Episode #157: Chris in Connecticut

MAIN TOPIC
Chris calls in from the land of pink carpet and princesses (can't make that up if I wanted to) to give us the lowdown on Mohegan Sun's new electronic-only poker room (live poker returns Sept. 1) and his usual ringing endorsement of Foxwoods. Click here to listen to the show.

OTHER TOPICS

World Series of Poker: Kenna James cashes, Jerry Buss busts in time to catch his Lakers, another Man vs. Machine is scheduled and a doctor abandons his stack to help a fallen player.

Mixed games mania: The Imperial Palace in Vegas is dealing a $3/$6 limit mixed game at 7 p.m. on Sundays. Some crazzzzzy games being offered. We love it.

Gas up at the Commerce: Commerce Casino in L.A. is randomly dropping $50 gas cards into poker pots in July.

Sinatra's home game: Who played in it? It was a fun one: Jack Lemmon, Angie Dickinson, Gregory Peck and more.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: The Seminole Hard Rock Tampa bad beat jackpot is hit for $564,912. Glen Upchurch of Clearwater wins $282,452 for his losing quad 6s, while William Lewicke of Winter Haven takes $141,227 (and the pot) with a straight flush. The other eight players at the table won $17,654 each.

One Minute Mystery: We make the call, and take down the pot when our opponent shows K-6 for top pair, weaker kicker.

HAND OF THE WEEK
It's a Crazy Pineapple hand! Dan, a fellow journalist from Greeley, Colo., offers us a home game no-limit high-only hand with loose players who have been hitting the sauce.

He's dealt K-K-7, pops it 5x and gets two callers. The flop is K-8-6, two spades, and Dan bets pot but can't shake either opponent. He dumps the 7, and the turn is an Ace. With just $5 left, he checks (Chris would have pushed, I kinda like the misdirection), but one opponent bets $2 and both players call. The river is a 6, completing the flush but also filling Dan up. He gets it all-in and takes down a nice pot against two smaller boats.

- SCOTT

Episode #156: AJ Benza

MAIN TOPIC
AJ Benza calls us all the way from Hollywood as he waits for the unlikely news that GSN will pick up High Stakes Poker, the hugely popular show he co-hosts with Gabe Kaplan, for another season. We talk cards, and he dishes on celebrities, pasta and The Godfather. Click here to listen to the episode.

OTHER TOPICS

World Series: The WSOP has begun. Attendance is breaking records, and pros are faring well. We'll update the blog after each event when the WSOP certifies the results as official.

UB scandal: Many of you asked us to address the latest scandal at Ultimate Bet. We do, but caution again: online poker is the wild, wild West.

PPA ups the ante: The Poker Players Alliance wants to turn its free members into dues-paying members by offering perks for those who do.

Deadbeat dads: If you're a parent who's walked on out child support, shame on you. But if you have no shame, you might want to avoid casinos in Colorado and West Virginia. Those states will look for you there.

Hotline: We have a little fun with Mike from New Jersey, who finds out how hard it is to analyze a hand on the fly.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: Derby Lane is sending four players to the WSOP. Good luck to them, and all the other bay area players who have or will qualify in local card rooms.

HAND OF THE WEEK
Adam from Dedham, Mass., gives us an excuse to revisit strategy for FullTilt's cheap Knockout tournaments, where you get money for each person you felt. He calls a raise with As-10s, and the flops a royal flush draw. Try to take it down quickly? Or wait to hit your hand, figuring that early in a tournament like this you'll get paid off? He chooses the latter and is put to the test when he doesn't improve on the turn but two players move all-in. He calls, hits and goes on to cash - picking up bounties along the way.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW
Chris is on the road, and unlike Scott who goes to wild and exotic and different locations on each vacation, he's going back to Connecticut yet again. Let's hope he has time to make it over to Foxwoods and even Mohegan Sun.

- SCOTT

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

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

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

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   

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

Episode #150: More poker camps

MAIN TOPIC
Chris steered the Family Truckster over to Orlando to check in on our good friend Kenna James and the Amateur Poker League. While there, he nabbed some great interviews about poker camps with Steve Berman, co-founder of the WPT Boot Camp, and online pro Nick Brancato. Be sure to check out Ante Upper Lee Childs' new Web site, too. Click here to hear the show.

OTHER TOPICS

Texas Hold'em Plus: The Mirage in Las Vegas is testing this new variation. Don't like one of your hole cards? Simply slide it with a chip equal to the small blind to the dealer and you'll get a shiny new card.

PPA update: The Poker Players Alliance (now with more than 1,000,000 members) has formed a new political action committee called PokerPAC.

Housekeeping: Starting next week, Ante Up! will be posted to the Web on Thursdays ... And listen to the show on Rounders Radio on Saturdays ... Don't forget about AIPS this Saturday and on May 22 ... Join Fasso and me in Las Vegas during the World Series of Poker. Click here for early details.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: A One-Eyed Jack's regular wins a huge pot o' gold in Europe ... Florida Senate Bill 1006 would expand hours for cardrooms and allow for high-stakes and charity/celebrity tournaments, but don't get excited, as it's stalled in the House.

One Minute Mystery: Columbo decides he's likely beat, so he mucks his second pair. Turns out, his opponent was on a brazen bluff with a weak flush draw and gutter.

HAND OF THE WEEK
An anonymous caller rings in to tell us about a no-limit hand where he called a min raise with 7-3 in the big blind and saw a pretty darn nice flop of 7-7-7. He got his opponent to bet the entire way, taking down a very nice pot. Getting paid off on a monster is one of the hardest things to do in poker. We share some tips.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW
Until Chris changes his mind again, it'll be our rescheduled Dissection of a HORSE Tournament.

- SCOTT

Hanging with Kenna

As I alluded to in yesterday's post, Jeanne and I made the trek to Orlando (about a 90-minute drive with traffic) so I could introduce her to Kenna James. I was also there for Ante Up!, interviewing one of the co-founders of the WPT Boot Camps, Steve Berman, and one of Kenna's fellow instructors, Nick Brancato. The WPT has forged a relationship with the Amateur Poker League and it was on hand to host a minicamp during the APL's National Championship tournament. I brought my recorder so I have those interviews for either this week's show or next week's, but for the most part we were just there to hang with Kenna. I also brought my camera but I forgot it in the car. D'oh!

As many of you know Kenna has always been a very generous poker pro, even going so far as to play in one of our AIPS events. Now, I know I had posted a little while ago about privacy and how it's sometimes difficult to deal with as a host of a podcast. But what I saw this past weekend was absolutely remarkable, and Kenna handled every minute of it with class and dignity. I sat at his reserved table and impartially watched as the Boots (camp partcipants) all came up to him one by one (and sometimes two by two, etc.) asking for photos and autographs. He turned down no one and was a perfect gentleman. He was extremely gracious, signing two, three even four things per person sometimes, and every time he signed it wasn't just: Kenna James. He made sure he took his time, signed something personal (asking their names and how to spell them) and posed with a great smile on his face every time. The amount of time he had to dedicate to make those people happy was astounding. He easily signed his name 300 times in a span of 2 hours. At one point I leaned over and said "You are easily going to heaven." He laughed. Then he sang karaoke (a rendition of YMCA for fun and then a moving version of He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother).

When the festivities settled down we went to Steve's suite at the International Plaza Resort and Spa for some quiet time and talked poker for about an hour before the inevitible happened: We played Badugi! But there was just one hitch, however: We had no chips! So Jeanne kept track on a pad and we played a sick game with a $5 ante. You could drop after the second draw, but if you went for the third draw you were committed to $10. I finished ahead $10 in about 20 minutes (That's a better ROI than what I made after six hours in Gambit's game on Friday!) and Kenna won $30 (Sorry Steve, though no one paid me so I guess I'll write it off on my taxes). I actually captured the session on my digital recorder (with their permission, of course) and I edited it down to like 12 minutes. I will tag it on at the end of either this or next week's show. There were some funny moments in there, like Kenna talking about something Steve "left" for him in the bathroom, the incredibly boring aspects of the movie There Will Be Blood, Kenna's struggle to remain awake at 1 a.m. and Steve's inability to grasp the concept of Badugi as Kenna kept changing the rules to our make-shift game.

One of the unexpected highlights of the night came from Nick Brancato. I had read his Bluff column for more than a year but had never seen him on TV (he's an Internet pro) and never met him at any of the other events I covered. I also never heard him on the podcasts he's appeared on so I didn't know what to expect. He was hilarious, and so sharp. The man plays EIGHT tables at once online for high stakes and he doesn't miss a trick. He held three conversations at once and completely grasped every one of them while doling out advice and amusing anecdotes. His interview was really strong and that will be coming up soon on the show. When I approached him I got a pretty big surprise. Now remember we had never met and I never talked to him. I walked up to him while the "Boots" were asking for autographs and I easily could've just been one of them for all he knew. I said "Nick, when you get a chance can I talk to you out in the lobby? I'm Chris Cosenza from ..." and before I could finish the sentence he said "I know you!! I've listened to your show. I'm friends with Lee Childs and he always talks about you guys!" That was awesome. It's good to know our show is making headway with more pros now, too.

He had us laughing all night, spilling his drink on himself not once but twice, and impersonating someone to a T. But alas it got to be pretty late and we still had a 90-minute drive home, so we said our goodbyes and left a little after 1 a.m.

-- Chris

Poker, poker and, oh yeah, more poker

As you can tell by the title of this post there were a lot of poker happenings over the weekend for me. But first I'd like to direct you to the poll I created on the right-hand side of the blog. Who will win the race between Fasso and me? Vote for your winner now! And let me just say I've been taking this very seriously and have run three of the past four days (and I mowed my ever-growing plush St. Augustine lawn with a push mower on the day I didn't run!) so be aware of these facts before you vote!

Now for some poker talk: Friday night I returned to Gambit's home game for the first time in like three months and had another one of those up-and-down sessions. I was down to $9 from my original $40 buy-in but rallied to post a $9 profit for the night. Funny thing is only the losing hands stick out in my mind. I won a lot of small pots to grind my way back to profitability, but here are two hands that made the difference between me winning a ton and just barely making a profit.

The first hand came early (and I had already won a decent pot so I was up about $10) in limit hold 'em. We play $.50-$1 blinds, $1-$2 betting rounds, so it's not exactly The Big Game, but it can add up. So I'm dealt A♦ 8♦ on the button and there were two limpers ahead of me. So I called and saw a 5-handed flop of: A♥ 9♦ 2♦. A guy in early position bet and it got folded to me. I raised because I want to build a pot if I hit and I know he's not going anywhere. He just called. At this point I put him on a naked ace, which I know he'll take to the end. We get heads up when the turn brought the 8♣. Okay, I have two pair plus a redraw to the nut flush. He bet at me again (do we have the same hand?), so I raised; he three-bet and I capped it. I'm thinking he may have the same hand, a bare ace or a set. But would a set really just call with the diamonds out there and my willingness to raise? Anyway, the river was a blank and he checked. Normally I'd take this for weakness, but in this case I was overcome with this feeling that I was beat so I checked behind and he turned over A♠ 9♥ for top two. SICK! So there went all of my earlier profit and then some.

I spent the next 4-5 hours grinding my way back and then had about a $15 profit when this hand came up: It was NLHE (which is sort of a misnomer because we play it with $.25-$.25 blinds and a $20 cap. It should be called CHE, as in Cap Hold 'Em, but I digress). So someone in middle position raised to around $1 and I called in position with K♠ J♦ (my signature hand for this game!). However, Gambit called behind me so he had position on me. The flop came J♦ 9♠ 4♦. The first raiser made a standard continuation bet of like $1.50 and I raised to $4. That's when Gambit thought it over and made it $8 to go. The first guy folded and I started to think about how Gambit plays. I dismissed a flush draw because he usually has the goods with this type of move. And then I remembered our Ante Up! home game a while back when, in a raised pot, he got it all-in with J10 vs. Scott "my K-10 must be good here" Long on a jack-high flop. So, with that info fresh in my head I capped it. Gambit thought it over for a few seconds and called with QQ. D'oh!!!! There goes my profit again!!! He slow-played QQ into a multiway pot and got the perfect flop. Wow! Very nice. Ballsy, but nice.

Ultimately I had a few big hands in 5-card draw and NLHE to claw my way back. And for the first time Badugi was called in our game, and I did really well in that, which, as it turns out, played a HUGE role during my SATURDAY poker adventure in Orlando with Kenna James, WPT Boot Camp co-founder Steve Berman and Joyzey's Nick Brancato. But I'll post about that tomorrow. I need to save my posts because Scott is in Vegas and I'm holding down the Ante Up! fort.

-- Chris

P.S. Don't forget to vote in the poll at the right!