In honor of Show #100

To commemorate our 100th show I designed a special logo. Everyone knows the standard color for a chip worth 100 units or $100 is black. So with that in mind I took it a step further and made this. I have inserted the logo on the left and what it looks like on a shirt on the right. You can buy this shirt at our store, and we offer different types of shirts (long and short sleeved) but only in white. The chip would get lost in a black shirt.

As for poker, I played in Gambit's home game Friday night and won a little in the cash game portion of the evening but went out first in the tournament when I turned a straight, plus picked up a straight flush draw. Someone bet out and I pushed. After much deliberation he turned over a very low made flush and my one out was in his hand. Oh well, I still played well and went home and won $40 playing Stud/8 and NLHE on Full Tilt. It was a positive weekend despite the tournament bust. Also, Saturday Scott and I worked on Show 100 at his house ... oh, and I kicked his butt in Chinese Poker! We played the standard 13-card game, then the 13-card variation with the middle board playing as 2-7 lowball, and then we played 18-card Chinese Poker where the second board from the top was 2-7 and the first, third and fourth boards were progressively better hands. That's when I trounced him!!!! I may have cured him of his Chinese Poker obsession. If he can't beat, me he can't beat anyone!

Also, keep sending those trivia questions to Fasso@sptimes.com for this week's show. If you don't know what I mean, click here.

-- Chris

Episode #97 recap: Online ethics

MAIN TOPIC

Is there a different ethical standard for online poker than live poker? And what exactly is that standard? Those were some of the questions we weighed in on during a spirited discussion.

Chris sees no difference between online poker and live poker. What isn't acceptable live shouldn't be allowed online, including joint sessions, tracking software and collusion. Scott agrees in theory, but he says he's a realist, and since there's very little we can do to stop the aforementioned practices, we need to accept that it is a part of online poker even if we decide not to use any of them.

Paul Wasicka, runner-up in last year's World Series of Poker Main Event and one of the hottest players around now, got this all started with a recent article in Bluff Magazine where he outlined the advantages of joint sessions online (two players share a bankroll and decisions, but play only one hand). He called in to give us his views on it. He admits that he never considered the fact that anyone would consider it unethical when he wrote the article, but was forced to consider the notion based on feedback he got. In the end, though, he decided that it's alright because online poker is a different animal, and since everyone else can use joint sessions or tracking software or any number of other aids, you shouldn't deny yourself the same advantages. His final point: If you play online, you need to be aware of these issues.

It's all a fascinating discussion, so please join in here.

And we asked Paul about much more than online ethics. Find out what he has to say about that kwickfish nickname, the famous open-ended straight flush draw at the WSOP and his new deals with Poker Royalty and FullTilt. Oh, and yes, Chris tried again to barter bowling lessons for poker lessons. This time, it seems like he's got a kwickfish on the line.

OTHER TOPICS

A TROUBLED CHILDHOOD: Chris pinpoints the exact moment when he knew he'd grow up to be a poker player. He lost $13 to his neighbors in Acey-Deucey at age 6 when he paired his Ace while holding A-2. (No wonder he hates Omaha 8).

SCOTT'S 10-SECOND MYSTERY: Scott was playing in a $32+$8, 5,000 chip multi tournament at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday. With 18 players remaining (top 9 cash), he was short-stacked with 13K in chips and blinds of 1500/3000 with a 300 ante. He looked down at 9-9 in middle position, and was ready to push all-in when the UTG chipleader opened for a raise. Scott admits most people, including Chris, wouldn't think any longer than a millisecond before calling all-in, but he wonders if there's room in freezeout tournament strategy for at least the consideration of folding and hoping to open a hand with a push. When you're done laughing, weigh in on your opinion.

FLORIDA LEGISLATURE: Lots of action in Tallahassee regarding poker. Scroll down a few posts and find out what's up.

TO TIVO .. OR NOT TO TIVO: Chris gave us the lowdown on Texas Hold Em Billiard Championships. It turns out it has much less to do with poker than it does with pool. Also, Alex Outhred, an instructor at the WSOP Academy series of instructional poker camps and fourth place finisher at the 2006 WPT Mandalay Bay Championship, became the biggest winner ever on FoxTV's hit prime-time game show Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?  He raked in a cool $500,000 - much more than his poker tournament winnings - using poker strategies.

IT'S ALL ABOUT US: Here's a few reminders - call in for the 100th show roll call ... the AIPS razz is event is Thursday ... next week's show is the Ante Up! Game Show edition, so email Fasso some questions.

HAND OF THE WEEK

In honor of Thursday's Razz AIPS event, we analyzed a hand from Rob "RonTrout" from Charlotte, N.C. Trout started out with 6-3-5, but never raised even after catching a 4 on 4th Street (opponents' boards then were A-6 and 3-3) and making his 6-low on 7th Street (remaining opponents' board was was A-6-9-Q). Our advice: Razz is a drawing game, at least through 5th Street. Push the action when you have good draws.

- SCOTT

Building a poker table

I've noticed a lot of the Ante Up! Nation building their own tables lately, and I have to admit I'm quite impressed. I didn't realize we had so many handy people in the Nation.

My wife and I have recently re-arranged the furniture and space in our vast living room, and it turns out we'll have a nice area for what could be a permanent poker table. Jeanne would like it to be multifunctional, serving as a poker table when we play, but then covered (with a really nice wooden top, like this) to serve as a dining table for guests. And this makes sense since I don't want a table that will be folded up and put away, I'd want it to be permanent, but I also don't want an eyesore either. (And I know, no poker table is an eyesore, that's blasphemy, but you get my point.)

So, I had been thinking of building my own table, but the more I thought about it the more I realized this table would end up costing me nearly as much as it would to just buy the damn thing, and it might not come out as nice. I wouldn't want those little fold-out legs or even the poles that remind me of a bar or cafeteria serving line. I'd want the nice carved legs, and the cover would have to be real nice, too (varnished, etc.)

My stepson Charles is really talented when it comes to crafting and working with power tools and building stuff, but I think we'd be out of our league if we wanted to build the kind of table my wife and I envision. So I ask you, how much do you really save by building a table yourself (and I mean a table that rivals the kind you see at casinos or higher quality types online), or is it worth it to just save up and buy one already made?

-- Chris

Episode #96 recap

MAIN TOPIC

Chris returns from the World Poker Tour event at Foxwoods, and he snagged some great multiquestion interviews with some pros:

CYNDY VIOLETTE: Learn about her positive clothing line, her honesty on her blog and an interesting take on while Doyle Brunson shut done his Web poker room to U.S. players.

"MIAMI" JOHN CERNUTO: Get some insights on razz, gastric bypass surgery, how he got the "Miami" nickname, how evil pocket 10s can be, and do it all with a groovin' Whitney Houston soundtrack.

MICHAEL "THE GRINDER" MIZRACHI: He talks about playing Chinese Poker, how he'll return to Florida when, or if, the $2 bet limits are lifted and get some quick advice from a "special guest."

LINDA JOHNSON: She's busy - very busy. From writing a CardPlayer column, to running CardPlayer Cruises to announcing at the World Poker Tour. And she talks about razz (listen to her: she has a bracelet in it. You don't).

DAVID SINGER: Learn about a string of bad TV beats, why you should really be playing on the East Coast and what he thinks about the ability to chat with pros on FullTilt. And he gives a solid tip for stud beginners. :)

OTHER TOPICS

WAIT, THERE'S MORE THAN HOLD'EM ON TV?: ESPN has announced which World Series of Poker events it'll broadcast this year and, surprise, it's good news! We'll get 6 hours of HORSE (and it's all HORSE, not no-limit hold'em. What a concept), plus at least one Omaha event (and as many as three) and some interesting hold'em events (mixed, pot limit and maybe heads-up). Bad news is four more hours of the Main Event than before.

FIGHTIN' THE GOOD FIGHT: Alfonse D'Amato, the new chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, held a Webcast on Thursday. Chris says you didn't miss much at least in the first 20 minutes, but you can visit their site to read the excerpts and see video highlights.

IF YOU CAN HANDLE HELLMUTH, YOU CAN WIN A TV: Check out PokerListings.com, where you can fun your way through some comic strips with Phil Hellmuth maybe win a 52-inch TV. And then invite us all over to watch the WSOP HORSE tournament.

LUXOR TAKING RESERVATIONS: No, not for hotel rooms. Well, of course, hotel rooms. But now poker tables as well. If you have a group, give the Vegas poker room a ring and get your own table. And food service, too.

THE DEUCE MAKES IT THREE: Well, actually four - that we know of. Sam Minutello, who brought poker tournaments to Derby Lane, then built a class facility at Tampa Bay Downs and then outdid himself at the Sarasota Kennel Club (and made a name for himself at the WSOP), is now helping Tampa Greyhound Track set up their room. But don't worry, One-Eyed Jack's fans, he's not leaving Sarasota. And stay tuned here for a post from Scott over the weekend about local card rooms - what he likes, what he'd like to see. Hopefully, the local members of the Ante Up! Nation will chime in, too.

OMM: Mark these fateful words from Columbo: "Don't be an idiot!" He rushes into a call when his dork opponent bets into a dry side pot, and regrets it when the clues add up to A-A. Ouch.

HOUSEKEEPING: Welcome our new producer, Debbie Wolfe! That's her with the camera. She has big shoes (have you seen the size of Dave's feet?) to fill, but she's doing great work out of the gate ... We're lining up Paul Wasicka as a guest for next week's Poker Ethics show, in part to talk about joint sessions ... We've fixed the link to our very first show, so all you sadists out there can relive the pain ... And don't forget to call in your contribution to the Roll Call for the 100th episode. Dial toll-free 1-866-371-9605.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Matt from, well, somewhere, offers us a more cautious way to play a nut flush draw with bottom pair, and later, the nut flush draw with trips. Playing from the small blind, he checks himself into a corner, and eventually folds when he gets too much heat. Our advice: In a cash game, be less afraid of going broke when you have lots of outs.

It's the Ante Up! Game Show!

No, we aren't hiring Vanna White to turn over our cards, but Scott and I are going to put our poker (and Ante Up!) knowledge on the line for Episode 98. Mike "Fatso, Pesto, Bard, Lance" Fasso will be our mediator/host as he tests our tiny brains on poker trivia. Here's where you come in: Email Mike at fasso@sptimes.com with your trivia questions (he will be providing a bunch as well). Since each host will be asked questions, you can tailor your questions to one of us (e.g. Scott, how many times has Chris used the word "Hysterical" on the show?) and of course we don't want the questions to be this hard since there's no way to know the answer to that one. But you get the idea, and you must know the answer and provide it for Fasso. You can also submit True/False questions, multiple choice and general poker knowledge (Who won the first World Series Main Event?). Just be sure to get these questions to Fasso in a timely manner and be sure your answers are correct and maybe we'll use them on the show. Sound cool? Should be fun. And thanks.

-- Chris

Episode #95 recap

MAIN TOPIC

Chris calls in from Connecticut, where he was an intrepid reporter at the World Poker Tour. Foxwoods made some changes to the structure, which pros seemed to like, but it also made for some weird days.

Chris met up with listeners John Silva and Jason, which was a great time, and he won some cash at the tables, to boot. He also gave us a preview of next week's show, which will include interviews with Miami John Cernuto, Cyndy Violette, The Grinder, David Singer and Linda Johnson. Great work, Chris!

OTHER TOPICS

NO BUCKEYE FANS HERE: Chris teases Scott about Ohio State losing to Florida in ANOTHER national championship game, but Scott "reminds" him that he's been a Florida fan every since he was kid.

CLOUDY IN CONNECTICUT: Well, more like cold. And dreary. And thin-blooded Chris can't handle it.

ROCKIN' ON THE RIVER: Conn radio has lost that lovin' feeling. But there's a new station called The River!

OUT OF THE WOMB: In prep for the 100th episode of Ante Up, it's unanimous - we were terrible on Day 1. Thanks for sticking with us! And speaking of the 100th episode, keep those Roll Call calls coming in.

PEANUT GALLERY: Check out the comments on iTunes about the show. Mostly positive ... except one. Ha!

NEW LEVEL TO CHRIS' CHEAPNESS: He has the audacity to call Scott out for taking back the 2 dollars he "gave" him on the last show. He's worse than that punk newspaper kid in Better Off Dead. But word is, there was at least not-displeased waitress at Foxwoods this trip. But don't ask about the dealers.

WPT MOVING: The World Poker Tour is moving to GSN, formerly the Game Show Network, next season. (Call your cable company and tell them you want GSN! if you're as cheap as Chris is). And High Stakes Poker returns to GSN, for a Monday night poker bloc.

CARDPLAYER ON A DIET: A post on Poker Biz about Bluff's deal with the World Series of Poker seemed a little fishy, and it was traced back to ... CardPlayer! And the granddaddy of poker magazines was absent in Connecticut. Word is some staff shakeups are imminent.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Chris stepped up to $2/$5 no-limit table, and won a whale of hand playing off of his tight table image.

One hand after telling a "live straddlist" to his right that he was playing too tight, Chris bumps it to $30 with QQ under the gun. One caller comes along for the ride, and then Straddlist pops it to $110. Chris squeezes out the limper in the middle by moving all-in.

The Straddlist thinks long and hard, and says he puts Chris on one of three hands, only one of which he has beat. Odd? We thought so. In the end, the guy calls with JJ and Chris wins. (Doesn't he always in the Hand of the Week?)

- SCOTT

Episode #94 recap

MAIN TOPIC

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

Some highlights:

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

OTHER TOPICS

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

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

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

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

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

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

HAND OF THE WEEK

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

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

- SCOTT

Ante Up! featured on iTunes!

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

-- Chris

Neteller: Hold the Turkey & (Canadian) Bacon

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

Is this ethical? OF COURSE NOT!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Am I alone in this?

-- Chris

Episode #93 recap

MAIN TOPIC

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

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

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

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

OTHER TOPICS

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

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

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

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

HAND OF THE WEEK

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

- SCOTT

Table selection, online

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let me know.

-- Chris

100th Episode idea

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

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

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

-- Chris

Episode #92 recap

MAIN TOPIC

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What new poker books are you reading?

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

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

Yup.

Do you guys split your bankrolls online?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sklansky.

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

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

OTHER TOPICS

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

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

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

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

HAND OF THE WEEK

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

- SCOTT

Episode #91 recap

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

BLOGS

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

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

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

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

- SCOTT

What percentage are you?

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

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

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

Just the facts, maam!

-- Chris

Caught between a limit and a hard place

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

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

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

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

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

-- Chris

Poker books resource

I'm not sure everyone knows about this (I didn't find out until yesterday). Apparently Google has this books search where it lists all of the books on the subject you are searching and gives you limited previews of each one. Some of these chapters are complete, and some give you a very good idea of how the book will be written, etc. Of course with my revelation that I can't retain anything I read anymore, this is of little use to me now!!! LOL! But since a lot of our listeners are younger, I figure they can benefit from this. Tell me what you think. Click here.

-- Chris

Have I gone over the edge?

I'm not sure if I actually discussed this once on the show or not. I remember Scott doing one of those sophomoric coughing insults when I brought this up. You know what I'm talking about: He coughs into his hand and says "GEEK!" or "LOSER!" as he's doing it. It's so wonderful to work with such mature people.

Anyway, in my continuation of self-realization, I've come to the conclusion that my ability to retain book knowledge is almost non-existent these days. I guess I'm over the hill at 36! I can hold on to dribs and drabs, but for the most part, everything I learn is forgotten the next day unless I constantly, and immediately, put it to use. So I've taken to reading aloud into my computer's mike and then saving the chapters as MP3s. Then I play them through a pillow speaker as I sleep. Last night was the first time I did this, and I have to admit, it was very strange. I liken it to the Seinfeld episode when George has to learn something for work so he pretends to be blind to get the book on tape, but the voice of the guy reading the book sounds EXACTLY like him. That's obviously what I'm hearing, and I think it kept me awake most of the night. I asked Blazman over at the forum what he thought. Am I just insane here or could this actually work? In case you're wondering, I read Sklansky on Razz and the No Limit Hold 'Em chapter of Super System into my computer. Sick, huh?

In other Ante Up! Nation news, I have finally added to the store a collection of children's clothing for the MOMs out there. Yes, it's the "My mom can beat your dad at poker!" collection! So, Khan and Gadzooks and the rest of the maternal nation, have at it!!!! And I also added a photo to the gallery of Nikademus and his son, who is wearing something from the "My dad can beat your dad at poker!" collection. The ladies have some catching up to do!!

-- Chris

Ante Up! ANNOUNCEMENT!

Actually, there's more than one announcement; it's more like a series of announcements.

To start, the reason our show was delayed this week was because we had some abrupt personnel changes and then some technical problems. If you listen to the edited end credits of Show #90 and compare them to shows past, you'll understand what the change is. I can't go into great detail, but I have taken over the engineering and editing of the show until further notice. This was not our choice; it was something that happened in another department, much to our surprise. We'll miss our producer immensely; he was THE BEST (and still is)! So the audio quality will be diminished for the time being, though I have watched the show being edited for a while now and I think I have that aspect down OK. But the equipment we're forced to use at this point cannot duplicate what we had at our disposal for the past 80+ shows.

This brings me to our second announcement: Because of this change, Scott and I will be recording and posting our show on FRIDAY AFTERNOONS from now on. There may be a special occasion or circumstance here and there, but from now on we'll have to post the shows on Fridays. Originally Scott and I started this podcast to coincide with the publication day of tbt*, which was every Wednesday. Well, we stuck with that through thick and thicker. Despite tbt* becoming a daily newspaper, and despite the publication of the weekly portion changing days like I change sneakers, we decided to stick with Wednesdays. But the workload on Wednesdays has really picked up and we need to move the show to Fridays since that's a slower day for the both of us. We thought about doing this before but all of our schedules couldn't align on any other day. Now, since it's just Scott and me, Friday is ideal, plus that's when tbt*s weekend edition publishes, so we kinda came full circle. We sincerely hope this doesn't put a damper on your listening. A LOT of our fans don't listen to our show until the weekend or until the Monday morning commute anyway, so we hope this will be a smooth transfer. So, starting with Show #91, catch us on Friday afternoons!!!!

Thirdly, it's what podcast fans HATE to hear most: Ads. Our show has had some incredible success, and made some significant strides in the past 90 episodes. But, with this latest personnel change, the Times was forced to evaluate our podcast. They've told us they're behind us 100% and think of our show as "long term." However, they need to see some tangible revenue to allow us to keep doing them. So, with that said, you may start hearing ads in the not-too-distant future. Our ad team is in the process of trying to obtain permanent advertisers/sponsors for Ante Up!, and if that comes to fruition, you'll be hearing commercials, or things like "Hand of the Week is brought to you by (insert product here)." So don't be shocked. It's a small price to pay to have a free, weekly, hour-long-plus show on poker, right? If not, we won't have a show for too much longer.

Finally, in order to make our third announcement come true, we need your help. No, we don't want you to buy ads (though if you know someone who wants to sponsor us tell them to give us a ring!). We don't get the luxury of a sweeps week like television. We don't have control over who hears us. We can only put the show/blog/forum/gallery out there and hope you listen/read. Word of mouth and the Internet have led us to more than 60K downloads per month, which surprised the hell out of us (we thought it was 20K). Also, our blog has surpassed 4K hits per week now for a month straight (we used to average 250). What we're hoping for is for you to be sure to download the show, to tell all of your poker buddies and associates how and where to find us, to visit the blog and comment as much as you can. These numbers are good, but the better they are, the harder it will be for advertisers to ignore us, and the harder it will be to pull the plug on Ante Up! If you know someone who plays poker who you think might like the show, tell them about it. Tell them our address. Get them hooked. And if you visit the blog, keep coming back, and keep commenting. This week was an awesome week with comments in the 30s and 40s. The more we all do the more likely it'll be that Ante Up! will be here to stay. This isn't a solicitation, I just think of us as one big family, and I don't want that to break up.

I firmly believe the poker shows that ride out the storm of this Internet act will come out on the other side with the majority of listerners/fans/advertisers. So many have dropped/succumbed to the outside forces, and we don't want that to happen. This is Ante Up! Nation baby! And we will thrive and conquer!!!

Thanks for your time,

Chris, your humble Ante Up! co-host

SHOW IS UP ... and we're not in jail

Get your Ante Up! fix here. That's right, the latest, greatest episode is finally loaded and ready to play. You don't have to click the link, your feeds should update, but if you're at work or whatever, you can listen to it directly. And you thought we'd miss a week ... SHAME ON YOU!

As for our major announcement I have to confer with my awesome co-host one last time before we let the cat out of the bag.

Hopefully Scott won't be too bogged down to post the recap sometime today. 8-)

Enjoy!

-- Chris

What's your best game?

We are so overexposed to No Limit Texas Hold 'Em poker that I bet a lot of the Ante Up! Nation doesn't even realize that most of the players you think are NLHE players actually prefer other games. Jennifer Harman? She's the best Limit Hold Em player in the world, and she has her own Stud/8 table on Full Tilt. Daniel Negreanu's best game? Stud/8. Same for 2004 World Champ Greg Raymer. Mike "The Mouth" Matusow? You may think NLHE is his game, but he's an Omaha/8 junkie, and even has a bracelet in that event! Cyndy Violette? She started as a stud specialist. Ted Forrest is a Razz/Stud genius and his NLHE game has only come on just recently. Howard Lederer? He prefers Limit Hold Em, he says it's his best game.

They call Mike Caro the Mad Genius of Poker, but you probably only know him from his TV appearances and Tells books. Caro is the best 5-card Draw poker player in the history of the game. He makes Wild Bill look like a donk!

So it got me to thinking, what are the favorite games of the Ante Up! Nation? Are there any surprises? And defend you choice. We know that No Limit Hold Em is the "Cadillac of Poker" but do you agree? My favorite game now is Razz. Maybe it's because I'm a simpleton, but I like the purity of it. Stud/8 is growing on me, and of course I still prefer to play NLHE for larger stakes, but when it comes to a game that I really enjoy, it has to be Razz. There's no real deception until 6th Street, and at that point you're probably going to the end anyway. I'm a meat-and-potatoes-kinda guy.

What's the Ante Up! Nation have to say?

-- Chris

P.S. I know a lot of you are DYING TO KNOW what Sharkey looks like, so I posted a shot of him on the Photo Gallery.

Play money vs. Real money

I know what you might've thought when you read the title of this post, but no, I'm not bringing up my old discussion: Why play for real money when you can play for fun? This isn't that conversation.

I have to admit, I'm comfortable playing Razz, Hold Em, Stud/8 and even Omaha for cash, but I just don't feel too comfortable with O8B just yet. If I'm playing HORSE or our home game I'll play O8B because it's only for like 10 minutes, but I won't sit down and play it solely. Hell I sat down with Andy Bloch and played the game at $1-2 and came out a winner.

So, on Sunday I was waiting to leave for a family function when I logged on to FTP and played a little O8B with play money. I've been reading Bobby Baldwin's O8B chapter in Super System 2 over and over again and wanted to play some before I had to go. As I sat there someone typed in: Are you THE willhopper? And I laughed and said Yes. Turns out he was a listener with whom I have a mutual friend. So we talked and talked about poker, the show and O8B. I told him how I pretty much despised split games but now that I like Stud/8 I thought I should try to improve my O8B game. He talked about how much he liked the game and that there were TONS of fish out there. He said he was going to start playing for real money soon. I could tell he really had a lot of confidence. So today I came into the office and he had sent me an email that basically said he got his butt handed to him playing $.25-$.50 O8B. I chuckled and emailed him back, saying play money is never the same as real money. If it were, I'd be a multimillionaire!!! But I'm sure it'll just take him a few sessions to get his "legs" and adjust.

And that brings me to the reason for this post: Have any of you had that overwhelming experience when you made the jump? Would you advise against playing with play money and why? What was your first experience like playing for real money? In case you lived in a cave for the past 89 episodes, I had some very good success making the transition, winning my first-ever B&M tourney (A 30-player Turbo at Derby Lane) and I cashed in my first MTT Internet tournament, finishing 4th in a 120 player event on PokerRoom. I did well right off the bat and never really looked back, but occasionally I like to use play money because it's less stressful and I can try out different strategies or learn different games without taking a bankroll hit.

What say you?

-- Chris

Me and Andy Bloch

Last night I had one of those up-and-down nights that ended UP so that was cool. I know my posts have been long lately so I'll try to keep this brief, or at least not too long. LOL!

I started playing microlimit Stud/8 and was down about $10 when a seat at $2-4 opened (I still think I can beat it), but that was a debacle as khanwoman and C furbee can attest to (They were spying on me, LOL!). My draws never got there, and even when I'd make a 7 someone would make a better 7. I lost about $30 before I moved over to a NL Hold 'Em $.25-$.50 table. Immediately I won about $30 when I gambled with A♣9♣ with the nut flush draw. A guy pushed with K♥K♠ and I called and hit a 2♣ on the river. If I had lost that hand I would've been done for the week (a la my epiphany). A few hands later in the BB I had 7♥5♥ (it may have been diamonds but that pip is real tempermental in TypePad). No one raised and the flop came J♥7♣8♠. I checked, as did everyone else. The turn was another 7. I checked to trap and finally someone bet about $3. I made it $9 and he was the only caller. The river was a 5♣ for a full house. I bet $20-ish and he pushed the rest of his stack. I called and he turned over 7♠6♥. Then he types in "Nice catch" I said "Thank you" and he typed in "LOSER" and I said "I am a loser. But with that pot I am now a winner." He left. And C furbee was watching and he typed in "nh" Finally I win a big pot when someone from the Ante Up! Nation is watching! Earlier when I donked off my stack in Stud/8 and khan/furbee were there I was like "Damn, can't I ever drag a pot in front of the listeners?" So after about 15 minutes I went from $50 to $120.

I logged off with a nice profit and watched TV for the rest of the night. Then I got back on around midnight to see if anyone I knew was playing, but that's when I saw Andy Bloch at $1-2 HORSE. The waiting list was only 6. I played Stud/8 while I waited and was up a coupla bucks when my seat came open. I bought in for only $40 and had a lot of fun. I took down two pots from Andy in Razz and Stud/8 and he took down two pots from me in Hold 'Em (A♥Q♥ vs. 8♥8♠ and I flopped the nut flush draw too!) and O8B, but my pots were larger. LOL! He was real cool and it was a lot of fun. I left with a profit of around $11. I was going to go to sleep when I happened to glance at the $.25-$.50 NLHE tables again. It was 1:30 a.m. At one short-handed table the pots were averaging like $12 so I said "Hmmm, that looks juicy." I sat down and literally during the first orbit this hand transpired:

Full Tilt Poker Game #1854188352: Table Key Vista (6 max) - $0.25/$0.50 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:39:26 ET <----- I should be sleeping! - 2007/02/23
Seat 1: willhopper ($48.50)
Seat 2: smithroger_777 ($100.30)
Seat 3: brisavio2002 ($40)
Seat 4: HGreener ($50)
Seat 5: RJH080 ($75.45)
Seat 6: Xiadow ($47)
smithroger_777 posts the small blind of $0.25
brisavio2002 posts the big blind of $0.50
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to willhopper [Ah Ts]
HGreener folds
RJH080 raises to $1
Xiadow folds
willhopper calls $1 &l