Episode #145: Kill Everyone author Steven Heston

MAIN TOPIC

Steven Heston (Kim Lee), co-author of the latest Kill Phil book Kill Everyone, joins us to talk about how applying equilibrium thinking can improve your tournament game, especially on the bubble. Click here to listen to the show.

OTHER TOPICS

Go to school: If you have $850 burning a hole in your fanny pack, check out the U.S. Poker Tour's first "Q-School" at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas May 11-16.

Go shopping: Chris used his time off to clean up the Ante Up! Store. Buy something.

Go to the movies: The Grand debuts this weekend, and 21 is in wide release.

Go get a life: Chris whines yet again about The Best Damn Poker Show.

Red Sox gambling: Jonathan Papelbon cleaned up playing cards on the team's flight to Japan.

Will the madness stop? Once again, the heavy hand of the law (or risk management) has denied a worthy charity of money that would have been raised in a poker tournament. The victim this time? Nourish International, a charity that would have benefited from a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill tournament that the college's lawyers advised shutting down. Boo. Click here for CardPlayer's story.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: Derby Lane offers a ladies tournament, and Tampa Bay Downs, Tampa Greyhound Track and Sarasota Kennel Club are doing World Series of Poker qualifiers.

One Minute Mystery: Columbo decides to swing his big stack around, pushes all-in, runs into Kings, but spikes a Queen on the river.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Chris has had plenty of time to play poker during his recuperation, so he offers up a no-limit hand that's the root of the latest in a looooooooooooooooong line of recent epiphanies for him.

In a $1/$2 no-limit cash game on FullTilt, he's dealt As-9s on the button. With one limper, he raises 4x and gets heads-up.

The flop: 9h-4s-5s.

It's checked to Chris, who bets $10, which is called.

The turn: 2d.

His opponent bets out $7, and Chris, sensing weakness, raises to $30. His opponent then shoves, which would put Chris all-in. Trusting his read, and considering his outs if he was wrong, Chris makes the call.

His opponent had flopped a set of 5s, the spade doesn't get there, and Chris goes broke.

The epiphany? He needs to stop making these borderline calls. He wasn't even getting 2-to-1 on his money.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

Omaha.

- SCOTT

Episode #103 recap: Final table deals

MAIN TOPIC

What do you do when you're at the final table, or the endgame of a satellite, and you're offered a deal? Or you're the one making the offer? Fasso joined us to talk about this delicate part of the game that doesn't show up in rules. Click here to listen to the show.

There are plenty of things to consider, from chip stacks, to the reasons you're playing, to the value of your time, to the blind levels to the abilities of your opponent(s). Some pros, like Barry Greenstein told us last week, say they never take deals. If you're not playing to win, why are you playing? Others, like Andy Bloch, who listener Blazman interviewed, get into the intricacies of the deals.

Fasso revisited the book Take Me to the River, which offers some really good anecdotes on dealmaking in satellites.

Listener Gambit offers us this formula to figure out the proper payment in a deal:

The payout amount for any player can be calculated using the following formula:
d(p) = deal amount for player p
c(p) = chip count of player p
c = total chips in play
t = total prize pool
m = minimum guaranteed payout (scheduled payout of the next player to bust)
n = number of players remaining
d(p) = (c(p) / c) * (t - (m * n)) + m

Here's an example with math ...
d(Player A) = (6000 / 10000) * (350 - (50 * 3)) + 50
= (.6) * (350 - 150) + 50
= .6 * 200 + 50
= 120 + 50
= 170

And if that's enough math for you, be sure to check out the this great stuff from Barry Greenstein's Web site. It's a chapter from his book Ace on the River that didn't make it into the book.

OTHER TOPICS

WORLD SERIES SEASON: The World Series of Poker begins today. Good luck to every member of the Ante Up Nation that will make the trek to Vegas over the next six weeks, and let us know how you're doing. Some of the final tables will be broadcast live on the Internet pay-per-view, with the players sequestered. And check out USA Today's great special section on the WSOP published today.

MICHAEL CRAIG ON NEXT WEEK'S SHOW: The author of The Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King, which chronicled Andy Beal's heads-up matches against the game's best players, has a new book out that uses FullTilt pros to talk strategy about a number of games. Post your questions here. Should be a great show.

HAND OF THE WEEK

We asked on Fasso to come on the show to give us his perspective on the hand that got Chris booted from Gambit's tournament. More than 70 comments had been made on the hand already on this blog, so this was a way for us to break it down with all three of us and hopefully, make it the final word. One guess on who actually got the final word.

- SCOTT

Lucky You ...

If you haven't seen this movie yet, then the title is truly apropos. ... Lucky You!

To be completely truthful I don't know where I stand on this movie. As a flick, it pretty much sucked. As a poker movie, it pretty much sucked. But there were moments that entertained me, like the degeneracy that is prevelant in Vegas, especially in poker.

As for the acting, I was surprised by the cast: Robert Duvall, Drew Barrymore, Debra Messing, Robert Downey (though he was on screen for less than 10 minutes in just one scene), Jean Smart, Horatio Sanz and of course Eric Bana. These are some pretty big names in the business (frankly I think this movie is WAY beneath Duvall and Barrymore) so it shocks me that they would take these roles based on this script. Then again, there's only so much an actor can do with lines like "Never chase what you can't catch." But the funniest line in the movie came when someone was giving Bana advice and he said he was too sympathetic: "If you're looking for sympathy you can find it in the dictionary somewhere between sh*t and syphilis."

I'll take a moment here to discuss Barrymore. She served as the "public common denominator" in this movie. She was the one who had to represent the "ignorant" crowd so Bana could make her understand that poker is skill, etc. Again, I think she should have said "No thanks" when they offered her this part, but then again, she has made bad career choices before (Can you say Firestarter?).

But, there's one side of me that loved this movie, and that's my poker snob side. There were things that made me smile, like John "The World" Hennigan playing the part of a badass, or just seeing all of the poker players I know or have spoken with, etc. It's kinda cool seeing these people up on the big screen and knowing just a short while ago they were just nobodies making a living at poker. Now they're bonafide celebs, so from that standpoint it was enjoyable.

I know what you're all wondering: How much poker was there and how believable was it? Well, there actually was a decent amount of poker, and Eric Bana's character, Huck Cheever, throws in enough cliche "poker" lines ("Money is just a way of keeping score.") during his everyday dialogue to remind you the writers did their homework to try to keep it as legit as possible without losing the audience.

Were there any Hollywood hands? Really just one, and yes it was a straight flush, but I won't tell you when it comes in case you plunk down $10 to see this thing. Were there unbelievable things? Absolutely, and too many to list here. But I will give them this: They clearly cared enough to consult these players to make sure pretty much everything was authentic, like super satellites, betting (no string raises, etc.). You could nitpick some things, but for the most part it was techincally sound.

Was it corny and predictable? Yep. Does it have a happy ending? What do you think?

Oh, and I think there are parts Scott would like, such as when Duvall and Bana play GUTS, or the prop bets that come up occasionally.

Quick points:
-- I was EASILY the youngest person in the theatre, though I did go to a matinee.
-- Don't show up for a movie early these days because they run actual commercials now, and it's ridiculous.
-- A LOT of poker pros were in Lucky You, and quite a few had actual lines: Barry Greenstein, Ted Forrest, Jennifer Harman, Jason Lester, Sammy Farha, Chau Giang, John Murphy, David Oppenheim, Minh Ly, Marsha Waggoner, Daniel Negreanu, Erick Lindgren, Antonio Esfandiari, Slim Preston, Matt Savage and more (but the other people mostly just were seated at tables that the camera picked up during scans, so it could have been footage from an actual tournament).
-- The moment where I had to bite my tongue came pretty early on when I saw Hasan Habib at the table and I wanted SO BADLY to yell HASAAAAN HAAAABIB!!!!!! Jeanne laughed when I said that to her and we both knew NO ONE in that theatre would know what the hell that meant. And IMDB doesn't even know who Habib is because they don't have him listed in the credits!
-- Speaking of these players, I can't understand why some got to play themselves and others didn't. Harman, Hennigan, Oppenheim and Savage had fake names, which made no sense. How does it hurt the film for Matt Savage to be called Matt Savage instead of Gil Edwards?

Overall, Jeanne and I didn't think much of this flick, and I won't buy it on DVD when it comes out. She summed it up perfectly for me "There wasn't enough of anything in it" to make it enjoyable or memorable. I give it a 6-2-offsuit. You can make a straight with these cards, but do you really want to play them?

-- Chris

Episode #99: Jeffrey Pollack

MAIN TOPIC

Jeffrey Pollack, commissioner of the World Series of Poker, joined us for an insightful look at issues at play for this year's edition of Poker's Greatest Marathon. To listen to the show, click here. Highlights:

NEW SCHEDULE: This year's schedule (and TV coverage) includes a much more varied list of games. Jeffrey said it was in response to players' requests, and next year's schedule will reflect how this years' is received.

IT'S A BIG RESPONSIBILITY: Jeffrey equated the Series to an entire sports season compressed into less than 2 months. He says disputes are inevitable, but this year they've beefed up training for dealers and other personnel and expect the player experience to be better than ever. Restrictions on logos have been reduced as well.

RULES INFRACTIONS: Jeffrey addressed the discussions with Jamie Gold that concluded last month with no penalty, but he reminded players that retroactive penalties (such as sitting out a few rounds in a future tournament) can be enforced.

MAIN EVENT FIELD: Jeffrey reiterated that he's not predicting any amount of players for the Main Event, but the Series is prepared to host 10,000. He said the success of this year's event will be judged on quality, not quantity.

ONLINE QUALIFIERS: The WSOP is not accepting entries paid for by online poker sites, and Jeffrey said he couldn't address what may or may not happen to players who win their seats through online sites and then buy-in directly. And he said it's buyer beware on seat scams that have developed. Be careful out there.

SPECTATORS/SATELLITES: The spectator experience will be much improved this year, Jeffrey said, including the Final Table viewing areas. And check the WSOP Web site soon for details on satellites.

THE WORLD SERIES BRAND: Jeffrey isn't worried about the effects of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, and says he's not expecting any changes once Harrah's becomes a private company. He's excited about the brand's expansion into Europe, and says he's open to expansion into Florida, but it's unlikely given that Harrah's doesn't own any properties here.

OTHER TOPICS

LUCKY US?: The Eric Bana/Drew Barrymore movie Lucky You opens tonight. Despite horrid reviews, Chris is taking his bride to see it. Let's hope at least seeing real poker players makes it somewhat worth it. And The Grand, a movie that was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, improvised the final table. Now, that's kinda cool.

HARVARD EDUCATION: The Wall Street Journal this week wrote about a poker symposium at Harvard University where the discussion was about whether poker is a game of skill. We know the answer, but it's nice to know other people are talking about it.

POKER LEGISLATION: U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., says he'll introduce a bill that says poker is a game of skill. And in Florida, we're awaiting the governor's signature before celebrating better poker conditions in the Sunshine State.

YOU WANT ACTION ON US?: Chris quickly dismissed an offer for he, Fasso and I to each have a share of each other's action at the World Series of Poker. With the stakes involved, seemed like a good risk. Hope he finds a way to explain it to the wife.

WORLD SERIES OF GOLF: Look for it on NBC in June. Here's the deal: Golfers put up $10,000. In groups of four, they bet, raise or call after each shot on the golf course. Once your money is gone, so are you. You just need to beat your group to get your buy-in back, and beat 14 players to win the $250,000 grand prize.

ANTE UP, LONDON CHAPTER: We heard from the London contingent. Mighty cool that you guys are getting together.

ONE-MINUTE MYSTERY: It's on hiatus this week so Columbo can prepare for a special edition for next week's 100th episode.

HAND OF THE WEEK

It's a special audio edition! Our hero gets his boat sunk by quad 5s. Ouch. Our advice: Sometimes there's nothing you can do in a hand. But here, we would have raised preflop with our AQ, and probably checked on the river. But it's unlikely any of those actions would have changed the result.

- SCOTT

Episode #98: AnteUp! Game Show

MAIN TOPIC

Fasso played Alex Trebek as the intrepid hosts faced off in an intense battle of who knows more worthless poker trivia. You'll have to listen to the podcast to find out who won, but we will tell you that it wasn't a blowout!

Play along at home. Here are the questions (answers will be posted in the Comments section of this post):

GENERAL POKER KNOWLEDGE (loosely defined, you might say)

1. Which of these poker-playing actors has been quoted as saying "the game exemplifies the worst aspects of capitalism that have made our country so great"?
a. Gabe Kaplan
b. Walter Matthau
c. Telly Savalas
d. W.C. Fields

2. What was the first WSOP prize?
a. $25,000
b. a bracelet
c. the winner's weight in gold
d. none of the above

3. We all remember that Stu Ungar won the WSOP main event in 1980, 81, and 97. But he also has a Series bracelet from 1983. What was the event?
a. Razz
b. Pot Limit Omaha
c. Seven Card Stud
d. Limit Hold Em

4. What is the name of Vince Van Patten's poker novel?
a. The Rembrandt Call
b. The Puccini Raise.
c. Flop the Nuts
d. The Picasso Flop

5. You are all-in against two red aces. You have the best chance of winning with:
a. 78 hearts
b. JT clubs
c. 89 clubs
d. 78 spades

6. Who finished second in the WSOP in both 1985 and 2000?
a. Jesus Ferguson
b. Dewey Tomko
c. Bill Smith
d. TJ Cloutier

7. Who was the first European player to win a WSOP bracelet?
a. Gus Hansen
b. Thor Hansen
c. Devil Fish Ulliot
d. Carlos Mortensen

8. Which Omaha 8 hand has the best chance to scoop?
a. A234 all hearts
b. TTA3 four suits

9. Who is the chip leader going into today's final table at the Five-Star World Poker Classic?
a. Scott Fischman
b. Carlos Mortensen
c. Gavin Smith
d. Paul Lee

10. This poker player was born on New Year's Eve, 1928.
a. Hebert O. Yardley
b. Johnny Moss
c. Amarillo Slim
d. Brian Sailor Roberts

ANTE UP KNOWLEDGE (you'd think we'd know more about our own show)

1. On Show 29, the first of the New Year's resolutions shows, which one of these was not one of Scott's resolutions?
a. Be more disciplined
b. Blog more
c. Learn a new game
d. Read a book

2. On that same show, which one was not one of Chris' resolutions?
a. Blog more
b. Be nicer when with family
c. Enter more tournaments
d. Get better at limit hold em

3. On Episode 55, Joe Sebok explained his father's toughness with a story of an injury Joe suffered:
a. playing Yahtzee
b. on the basketball court
c. playing touch football
d. at the poker table

4. After Kenna James achieved success at smaller stakes limit Hold Em, he moved up the ladder and continued to win but then hit a wall and lost his confidence at what level?
a. 40-80
b. 20-40
c. 50-100
d. 30-60

5. Jennifer Harman said it was "amazing to watch" this player put others on tilt.
a. Phil Hellmuth
b. Mike Matusow
c. Jean-Robert Ballande
d. Freddy Deeb

6. Mark Seif said his new infant Sarah:
a. had seen over 20,000 hands on Absolute Poker
b. was signed up for a play-money account online
c. has a poker chip mobile
d. is nicknamed "Sarah Slim"

7. Johnny Chan asked the hosts for their favorite:
a. poker game
b. gambling destination
c. color
d. food

8.  When Greg Raymer was struggling to cash in tournaments early in his career, a friend give him this advice:
a. Play tight early, then more aggressive
b. Keep track of BB won/lost each level
c. Keep track of chip stack relative to average stack
d. Fold low pocket pairs in early position.

9. Episode 88: Best poker lines. "Must be a peach of a hand:"
a. Tilt
b. Cincinnati Kid
c. Rounders
d. Tombstone

10. Razz Episode 39: The Bard opens with some lines from:   
a. Hamlet   
b. Romeo and Juliet
c. Timon of Athens
d. Macbeth

LIGHTNING ROUND

1. In season one of the WPT, this player won both the Five Diamond Poker Classic and the L.A. Poker Classic.

2. Covering the 1981 WSOP, The Biggest Game in Town has been called "the best book ever written on poker." Who wrote it?

3. Give me the name and the nickname of the player who bets "quack quack."

4. According to Joe Navarro, which is a high confidence tell, a pursed lip or a hidden lip?

5. According to the Pet Peeves show, what really burns Mike's toast?

6. In suit rankings, spades are highest. Which suit is next highest?

7. In the SS/2 chapter on Triple Draw, Daniel Negraneau says don't leave the gate without a what?

8. True or False? Phil Ivey has more bracelets than Huck Seed.

9. The film The Cincinnati Kid was directed by Norman Jewison. Which director was fired off the film a couple weeks into shooting? Hint: He also directed Straw Dogs.

10. He played "The Matador" on the series Tilt.

DOUBLE JEOPARDY

1. It takes a 5 or a 10 to make a straight. In Hold Em you are dealt 5/10. There is one straight you can't make, what is it?

OTHER TOPICS

VEGAS, BABY!: Chris, Scott and Fasso will be Vegas the first week of July for the World Series of Poker. All three have pledged to play an event: Fasso in Event #46 (Stud 8), Scott in Event #51 (SHOE) and Chris in Event #49 (No-Limit Hold'em). Chris and Scott will also attend the WSOP Academy, and of course will roam the Series as members of the working media. We'll likely record the show out there, and of course would love to have an AnteUp! MeetUp if some of you will be out there. We can get a $4.95 steak dinner at Ellis Island.

AIPS: We hailed the success of forceweaver, who wins Event #4: Razz, and of course give Scott his props for taking his "74 chips and a chair" all the way to the Final Table. Get all the details at the previous post.

BARNEY FRANK, POKER'S HERO: The Massachusetts congressmen introduces the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act, which would allow licensed and regulated online gambing in the United States, with a few exceptions. Read more two posts down.

UNCLE JUNIOR'S POKER GAME: It was sad, yet very funny, to see Uncle Junior rule over the psych ward poker game on the Sopranos this week. Maybe we'll switch to buttons in future AIPS events.

OMM: Surprise! Columbo folds his JJ, but we get to see the hand play out as a caller goes to war with the limp-raiser.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Like Columbo, Greg from Fontana, Calif., struggled with JJ this week, but Greg took it all the way to the end. At a $2/$4 limit game at San Manuel Casino, Greg gets the pot capped preflop, then hits top set on the flop. Capped again, the board pairs on the turn, giving Greg top boat. Greg's called, and then the river brings a Queen. Greg and his opponent raise back and forth (no cap on heads-up raises), and Greg loses the pot to pocket Queens. Ouch.

Our advice: Be careful how much you escalate it on the river when you're holding less than the nuts, even in a loose $2/$4 game.

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

Show #89 Recap

It's time for another Ante Up! recap. This week's main topic centered around No Limit: A Search for the American Dream on the Poker Tournament Trail and an interview with the star and producer of the movie, Susan Genard. But first, there were some other things we needed to talk about.

HAVE ANOTHER ONE SCOTT: It seems our co-host had one too many at the laptop recently and spilled his barley and hops all over the keyboard. At first there were no problems, but then everything died. He later learned he should've used a hair dryer to dry the keyboard. But since Mr. Lang doesn't usually HAVE a need for a hair dryer I suggested he use his Flowbee!

AIPS STUD RECAP: We discussed the tournament and how we each fared. For results, etc. go here. One of the main points was how we each played rolled up hands. I failed miserably and Scott flourished, which could have meant the difference between him cashing and me going out 4 from the money. Rolled-up trips was a common theme this week.

ANTE UP MEETUP: Don't forget, if you are in the L.A. area, Scott and Fatso will be at the Commerce on Saturday (2/24/07) and they have a Home Game table set aside for the Ante Up! Nation. They'll meet you in the Arena Sports Bar at 5:30 and then you can take their money at the table at 6. Don't forget, Scott raises with suited connectors and Fatso hates it when you check-raise him.

WHEN GREGARIOUS = FUNNY: Turns out one of our listeners, Lou, was impressed with Scott's attempt at higher education, but he felt Scott used the word GREGARIOUS too many times. So, like Gambit did for me, Lou gave Scott a list of alternatives. Let's see if Scott can pronouce these bad boys! Hilarity ensues!

EPASSPORT: We've decided we can't possibly endorse this e-wallet. It has given the Ante Up! Nation major headaches, and the clincher was when it charged one of our listeners, Steve, NOT ROB, $15 for uncollected web funds.

LEFT VS. RIGHT: No, this isn't a political topic, per se, but rather, we find out that Scott has a lot in common with the "great" minds of this country as it pertains to telling the difference between your left and your right. So sad, so very sad.

UPC DYING? We learned that Binion's will continue to hold the Ultimate Poker Challenge at its casino, but it won't be broadcasting them. The culprit: The evil UIGEA, of course! The companies that funded the UPC's broadcast were mostly online poker sites, and you know what's going on there. Is this the beginning of the end for the WPT and WSOP on TV as well?

OMM: Our good friend Columbo gave us a Triple Draw hand a coupla weeks ago and we all agreed he was ahead going into the last draw. Although some of our strategy differed, we pretty much were on the same page. Always great to get a hand that's not hold 'em.

MAIN TOPIC: It was short notice, but the producer and star of No Limit agreed to let us interview her, and we had a lot of fun. Susan Genard is quite the poker player, but she's also accomplished in film. Check out Camden Pictures as well. She answered a lot of our questions and was very honest about the whole experience. You can buy the movie on Amazon or here. Sadly she couldn't stick around for Hand of the Week, but we managed. LOL! One of Scott's favorite parts of this movie is the fact that Susan plays Stud/8 and O8B on her run. No limit hold 'em is nowhere to be found in No Limit, and that irony is not lost on her. My favorite part was probably her conversation with an ESPN exec. I won't spoil it, but man, she wasn't happy! And, of course, the movie features interviews with more than 40 pros and personalities, including Doyle Brunson and a virtually-unknown-at-the-time Kenna James, and those interviews are very telling. It's a cool movie that already has won an award at the Australian International Film Festival and they'll be in Miami for the Underground Film Festival on March 8.

HOTW: Our hand of the week was provided by Khanwoman and it came from our AIPS Stud event. It's one of those brutal hands where you're rolled-up and can't get rid of the chaser. We had some alternative plays for her, but there really wasn't much she couldn't do until 5th street.

-- Chris

Rounders Revisited

This past weekend my wife and I emptied the TiVo and were in search of something to watch. I suggested Rounders, and she graciously acquiesced. Jeanne rocks! During the film I remarked that what I loved most about the film were the little things that made you understand, as a poker player, that the writers, etc. knew a little bit about poker. What am I talking about? The use of Arrow KEM cards at KGB's place. ... the Caro's Tells video box ... the original Super/System book. ...Or when Mikey says "Premium hands." to Worm as he's getting out of the car enroute to the trustfund-baby game. ... Worm calling chips "Towers of checks", etc. It's these little things that mean nothing to the general public but tell us that they knew what they were doing and get us that much more involved and appreciative of the movie. I'm no Cineaste, but that's how I feel.

However, upon further review, there were some glaring errors (at least I think they were) that you pick up on as well. Here are some of the ones I saw:

♠ In the middle of the night, after Jo packs up her crap and leaves, Worm convinces Mike to go to A.C. to "check-raise stupid tourists." And how do they get there? They have some little midsize sedan. Where did this vehicle come from? We know Worm doesn't have a car cuz he just got out of prison, and only a coupla days earlier Mike had to beg Jo for the Jeep to go pick up Worm because he doesn't have a car either. So, did they rent this car? In the middle of the night in Manhattan? Unlikely. And since they have very little funds and no credit cards I'm sure they couldn't get a rental car anyway.

♠ Mike is penniless when he goes to his professor for money. "If it must be tonight, then ten is the best I can do." the prof says. So he writes him a check. Obviously he doesn't go to a bank because, again, it's the middle of the night. So where does he go? To one of those sleezy all-night "Checks Cashed Here" joints. You don't really think an establishment like that would cash a $10K check and not charge a fee right? They don't just stay open to make even-money exchanges. So, if he has ZERO dollars on him after that State Police debacle, how does he buy in vs. KGB for an even $10K? Which leads me to my next point.

♠ There's a subtle line from Mike after he beats KGB for the first $10K and returns to the table. He says "Feel free to re-buy at any point." Without the presence of this line my next fault in the movie isn't as concrete. After he leaves the joint he has about $60K. But during the clips, KGB's lines make you believe that Mikey was down to almost nothing when he discovers the world's worst tell. "You must be kicking yourself ... for not walking out when you could. Bad judgment." Are we to believe that not only did he come back from being down to almost nothing, but then Teddy bought in again for another $20K? We really should've seen this transaction. It feels incomplete to me. But again, this isn't an error, per se, but still that aforementioned subtle line has to cover a lot of chips.

♠ The State Trooper scene wreaks for a few reasons: I really find it hard to believe that hard-working cops in Upstate New York are playing $20-$40 stud. Even if these guys were making $1K a week, which you know state cops in the late '90s wouldn't be making that kind of cash, the buy-in for the game would be their entire paycheck (and don't even get me started on taxes). Do they really think we believe these jokers are playing $40 a bet? Also, I find it hard to believe they would kick the hell out of these guys the way they did and then take their money. They are, after all, cops (and it's not LA). And in this scene, why don't they burn cards? I never see anyone burn in the stud hands during this movie, yet we all know you should do it. Some people don't know this fact, but when you're playing for thousands of dollars, I'm sure they'd be burning.

♠ Speaking of stud hands, the judges game cracks me up: When they ask Mike to tell them what they are holding he says: "Well, you were looking for that third three, but you forgot that Professor Green folded it on Fourth Street, and now you're representing that you have it." Why is this a mistake? Mike came in and they were already on Sixth Street. He couldn't possibly know what happened on Fourth Street. This may be a product of poor editing, but nonetheless, the statement rings false.

♠ In the golf pros game, the guy does one of those "I call your bet ... and raise you the pot limit kiddo." And we all know what's wrong with that statement. Mike would say no string-raising.

♠ As he said on our show, Johhny Chan would never ask some blond punk if he "had it" at the table.

♠ When Worm cashes out at the Chesterfield Club, there's NO WAY Petra lets Worm, a convicted felon, leave with the $2,000 credit on top of the $8K "white meat." And, she'd never let the juice run on Mike because Worm says so. She'd need to hear it from Mike.

♠ And finally, Knish's truck. What the hell is this truck anyway? Is it a floating job that Mike can pick up and leave whenever he needs it? And if so, do these stores that he delivers to go without supplies when Mikey decides to change his mind and not deliver anymore? And who's he delivering for? And who's job did he just steal out of the thin air like that? Knish plays poker for a living, so why does he have a truck that's just sitting there that Mike can use to fill this made-up job delivering goods for some made-up company to stores that never had his services to begin with? Very odd.

These are just the poker/life mistakes I found, but for a list of overall goofs go here.

But I still LOVE the movie! What did you find right/wrong with Rounders?

-- Chris

Episode #85 recap

MAIN TOPIC

Is this the beginning of the end? In a switch not seen since the 1987 Dudley Moore/Kirk Cameron flick Like Father Like Son, it's now Chris who is preaching a panic-free response to the tightening noose around third-party payment processors and it's Scott who is so despondent that online poker might be coming to an end that he burned his Visa card for $215 for season tickets to the Class A Clearwater Threshers (Sec. 115, Row 12, on the aisle).

Neteller bolted from the U.S. last week, and Click2Pay quickly followed (though if you got an account in under the wire, you appear to be safe. Go figure). Here are some options if you're not a minor-league baseball fan and still want to fund your online poker account:

ePassporte: It's the last e-wallet left that does business with U.S. FullTilt players. You'll pay 5 bucks for your first transfer, and 2 bucks for future ones. At least until they're run out of the country, too.

Visa gift cards: Some Ante Uppers report success in using these one-time cards to fund accounts. Some players even have lucked into being able to use Visa debit cards. You can find retailers that sell them here.

OTHER TOPICS

AIPS II: Don't forget! Noon this Saturday! All the info is at the AIPS II link on the right-hand side of this page. Ten-point bounties on Scott (offdeadline), Chris (willhopper), Fasso (stpetebeach) and Columbo (columbo), and any pros that might show up. Get here early, fire up the chat room (link also on the right-hand side of this page) and say hi.

Tampa Bay Downs: Scott hit the track this week, and realizes just how blinding poker can be. Did you know horses run there?

Home game: Such drama! These girls have nothing on the whinings of Fasso and Chris.

New movie: Buy your tickets now - the Madison Kid is coming. It's a movie chronicling the early days of Phil Hellmuth's life (back when he was an inspiration to Scott), stopping before his ego-driven recent exploits (when he became an inspiration to Chris). And who gets the honor of playing Phil? Surprisingly, it's not one of the Bratz girls. No, it's Hayden Christensen, that dude from the Star Wars prequels who got the bright idea to choose to live the rest of his days with some melted-face old dude instead of with Natalie Portman. (Guys like this have no right to roam the earth or any plant in any galaxy far, far away. I mean, really.) And Chris, in a very effective ploy to make sure Johnny Chan, James Earl Jones or Frank Oz never come on Ante Up! again, entertained us with stuff he learned from the discount DVD "Rich Little: How to Do Impressions That Only Rich Little Thinks Are Funny."

Pro-Am Equalizer: Sigh, another no-limit fest, but this one adds celebrities. Kill us now. But how can Ali be as tall as Phil Gordon?!? (Here's a picture of them together in real life, when Ali doesn't have phone books to stand on).

OMM: Much debate ensues after our favorite mystery man loses to a player who makes the "call of a lifetime" or "a solid, reasoned call" depending upon whether you're Columbo or Chris.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Now here's a surprise, Scott messes up the HOTW. Like, really bad. But hey, the lesson still works! Really! Our good friend Loren found it interesting that shortly after he posted on the forum about the dangers of playing J-10, he found himself in a hand where we flopped top two-pair with J-10. Chris got all whiny because Loren and I forgot a couple of minor details (the turn card and, um, the river card and, um, confirmation that Loren lost the hand).

- SCOTT

Show #78 Recap

Here's a look at Show 78, which was on Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw.

SCOTT’S TICKET: Mr. Long patiently waited to bring this up, making sure he would get a +EV before slapping me in the face with it. Remember that impromptu trip he took to Nawlins to get himself a free ticket from Southwest? And remember how I busted his chops about him actually losing money on the deal? Well, he's going to Seattle (via K.C. and Portland) to spend New Year's Eve with Laura (awwwwwww!). Say hi to the Space Needle for us! And yes, he made money on the deal. But I'm convinced he did it to spite me.

R.A.I.S.E.: I’m starting a club, it’s called R.A.I.S.E. which stands for Resist All Internet Suckouts Everywhere. I'm thinking of putting a shirt on the store. And, Scott's going to reduce the price of items there for the holiday gift giving season.

ANTE UP! WORLD: Our good friend Dave from Ohio is out in Vegas, living the high life with Kenna James and he bumped into Nenad Medic, winner of the WPT event I covered. Dave asks him if he is a member of the Ante Up! Nation and basically Nenad says, "Ante Up? Isn’t that the guy who was at Foxwoods?" Yeah, baby! By the way, he's from Niagara Falls (not Falls View as mentioned before). And, then Gambit sits down at a razz table the other night on Full Tilt Poker and someone there says … Let’s Play Razz! They start talking and it turns out the guy is a fan of the show and that’s why he started playing razz. Awesome! Taking over the world, one player at a time!

MORE RAZZ: Wayne from New York called to ask us to teach him Razz. He apparently didn't know we did a show on razz already (Show No. 39). He also asks about 8/better games. Omaha and O8B was Show No. 12. I’m pretty sure Wayne’s the guy who called and was upset with us because he felt we were making fun of people who didn’t know the game. So I think we cleaned up our act enough for him. Wayne, if you're a subscriber you should already have that show in your vault. If not you can go to iTunes and get it for free or you can go here. You can scroll down and find the shows you need.

BOND HAND **SPOILER**: Have you heard about the final hand in the new James Bond movie, Casino Royale? It rivals that of the Cincinnati Kid final hand. You'll have to listen to the show because I don't want to give that ridiculous hand any more pub. LOL!

ONE-MINUTE MYSTERY: Episode 29, Part 1, the Case of the Red Baron. I keep searching the titles of these mysteries hoping to find an answer. Columbo decides to slow-play aces, but when a coordinated board puts a fly in the ointment, he wants to know, are his aces good?

MAIN TOPIC: TRIPLE DRAW LOWBALL (AKA KANSAS CITY LOWBALL)
Like with our Razz show, I took WAY too many notes to be disected on air, so I will put everything I have here instead. We essentially covered everything you need to know to play it, but you know me, I want to give the best to the Ante Up! Nation. So here we go:

WHERE TO PLAY
Online you can go to UltimateBet and PokerStars. Scott says casinos in L.A. probabaly spread it, but this is a good game to introduce to your home game if you love action and want some change.

RULES
- Everyone’s dealt 5 cards face down.
- You can discard as many cards as you want, and you can draw three times.
- There’s betting on each round with bets doubling after the second draw.
- You can stop drawing at any point. This is known as standing pat or a pat hand.
- There’s a button, small blind and big blind, just like in Hold 'Em and Omaha.
- The best hand is 7-5-4-3-2. Unlike in Razz, straights and flushes count against you and the Ace is high only.
- Another variation is Ace-to-Five, which has the same low rules as Razz but is triple draw like Deuce-to-Seven.
- Remember it’s the worst hand that wins so a pair of kings is beat by a pair of threes.
- You can only play this with 6 players max. Any more and you’ll run out of cards (unless you're sick and want to reshuffle the deck). If you’re home game has seven players then make the person to the left of the BB sit out for that round. The more players you have the more have to sit out.
BETTING
- The WSOP event is played No Limit, but we’ll be talking limit. The betting usually is similar to limit hold 'em. Let's say you’re playing $2-$4. The small blind is a buck, the big blind is $2. Before the first draw and after the first draw bets would be $2, capped at $8. After the second and third draws the betting would be $4, capped at $16. If betting is heads up at any point and you want it to be unlimited raises, that's your option.
STRATEGY
- Try to only play hands with a 2 in it. The deuce is the most important card in the deck. But if you must, make sure you have a 3 and that it's not a straight draw.
- Beware of open-enders. 3-4-5-6 might look good, but the best you can make is an 8-6 if you stick with those 4, and with three chances someone is probably drawing to a better low. If you have 4-5-6-7 you're really only hoping for a 2, which means 4 outs. And if you have other players in the hand chances are they have a deuce, so your outs are slim and none.
- Try to get heads-up with a good draw. And bet your good 7-draws (as long they aren't straight draws) aggressively.
ONE-CARD DRAWS
- If you have a one-card draw to an 8, play it aggressively to get heads-up or to steal the blinds. But again, be wary of straight-draw 8s.
- You'll find a lot of the principles in most poker games are the same, play tight-aggressive. If the hand’s good enough to play, it should almost always be good enough to raise with, or muck it.
TWO-CARD DRAWS
- The best two-card draw hands are 2-3-4, 2-3-7, 2-3-5, 2-4-5, 2-4-7 and 2-5-7. Daniel Negreanu, in his most excellent chapter in Super/System 2, says the best of these is 2-3-4 and 2-3-7, and there are many debates over which is better. Essentially he says it doesn't matter because you'll play them the same way, aggressively. But there are other 2-card draws that are worthy of playing aggressively: 2-3-6. 2-4-6, 2-5-6 and 2-6-7 because these can still make 7s, but the 6 is a tricky card because it's the link to so many straights. For instance. You have the 2-4-6 and you draw 2. You pick up a 5 and a J. You want to throw away the J but your next draw can give you a straight with any 3. Whereas, if you are playing 2-6-7 and you pick up any inside card, you can't make a straight on the next draw. The 6 is very dangerous.
- A good 2-card draw for an 8 is 2-3-8, or 2-4-8 or 2-5-8. Anything else is pushing it because you will run the risk of getting outkicked. 8-6 is not a very strong hand.
NEGREANU'S TROUBLE HANDS
He says hands such as 3-4-8, 3-5-7, 3-5-8, 3-6-7, 3-4-7 and 4-5-7 are only good for stealing blinds or defending them. The reason being is you'll usually be put in a situation where you'll have bad 8 draws or a straight draw to a 7. And generally, you don't want to be drawing to a hand that needs a deuce, you want to already have one.
THREE-CARD DRAWS
Generally speaking, avoid them. They only reason to draw three cards is because you were stealing from the button or defending your blinds. And if you're going to do it, you better damn well have a 2 in there. 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-7 are the acceptable hands. Don't play 2-6 according to Negreanu, because you want to be drawing smooth, not rough. Remember from our Razz lesson that rough is 7-6 and smooth is 7-5.
FOUR- and FIVE-CARD DRAWS
NEVER! But if you're in the BB and you get a free draw then keep the cards you have to a 7 and draw. If you have zero, then throw them all away and start with five new ones.
IN THE BLINDS
Defending your Big Blind shouldn't be too important to you. You better have a good two- or three-card draw. And if you're in the SB, it's really not worth stealing the BB because you don't have position, and for one more bet the BB is getting the right odds to call with any decent holding.
AFTER THE FIRST DRAW
- This all depends on a lot of factors. How many did you draw? How many did your opponents draw? Did you call a bet or make a raise? Did you improve or not? One rule is, if you drew one and you have a powerful draw like 2-3-4-7 and they drew two, you should bet regardless. You're ahead and chances are you still are. Remember, they still have to improve just to catch up to where you already are. But if you drew the same amount of cards and you don't improve then it's a judgement call. If it's checked to you then take a free draw.
- If you improve to a pat hand that isn't the nuts or a one-card draw you want to get aggressive to narrow the field. You always want to be heads-up if possible. Don't take any chances of letting a third party in there cheaply.
- Here's Negreanu's example: UTG you raise with 2-4-7. The button calls and the BB raises. You and the button call. You catch a 5 and a King. The BB bets. Do you call or raise? You raise to force out the button so you'll have position. You may be up against a pat hand now, but you still have two more draws to make your seven or eight. If you're heads-up instead of three-handed, just call.
DIFFICULT DECISIONS
- You have 2-4-7 and you draw an 8. Do you keep it and go rough or try for the seven? If you have a lot of opponents throw it away and keep drawing because you'll likely get beat by an 8-6 or better. If you are heads-up keep it. But if your opponents are drawing three cards and you have position, keep it.
- When out of position, only draw to the nuts unless you are heads-up.
GOOD THINGS TO LOOK FOR
- If your hand contains duplicates or blockers of the cards others will need that's good, for instance 2-2-3-7-7. You already know there are only two deuces and two sevens left, and the odds of your opponents holding both in their hands are slim so you know they can't be too confident in their holdings.
- Plus, just like in razz when you see a lot of the cards you're holding on everyone else's board, it means it's less likely that you'll pair up.
- This also plays into what to keep on the next draw. If you pick up an 8 you might want to keep it since the cards you discarded can no longer help your opponents fill their hands.
AFTER THE SECOND DRAW
If you were behind to someone, check after the draw. In other words, if you drew two and he drew one, check to him. The same holds true if you drew one and he stayed pat. Conversely, if you are ahead you should bet. No matter what. Let them give you a reason to believe you fell behind. No free cards!
POSITION IS KEY
- Let's say you're on the button, heads-up and it's the last draw coming. You hold 2-3-4-7-K. Your opponent checks to you. Do you bet or check knowing you still have to draw? YOU BET! Why? If you check your opponent knows you will be drawing again and might stand pat with a 10. Now you HAVE to make a 9! But if you bet, he may fold thinking you're pat or he may throw away the 10 thinking he needs to make his seven or an eight to win. This gives you a better chance to win.
- You can see why position is so important. You get to see how many cards everyone else is discarding, and you can use your betting patterns to force them to make mistakes.
WHEN TO FOLD
- If you're still in need to two cards heading into the final draw, fold to a bet. Only consider calling when you have position, you think your opponent isn't staying pat, there's a big pot and you've thrown away valuable cards (i.e. 2,7)
- If you pair up on the last draw and you're bet into. What can you beat? If you have a good read and your pair is 2-2, then maybe call.
- If your opponent stayed pat from the get-go or after the first draw and you're drawing to a rough 8. You might want to consider letting this hand go.
- If you're facing two bets heading into the final draw, fold. Why? If you don't have the nuts there's a good chance one of those bettors has it or pretty damn close. You'd still have to catch perfect to make a decent hand and you might already be drawing dead. Even if you have something as strong as 2-4-5-7 you still have to catch a three to make the nuts, and a 6 might not be good enough. Plus, if you call the two bets, how do you know the guy who led out won't make it three, then you'll get whipsawed. Just fold.
WHEN TO STAND PAT
This is up to you. Know that a "made 9" is favored over any drawing hand. So if you're dealt a "made 9" or better stand pat. Also, never break an 8-6 or an 8-5. You really need to know your opponents if you're going to break one of these fine hands to go for a 7.
HEADS-UP TIP
You should stand pat with a 10 if you have position and your opponent is still drawing.
BLUFFING/SNOWING
Bluffing isn't easy to pull off the deeper you get into a hand, especially on the river. The pot will be so big by then that it's almost always a mistake to bluff because you'll get called by a LOT of hands. Snowing is a form of bluffing and comes earlier in the hand. Snowing is when you have three or four of a kind with key cards to making a wheel. Three to four deuces or three to four sevens are ideal. This way you know they likely can't make a 7 or even an 8 and you'll be standing pat early in the hand, either before the first draw or after it. It's more believable if you bet out before the first draw, draw one and then stand pat and ram and jam. Negreanu recommends doing it only as frequent as when you get these specific hands. If you do it too often with just garbage and get caught a few times, your bluffing ability goes out the window. If you get caught early by another pat hand, then give it up right there. If they bet, fold. If they don't, sheepishly draw the amount of cards you need.

HAND OF THE WEEK
Listener Greg (aka 9Gaiter) thoughtfully sent us a Triple Draw hand from PokerStars. He incorporates some great strategy (that is covered in the aforementioned primer) and he gets the result he wants but still loses the hand. That's gonna happen from time to time, but his strategy worked well and will pay off in the long run. Greg, if you want some swag from SunPoker drop me an email with your address and tell me what you want. We have hats, cards and shirts (but supplies are dwindling).

-- Chris

Rounders - rent it

RELEASE DATE: 1998 RATING: R (Internet kids must be accompanied by their degenerate gambling parents) STARRING: Mike Fasso as Michael McDermott Scott Long as Worm/Petra Chris Cosenza as Joey Knish SYNOPSIS: Poker dude overvalues his full house. American with very, very bad Russian accent eats Oreos and empties dude's pockets. Dude crashes, but luckily has fetching girlfriend to ease the pain. Loser dude gets out of the can. Loser dude messes up poker dude's life. Poker dude loses fetching girlfriend, says no to fetching one-night stand (Are you serious?!?!) Loser dude gets poker dude messed up (We all saw THAT coming). Poker dude sips gin, and then fleeces fatherly professor out of 10 large in the middle of the night. Poker dude cracks the Oreo code, goes to Vegas to blow it all again.

Mike "Fatso/Pesto/Bard/Lance" Fasso joined us for his week's podcast to talk about one of the best poker movies out there (and, yes, Chris, "Cincinnati Kid" was better). If you actually survived that 82-minute-long podcast and want to share your thoughts on the movie or Gretchen Mol, post it all right here.

Great poker weekend, and updates

Hey all,

Just thought I'd drop a note as this awesome weekend comes to a close. I am so stoked about Jennifer Harman being on the show (SEND QUESTIONS DAMMIT!), but my weekend only got better after finding that out. To start, I made a bunch of money on PokerRoom, totally recouping all of the losses I had from Full Tilt a few weeks back. So now I'm marching forward again. I don't know if all of you are like this, but whenever I have a negative session(s), I'm never really happy until I win all of that money back so I can add to my bankroll and head up the ladder.

The best hand I had all weekend came in PLO. I won't get into the actual hand because it would take forever to type, but I did include a photo. That's right, a ROYAL FLUSH BABY! And, to make it better, the guy turned over QQ for quad queens! I was so excited because I never think to take a screenshot when I make a good hand, but this time I remembered, I just didn't wait to snap it when he showed his hand. I wasn't sure if he was going to, and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to get it. But it's no wonder I got action. I flopped the nuts and he made a set. The turn gave me the Royal Flush draw and him quads. He bet half the pot and I only called, thinking I was probably beat but couldn't give up this chance. The J♥ fell and you can imagine my heart pounding away! At that point you can see how much was in the pot, although my screen shot is pretty blurry. Let's just say I had 70 units left, so I bet 35, thinking he had to have a boat and would raise. He put me all-in and I typed in "ROYAL BABY!" and then called. He flashed the quads and I almost crapped my pants. Easily the largest pot of my life, and this came on the heels of me having a stellar NL session. This was my second most successful poker weekend of my career. Again, I don't want to put money totals up on here anymore as I am starting to get weary of listing wins and losses because of big brother, if you know what I mean. Let's just say a lot of you have read this blog for a while and you've read about some of my bigger wins, and this weekend puts them all to shame.

Some other things: I called PokerRoom again to ask where the hell our refunds were, and after being on hold for 20 minutes plus a 30-minute conversation with a guy whose first language was anything but English, this is what he had to say: There was a technical problem that caused your tournament to cancel. We felt that we could fix it in time so your tournament could still go off in time, but we were wrong. (At this point I told him how stupid that would have been because everyone involved in the tournament was under the impression it was staying canceled, and for them to reinstate it and not tell us would've been a HUGE mistake. I also laid into him about their horrible service, etc.) He then told me that PR has been sending me emails updating the situation and I told him I haven't received any. I also told him I've been getting promotional emails all along from them, so if they are sending me emails something's wrong. We re-re-re-reconfirmed my email address and the guy said he would send me another email confirming our conversation, which I NEVER GOT AGAIN! So finally I said, "Look, we all want our refunds! What the hell is taking so long?" He said we could have tournament tickets IMMEDIATELY if we wanted them. I told him to go scratch. First of all there was no way I was going to make that decision for the other guys who already bought in, and second, why should we be forced to spend that money on another tournament now? We should be able to have that money to do as we please. I also read him the riot act saying PR has had our money all of this time and they are collecting interest on it while we just sit here and wait. I threw everything but the kitchen sink at him. So, the last thing he said was that we all would get our refunds but he couldn't say when as he wasn't sure how long it would take the finance department to deposit that money back. What a load of bull! If we don't get our refunds this week I'm flying to the home office and cracking skulls!

Did any of you ever see HIGH ROLLER, the movie about Stu Ungar, who was played horribly by Michael "Call me Christopher" Imperioli? This movie was so bad I don't even want to talk about it, but I got it this weekend USED at Sound Exchange for like $6. I couldn't resist, but OMG it was bad! And they left out a bunch of stuff. If I hadn't read ONE OF A KIND I might not have been so disappointed, but when an "autobiography" is written so well and detailed, and then you see some piece of effluvium thrown together just to make a buck and capitalize on the poker craze, it made me sick. Hardly any poker, very little gin, no mention of his sister or stepson committing suicide, no mention of the glasses being worn to cover the collapsed nasal passage, etc. It's like they wanted to show how tragic this was, but then they watered it down. Very disappointing, and Scott had told me it was crap, but it's kind of like a car accident, you know you shouldn't look but you have to.

One last thing, I'm headed to Derby Lane on Monday night to pay the entry fee to the big tournament on Sunday (4/23). It's capped at 400 and if they get a full complement they promise $4K on top. I also think they are paying top 27. I am not going to turn down a chance at that kind of money down here in FL for just $45. Who else is in?

OK, I lied, this is the last thing. Don't forget about Saturday's Podcast Freeroll. Sign up by Thursday.

Peace.