newest member of Team Bodog, calls in.

- SCOTT

A Little error in judgement

This happened a while back, but I haven't had a chance to post about it. Jonathan "Fiery Justice" Little, who had only just signed with Full Tilt Poker a few months back, was recently fired by the online gambling site. He was a FTP-sponsored pro (you may be seeing him during the ongoing NBC National Heads Up Poker Championships coverage) and he's a WPT champ (and POY). But this error in judgement proved costly. Full Tilt, which pays its Red Players to play on its site (plus sponsors them in tournaments, etc.), axed the young star because he was letting other players use his account. This was a violation of Full Tilt's contract (here is a link to a statement). Jonathan apologized on his blog. Now he can't play on Full Tilt and he basically threw away thousands and thousands of dollars that would have been a huge lift off his shoulders. There are thousands of players (and pros) who would give their right arm to never have to worry about tournament entry fees and getting paid to play. 

But now I ask you, should he have been fired? There are reports of other pros "getting caught" doing this but no such action has taken place. Does this fall under the gray area of "What happens on the Internet stays on the Internet," such as Joint Sessions and Poker Tracker? Or was this really unethical? I'd love to read your thoughts on this. I'm not sure how I feel about it just yet.

-- Chris   

Scott's final wish

Illustration using an AP image

Yes, you probably saw this somewhere already but how could I resist? This is EXACTLY how I envision my good buddy and co-host being buried. The only thing missing is if that would have been a Beer Can Christmas Tree in the background. If you want to see the real story click here.

-- Chris

Race for the Hundy Contest

Mary Decker vs. Zola Budd.

Seabiscuit vs. War Admiral.

Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote.

The greatest races of all time will add a new chapter this Saturday, as Christopher Cosenza faces off against Mike Fasso in 1,600 meters of huffing and puffing.

Here's the Ante Up! Nation's chance to win some swag on the sweaty backs of these foolish competitors. Put your guesses to these questions in Comments field before the gun goes off at 11 a.m. Eastern on Saturday.

The winner gets an aluminum Bicycle-brand coffee thermos from my WSOP Swag Stash. (You'll have to provide your own Chariots of Fire soundtrack).

Scoring will be Badugi-style. We'll start with everyone who gets Nos. 1-3 right. If no one gets all three correct, we'll go with those who get two of the three correct. And if no one gets two right, we'll go with everyone who gets No. 1 right. The winner will be the Ante Up! National who guesses No. 4 (over and under) closest to the actual time. Final tiebreaker will be the first commenter.

Answer these four in the Comments field:

1. Who will win? (Fasso or Cosenza)

2. Who will have the fastest lap time? (Fasso or Cosenza)

3. How many of the competitors will have to walk any portion of the one mile? (0, 1 or 2)

4. What will the winning time be?

- SCOTT

Associated Press photo

How to Stack/Tilt Someone 101

After tripling my buy-in in Stud/8 last night I decided to buy-in short at a $.10-$.25 NLHE 6-handed table. A few orbits had passed and I felt I had built a tight table image, so I thought I might be able to parlay that into some stealing opportunities, etc. But when you're playing at these stakes people either aren't paying enough attention or they just can't lay down any hand, as you will soon see. I decided to mix it up UTG and here's the hand, (I changed the names and eliminated the inconsequential info):

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to willhopper [5♠ 4♠]
willhopper raises to $0.85 <---- Again, I have a tight image.
JustLooking calls $0.85
stubdog calls $0.75
At this point I decide if the cards come high I can represent them, and if they come low I will hit.
*** FLOP *** [J♣ 3♠ A♥]
stubdog checks
willhopper bets $1.25 <---- Standard C-bet.
JustLooking raises to $2.50 <---- Hmmm, smells like an ace looking to see where he is.
stubdog folds
willhopper calls $1.25 <---- With implied odds to a wheel how can I fold for a min-raise?
*** TURN *** [J♣ 3♠ A♥] [3♦]
willhopper checks <---- If he bets I'm done with this hand. I'm hoping the paired board slows him.
JustLooking has 15 seconds left to act
JustLooking checks <---- Has to be a weak ace or a jack. My plan is to steal it on the river if I miss.
*** RIVER *** [J♣ 3♠ A♥ 3♦] [2♦] <---- BINGO, BANGO, BONGO!
willhopper bets $14.30, and is all in <---- This looks like a bluff/steal, no?
JustLooking has 15 seconds left to act
JustLooking calls $10.25, and is all in <---- Ka-ching! Guess I couldn't have stolen from this guy after all.
*** SHOW DOWN ***
willhopper shows [5♠ 4♠] a straight, Five high
JustLooking mucks [A♠, 10♥] <---- Doesn't he know he shouldn't play The Cosenza against its namesake?
willhopper wins the pot ($26.90) with a straight, Five high
JustLooking is sitting out

But here's the best part of the hand: the ensuing chat, followed by another hand a little later vs. this rube.

JustLooking: &@@&in sick
JustLooking: u r pathic (sic)
JustLooking: 5 4
JustLooking: for real
JustLooking: you suck sooo bad
JustLooking: that was the most oathic (sic, he meant pathetic) beat i have ever lost to in my life
willhopper: ur money tastes like chicken
JustLooking: u are sad
willhopper: no i am happy
JustLooking: i will get it right back soon
willhopper: from me?
JustLooking: yur by far the worst player i have had the pleasure to play against
willhopper: actually it was my pleasure
willhopper: and u actually thought ur A-10 was good
JustLooking: with the &$## u morons have been playing
JustLooking: i just had to see
willhopper: and u called ME pathic? Or did you mean pathetic?
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to willhopper [9♥ T♣]
willhopper raises $0.85
willhopper: here is ur chance to get ur money back
JustLooking has 15 seconds left to act
JustLooking calls $0.75

*** FLOP *** [2♦ J♣ Q♥]
JustLooking bets $0.75
willhopper raises to $2.05
JustLooking: lol
JustLooking has 15 seconds left to act
JustLooking folds
JustLooking: u suck
willhopper: lol
JustLooking: muted
JustLooking stands up
willhopper: aw, i'm gonna miss him

And that is how you put someone on tilt.

This is the type of hand that used to always happen to me: calling off my whole stack with just top pair only to see the other guy turn over a hand I could never put him on. I've stopped calling off all my chips with marginal hands and my bankroll thanks me for it.

-- Chris

Episode #151: World Series of Poker preview

MAIN TOPIC

Responding to the day's big story, we called an audible and devoted this show to a look-ahead to the upcoming World Series of Poker, which begins May 30, and the announcement that the final table of the Main Event will be delayed 117 days to build anticipation. We summarize a media conference call led by WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack, and also include a recording of that entire call at the end of the show. Click here to listen to the show.

OTHER TOPICS

Sweden doesn't mess around: Two guys who lacked the proper permits to host a poker tournament in Sweden have six to eight months to reflect on that mistake - in a Swedish jail.

Hotline: Listener BitGuru calls in with a buffet of comments, including a question about whether the Mirage keeps those dollars they collect from the Texas Hold'em Plus redraws. Nope - they go straight into the pot.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: I ventured out to Lucky's at Tampa Greyhound Track, and was surprised to find not one limit game going at all, and that you can buy into the $1/$2 no-limit for as little as $20. If you're in a charitable mood, help out the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hernando County in a $100 tournament on May 18. For details, call (727) 233-1018.

HAND OF THE WEEK

A new listener Trey writes in with a hand from Ante Up!'s official game - razz.

He starts perfect - 2/3 underneath, with an Ace up. He completes, gets raised and reraises. We like it so far.

On Fourth Street, he picks up a 7 and keeps the pressure on. A Q/6 and a 3/8 come along.

On Fifth Street, the bricks start falling. He gets a J, keeps the pressure on, but can't shake the Q/6/4 or 3/8/K.

On Sixth Street, it's a mixed bag. He gets a 9, but the 3/8/K/5 is stubborn.

The river improves him to an 8 low, and he's lucky he's not raised by his opponent, who takes down the pot with a 7-5.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

We're beginning to sound a little like Jimmy Kimmel ("... our apologies to Matt Damon") each week as we delay yet again our Dissection of a HORSE Tournament show. We'll try again next week.

- SCOTT

One Minute Mystery: The Case of the Magician's Mirror

It's early in a 6-handed no-limit hold'em tournament, and a middle position player raises to 200.

We look down at Q-Q and raise to 480.

It's folded around to the original raiser, who reraises to 1,200. We call.

The flop: 6s-9c-Ks. Neither of our Queens is a spade.

Do you check ... or push? And if you check, do you call if your opponent bets?

WSOP delays final table

It's official: The World Series of Poker will delay the final table of this year's Main Event for 117 days - from its originally scheduled July 16 date to Nov. 9, with the final two players returning Nov. 10 to finish it off. The final table episode will air at 9 p.m. on Nov. 11 on ESPN.

WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack, pictured, and Tournament Director Jack Effel are hosting a media conference call this afternoon, which Chris and I will listen in to. We're also collecting comments from pros, and all of it will be on this week's show.

- SCOTT