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! 

Episode #148: Delay the WSOP Final Table?

MAIN TOPIC

It's just a rumor, but hey, that's what rumors are for - to debate endlessly. Chris and I take a point-counterpoint approach to whether Harrah's should consider delaying the final table of the World Series of Poker's Main Event for 90 days. I chose the right side, and Chris chose "in favor." And the only Ante Upper to play in a WSOP Main Event Final Table, Lee Childs, calls in with his opinion. Click here to hear the show.

OTHER TOPICS

New host for Poker After Dark: It's LeeAnn Tweeden, who also hosts NBC's National Heads-Up Championship, which begins airing this weekend.

CardPlayer tidbits: Take a tour of Phil Hellmuth's house (he has heated floors in his office!), get a glimpse of Larry Flynt's high-limit stud game at the Hustler Casino and tipping is back in the news.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: One-Eyed Jack's is holding new Friday night WSOP qualifiers, and the Top Jack at OEJ's, Sam Minutello, is once again running the charity tournament at the Playboy Mansion.

One Minute Mystery: Columbo is taking a well-deserved break and will return soon.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Jerry (loser64) offers up a $1/$3 no-limit hold'em cash game hand from Sam's Town in Tunica, Miss.

The under-the-gun player is a retired local with $250, and the small blind is a maniac with $180. Jerry is in mid to late position with $95.

UTG makes it $9 to go, and Jerry and the SB call.

The flop: 2d-2s-3h

SB bets out $10, UTG and Jerry call.

The turn: 9h

SB bets out $10 again, UTG raises to $35, Jerry and the SB call.

The river: Kc

SB bets $35, UTG raises to $70 and Jerry calls. SB folds, saying he had 7-7.

UTG turns over 3-3 for a flopped boat.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

Scott calls in live from Las Vegas!

- SCOTT

AnteUp Chicago MeetUp: Good times, great beer ... goofy hats

Clockwise from left: Laura Long, Scott (he doesn't shave on vacation), Chicago Jason, Chicago Mike, Chi-Guy Brian and Chicago Joe. Truly an mazing coincidence that all these guys' parents named them "Chicago" and then they grew up to live there.

Our whirlwind weekend trip to Chicago is in the books, and the dedicated employee that I am, I'm in the office blogging (and doing real work, too, Boss) just hours after touching down in Tampa.

Laura and I had a blast last night with four great Ante Uppers who turned out at the legendary Billy Goat Tavern. We chatted about poker, the show and life for more than three hours. Our great Billy Goat waiter snapped this photo of us wearing the official Billy Goat hats (Well, everyone except the guy who's idea it was to wear the hats. Well played, Chicago Joe. Well played).

Lots of other photos (and audio!) were captured during the night, so hopefully we'll have a few more things to add to the gallery soon, and some funny clips for this week's show.

- SCOTT

Episode #136: Tunica

MAIN TOPIC

Fasso returns to the studio after a largely successful visit to Tunica, Miss., site of a World Series of Poker Circuit event and a World Poker Tour event. Fasso learned to tame the SNGs but was helpless against an unknown health ailment. Click here to hear the show.

OTHER TOPICS

Bluff likes us! Well, Bluff readers do. We thank our listeners for helping us become "Best Podcast" in Bluff magazine's annual Readers Choice Awards.

AIPS: The third season gets off to a record start - 155 players! Fasso turns 400 chips into a final table appearance, but Zerkaboid gets the banana. Congrats!

WSOP on the radio: WSOP Radio has debuted, and you can listen in live on Mondays from 8-10 p.m. Eastern.

Chris is a newshound: Chris breaks some news on this very blog, reporting that the Mirage has pulled out of the World Poker Tour. Is Mandalay Bay next?

Players of the Year: The only POY that matters - AIPS - was crowned in December, but a couple other magazines take a crack at it anyhow. Bill Edler wins in Bluff's rankings, and David "The Dragon" Pham wins CardPlayer's honor.

Hotline: Bradford from California calls in to ask us what the best way is to get money in an online poker room. "E-Check" is the new hot way (on PokerStars), and we've heard it's in beta-testing on FullTilt. Outside of that, try a VISA debit card. No dice? Keep trying on the options listed on the poker room's site.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: Some folks in Clearwater got nabbed for the fuzz, who accuse them of running a high-stakes illegal poker game; Tampa Greyhound Track offers a $80 no-juice tournament every Sunday with a bounty on Sam Minutello; and the Hard Rock will host a charity tournament benefiting the Brandon Foundation.

HAND OF THE WEEK

yzerman13 sends us a hand from AIPS III Event #1.

Joe24Pa raises UTG, and yzerman calls UTG+1 with 3d-3c. carbidexxx calls from the big blind.

The flop: 3s-Ad-10c.

carbide checks, JoePa bets and yzerman raises.

carbide folds, and JoePa calls.

The turn: 8h.

JoePa checks, yzerman bets, JoePa calls.

The river: Qs

JoePa bets out, confounding yzerman. But yzerman decides to raise, JoePa reraises, yzerman caps it and JoePa calls.

JoePa turns over Kc-Jc for the straight and takes down a nice pot.

Certainly a lot to criticize for JoePa's call on the turn, though Scott meekly takes a stab at defending it, depending on what the read was. But we all agreed yzerman played it too aggressively on the river.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

Brace yourself. You've asked for it, and asked for it and asked for it. Now we're ready (we think) to take another stab at Pot Odds. Poker gods help us.

- SCOTT

Episode #131: Holiday Poker Gift Guide

MAIN TOPIC

Just 11 shopping days left before Christmas, so there's no time to waste on looking for great poker gifts for your loved ones. Good thing you have us to go out and scout the weird, wacky and maybe even useful items being peddled this year. Click here to listen to the show. Remember - lots of great Ante Up! products also available at our CafePress store! What others are selling:

Personalized Poker Tavern Sign: Get your name on a tavern sign for your poker room. ($44.95, Exclusively Weddings).

Poker Chip Cufflinks: When the invitation says "Black Tie," don't share up without these jewels hanging from your wrists. (14.99 pounds, DrinkStuff.com)

Poker Chip Chair: You've built your table, so buy some chairs. These have a poker chip cushion for your rump and a fanned-out royal flush for your back. ($142.99, LogoProducts4Less).

Star Wars Poker Chip Set: May the Force be with you as you play with these themed chips and cards that glow in the dark. ($149.95, Sharper Image).

Poker Chip USB Flash Drive: Store your FullTilt hand histories on this 1GB drive with poker touches. ($17.99, Staples).

Abstract Poker Art: Jazz up that poker room with some unique paintings. (Various prices, Sculptr).

Poker-Themed Tools: Admit it - you've always been upset that your pizza cutter didn't have spades, diamonds, hearts and clubs on it. Now, your dreams have come true. (Various prices, Poker Fan Addicts).

River Rim Shaded Sunglasses: These specs are shaded on the top to hide your eyes but light on the bottom so you can see your cards. ($88.88, BigFish Poker).

Eat Sleep Poker Cap: The only three things you need to do in life, emblazoned on one hat. ($16.99, Pixel Gear).

Intimate Poker Cards: Introduce your loved one to the game you love, with an activity that we all love. ($9.99, CandleLight Messages).

World Poker Tour Pinball Machine: It's a great time-filler for the loser who busts out of your tournament first! ($4,500, Stern Pinball Inc.).

Pot Committed Card Guard: This card guard shows that you're pot-committed - literally - since there's a picture of a marijuana leaf on it. ($16.99, Poker Weights).

de-FIB-ulator: This handy gadget uses voice cues to tell you whether your opponent is lying. Montel Williams says so. ($39.95, Gadget Universe).

Poker Address Labels: Quit using those charity ones you get in the mail unsolicited and don't donate to. Instead, these labels have your name, address, cards, chips and, for some reason, dice. ($8.99, Colorful Images).

Poker Medal: Honor the next champ in your home tournament with a gold, silver or bronze poker medal. ($2.29, Crown Awards).

OTHER TOPICS

Scott freezes in Wisconsin: Check out his earlier post, and the poker is good in the frigid state, especially if you like kill games and cool accents.

Limit heads-up: Fasso got us thinking this week about strategy for limit hold'em heads-up SNGs after he watched Michael Craig destroy all comers. Fasso says you can use something called a Truth Tree to plot the right moves. Scott tried it, won and got verbally abused by his opponent (17 references ranging from "donk" to "luckbox" to "tool.")

Cool tune: Be sure to listen Ante Upper Luigi Cappel's great podsafe song, "I Tilted."

Priest playing poker? Chris was entranced this week by news that a priest, Paul Kammen, is among the Ante Up Nation flock. And a priest who has penned books on stud, no less.

New on the tube: Michael from England alerts us to Food Poker, a new show on BBC where chefs get two hole cards with ingredients, and have to make a tasty dish using three ingredients from a community board. And Mike Greenberg hosts a new ABC show called Duel that's supposed to marry Who Wants to Be a Millionaire with the World Series of Poker.

Hotline: Two good calls this week - Brian from Chicago wants to know how we pick the Hand of the Week and Thitsa from New York tells us CardPlayer Cruises are the real deal.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: Scott fills you in on the new Silks cardroom at Tampa Bay Downs, and Derby Lane is hosting a tournament with Fisher from 97X.

One Minute Mystery: Columbo folds his three ducks, and never finds out if it was truly the best decision as his opponent wouldn't tell him what he had.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Ben from Wisconsin sends us a $1/$2 no-limit hand from a charity casino.

With two callers, he bumps it to $8 from the small blind with Qd-Qc, and the callers call. We're not a fan of the smallish raise, but Ben likes to play small ball.

The flop: Qs-9d-2h.

A great flop, and Ben wants to string his opponents along, so he checks. (We advocate betting out). The button bets $10, and Ben calls as does the third opponent.

The turn: 10s

Trouble begins - a gutshot straight could have gotten there, so Ben bets $35 to find out. He's raised to 70 and the button folds. Ben calls.

The river: 7h

No improvement for Ben, but no spade if his opponent was on an odd flush draw. Ben folds his hand face-up to a $70 bet, and saves himself some cash. His opponent had J-8. 

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

We're hoping to interview the AIPS Player of the Year (so if that's you, get in touch with us ASAP about your availability for a phone interview around 1 p.m. Eastern on Friday). If not, we'll do our annual Kongkeys - that's right, our awards for all things poker. Have an idea for a category? Or a winner? Let us know!

- SCOTT

Kill games: Luv 'em, or hate 'em?

Photo by Dave Long

So, I'm back from the glorious frozen tundra of Lambeau Field and the most perfect weekend: brats and beer, Packers and poker. Saturday night, my brother and I ventured over to Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee and I had the pleasure of sitting in one of the juiciest $3/$6 limit hold'em games of my life. In just a couple quick hours, I won enough to pay for my plane ticket. Ka-ching.

It was a $3/$6 full kill game (kill means that if someone wins two pots in a row, the limits jump to $6/$12 until the kill player loses. Half-kill would have been $4/$8. In split pot games, kill kicks in when someone scoops).

I loved it. LUVED it. Always have liked kill games, even back in my early days when I sat down in a $4/$8 full kill game at Binion's and racked up chips from people who somehow try to make their living at stakes that low. And I really didn't understand at the time how dangerous a $8/$16 game could be to my bankroll.

But I'm older and wiser these days, and I have to tell you: the $3/$6 full kill is the perfect game for me and my bankroll. I'm normally a $4/$8 player, so $3/$6 lets me mix it up a tad more. And when it shifts to $6/$12, it forces me to play a little better than I probably would at a straight $4/$8 game.

It also doesn't hurt when the first big hand you get (A-K suited) comes in a kill pot, and you raise preflop, bet out when an Ace comes on the flop, keep betting when the turn brings an Ace and the loosest player at the table comes along all the way to the bitter, bitter end. Ahhhhhh....money.

So I ask you, yea or nay on kill games?

- SCOTT

Episode #128: Foxwoods interviews

MAIN TOPIC

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

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

OTHER TOPICS

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

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

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

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

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

HAND OF THE WEEK

Nick from Jersey phones in an audio HOTW.

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

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

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

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

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

- SCOTT

Episode #127: Jean-Robert Bellande

CBS photo

MAIN TOPIC

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

OTHER TOPICS

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

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

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

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

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

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

HAND OF THE WEEK

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

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

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

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

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

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

Chris shares his interviews with pros from his trip to Foxwoods

- SCOTT

Episode #126: Poker boom over?

Bloomberg News photo

MAIN TOPIC

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

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

OTHER TOPICS

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

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

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

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

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

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

HAND OF THE WEEK

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

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

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

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

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

- SCOTT

Episode #125: Biloxi poker report

MAIN TOPIC

Scott jets off to Biloxi and New Orleans for a weekend of poker and more, and reports back on just how great Biloxi is as a poker destination now post-Katrina. Click here to listen to the show, and click here to read Scott's earlier post about the trip, which deals with non-poker stuff.

Before Hurricane Katrina, Biloxi proper has just two poker rooms (with two more in Gulfport). But now, you'll find poker at five rooms in Biloxi: IP, Boomtown, Isle of Capri, Hard Rock and Beau Rivage, as well as some rooms on the way to New Orleans: Hollywood and Silver Slipper in Bay St. Louis and, of course, Harrah's in New Orleans. In Biloxi, the best action seems to be at IP (which is moving to a new room soon) and Beau Rivage. Harrah's in New Orleans always seems to be rockin'.

OTHER TOPICS

What's this razz game? Scott loses to trips in razz. Twice. Wonder why we hate this game.

AIPS/satellites: Reminder about the last two AIPS events, and Scott's in deep for the Main Event, taking at least five satellites to win his $26 seat. Ouch. But here's the thing - how deep do you get yourself in with satellites before you buy yourself into the event? What do you think?

What would you have done? Scott had this situation in a $1-$5 stud game at the Hard Rock. On 5th Street, he completes his Broadway, and raises an initial bettor who had a pair of 9s on 4th Street. Four players see 6th Street, including a player in between the 9s and Scott who has three diamonds on board. On 6th Street, the 3-diamond dude picks up his fourth, and bets out after the 9s check. Do you throw your Broadway away like Scott did?

Reserve your seat: If you don't want to get off your rump and sign yourself up for a live tournament, ptseats.com will do it for you. It'll cost you 3-6 percent of the entry fee.

Hilton room closes: The poker room at the Las Vegas Hilton is no more. Sign of the beginning of a poker downturn, or just a symptom of bad location?

WPT wants your opinion: The World Poker Tour is surveying its viewers. We were underwhelmed by the depth in what appears to be a survey more about gaining marketing information.

High Stakes Poker/Golf: Chris was less than impressed with the degree of difficulty on the course on the High Stakes Entertainment Golf Tour, but he's giddy as all get out over $500,000 buy-in week on High Stakes Poker.

Hotline: Jesse from Virginia shares some good news about Lee Childs.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: The people have spoken, and One-Eyed Jack's in Sarasota has switched from a timed rake to a pot rake on its no-limit games. Also, the Battle of the Bay - a tournament pitting the best players from One-Eyed Jack's, Tampa Bay Downs' Silks and Tampa Greyhound Track's Lucky's - is on tap.

OMM: The conclusion of the One Minute Mystery shows that we shouldn't have been scared of the straight and bet those trip 10s.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Michael from Australia sends us a hand that's worth considering as much on the merits of the tournament situation as it is for the actual hand. He's in a winner-take-all, 372-player satellite of a live pub poker event. (Winner gets a seat in the Aussie Millions Main Event).

Players start with only 2,500 in chips, and we're in the second, 20-minute level (50/100). Michael has 3,300 in chips and, with two black kings, opens the pot in middle position for 500. The small blind, with 3,800 in chips, is the only caller. The SB checks the rainbow flop of 2-4-6, and Michael bets about half of the pot (500) and is called. The turn brings a dreaded Ace, and the SB again checks. Michael now bets 1,000 and the SB calls.

The river is a Queen, and now the SB puts Michael all-in for his last 1,500. Michael, figuring he didn't have enough chips remaining to fight in this top-heavy prize structure, calls and loses to A-6 - two pair.

While we roundly criticize the play of our hero's opponent (calling a preflop raise from the SB with what is essentially a flush draw hand will make you go broke), we disagreed on Michael's play. Scott would have bet big on the flop, reasoning that you need to chip up quickly in a winner-take-all MTT. Chris would have played it much like Michael, though he would have pushed on the turn.

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

Chris calls in from Connecticut, Foxwoods and the World Poker Tour.

- SCOTT

Show #122: Tampa Bay poker trips

MAIN TOPIC

You asked, so we answered: Is the Tampa Bay area a viable poker destination? The short answer: yes. If you're coming solely to play poker, then you'll likely be better off catching the red-eye to Vegas, but there's enough good card-playing here to satisfy most players, especially when you add in the region's other amenities. Listen to the show by clicking here.

The rooms

Derby Lane, St. Petersburg: Greyhound track's room open noon-midnight

Tampa Bay Downs, Oldsmar: Throroughbred track's room open noon-midnight

Tampa Greyhound Track, Tampa: Former greyhound track's room open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Sarasota Kennel Club, Sarasota: Greyhound track's room open 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Seminole Hard Rock, east of Tampa: Casino open 24/7.

Treasure Island CasinoCruz, Treasure Island: Cruise-to-nowhere has one poker table and two sailings a day.

The games/stakes

The new laws allow for $100 buy-in no-limit hold'em, and $5 limits on limit games, including hold'em, Omaha 8, stud and stud 8. Other games can be found every once in a while.

Most rooms have two multitable NL hold'em tournaments a day, with buy-ins from $40 on up, and SNGs from open to close.

The accommodations

Seminole Hard Rock is a bona fide Vegas-style resort, but it's often sold out and expensive. If the kiddies want to splash around in the Gulf of Mexico, the Don CeSar is a pricey, yet historic, option just a card's throw from Fasso's pad on St. Pete Beach. Mom-and-pop motels line the beaches, but your best central location might be in the areas surrounding the airports: Ulmerton/Roosevelt roads in Clearwater and Rocky Point and Westshore in Tampa.

The airports

Tampa International Airport (TPA) is one of the best in the world, and many airlines offer nonstop flights from dozens of cities. Plus, free Wi-Fi so you can play on FullTilt before your return flight. St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) is a smaller airport, but has some carriers that serve alternate cities and Canada.

The other stuff

We have a great theme park (Busch Gardens) and beaches, as well as lot of other stuff that make the region a tourist destination. And, it's a short drive on Interstate 4 to the mouse in Orlando.

OTHER TOPICS

The bard returns: Yes, Mike Fasso returns to the show ... and doesn't disappoint you literature nuts.

Home game hysterics: Take a quick trip inside the madness that is the Ante Up! Home Game.

If you need a flush: Straight Flush Septic Services can help you out. Tell 'em the boys from Ante Up! sent ya (just don't tell them we want to start Royal Flush Septic Services and put them out of business).

WSOP: We are all friends for life, though Chris rails on the coverage, so maybe we're not friends with Norman Chad now.

Who was that guy? Chris was sure Scott was up against a pro in his World Series of Poker SHOE event, and he finally figured out who he was: The MIT Blackjack Team's Mr. M, J.P. Massar.

Pokerati poll champs: Take a look at the hardware to the right. Who's your podcast? Yeah, we thought so.

AIPS/CHIMPS: The final AIPS events are slated, and CHIMPS keeps rolling on.

Survivor: Here's a surprise - Jean-Robert is hungry. And he knows Mandarin.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: Scott gave up his Thursday night to take a highlighter to the 19 pages of proposed clarifications to Florida poker laws and the 53 pages of proposed enforcement regs for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Yeah, he has no life.

What's the Next Level of Thinking? Welcome a new feature from Columbo (don't worry, the retooled One Minute Mystery returns in a couple of weeks). See the previous post for all the details.

HAND OF THE WEEK

A fairly routine hand that Kevin in Atlanta played in CHIMPS sparks a fairly spirited debate over whether you should check-raise in razz. Kevin starts with 4-3-2, though a couple of Aces, a 5 and a 6 are out. We hit a 6 on 4th, and make our hand with a 5 on 5th. On 6th, Kevin gets a little cute, checking his 9 when his two opponents catch 7s. It works, as his check-raise gets both callers. But the river sinks his ship when an opponent draws out, and they get into a raising war. How would you have played it?

NEXT WEEK'S SHOW

Alternative Online Poker Sites (show was taped in advance).

- SCOTT

Episode #112: WSOP Expo

MAIN TOPIC

It wasn't all games at the World Series of Poker, it was fun, too. (Get it, fun and games?) Listen to this week's show by clicking here.

Chris and I made a few passes through the World Series of Poker's Gaming Life Expo, which without the online sites of yesteryear morphed into a smaller "men's lifestyle" event this year. But there was still plenty of poker goodies in the big ballroom, so here are some of the highlights:

LONE STAR POKER TABLES: A very unique poker table company, run by real-live Ante Upper Pat Mulry. All of his tables are custom made, and the coolest part is that the drink holders and chip rack are built in as sliders, so they close up neatly.

POKERTEK BAR TABLES: Look for these cool amusement devices in your local bar and tavern soon. Play heads-up poker against a friend (though we can't guarantee you'll get to play Phil Laak or Antonio Esfandiari). Very easy to use, and with a credit card swiper, just as convenient to play as a pool table or a Golden Tee game. (Chris beat me).

PLAY HARD GAMING TABLES: If you're a teetotaler like Chris, you'll have to get your video poker table kicks at home. Play Hard offers three models - a 10-seater, a 6-seater and a 2-seater. (Yes, Chris beat me again. Like he's some sort of poker god or something. Geez).

MONSTER CHIPS: If you can shuffle these big bad boys, you're doing something Chris can't. Use them as a conversation piece (or more likely as a coaster), but these larger-than-life chips are pretty neat. Buck up the full $20,000 for the entire set, including case, dealer button and cards. Ha!

THE NUTZ: Every poker player wants to be holding the nuts. Buy one of these card protectors, and you'll always have the nuts. (Well, metal replicas of real nuts, at least).

OTHER TOPICS

Poker fashion: No one is ever going to accuse Chris and I of being fashionable, but it's a different story with folks like Robert Williamson III, Johnny Chan and Clonie Gowen. USA Today did a fun little read on poker fashion at the table. Can you guess how many high-end pairs of jeans Clonie owns? Try 65.

Phil Laak vs. the Poker Bot: Some smarty pants up in Canada built a computer, gave it a lame name (Polaris - PIP would have been better) and then challenged The Unabomber to beat it.

Daniel Negreanu more animated than usual. Kid Poker will voice three characters in the upcoming Disney cartoon The Replacements. No word on whether any of them will sport PokerStars logos.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: How smart is it to sit down in a Florida no-limit game late in the night?

One Minute Mystery: Aha! Chris was right! Our opponent was holding "The Cosenza" (A-10). So now we know there are at least two donks out there.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Youv from Israel has taken up HORSE, so we give him a little advice on where he went wrong in a Stud 8 hand.

He brought it in with a 3h-Jd-2c, and rightly took one more card off after he collected the 5h on Fourth Street. But the wheels came off on Fifth, when he picked up the 7h, and called two bets cold when one his opponents was going high, the other had a lower board and many of his "scoop" cards were gone. It gets worse on Six Street, when we get the 4c and raise, and then stick around in a capped Seventh Street when we don't improve.

Our advice: Try to get heads up, don't draw to half the pot unless it's the nuts.

- SCOTT

Episode #111 recap: World Series of Poker Academy

MAIN TOPIC

We welcome Ante Upper John Lanier of Lutz to the show as we review the World Series of Poker Academy. The newspaper paid a nominal fee for Chris and me to attend while we were in Vegas, but John bucked up the entire $2,200, so listen to the show and get three opinions on whether you get your money's worth.

What it is: A 3-day instructional camp with professional players (Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem, Phil Hellmuth, Mark Seif, Scott Fischman, etc.) among the faculty. (They also offer shorter camps for less money).

What you get: Classroom instruction (pros contribute tips, plus a session with Joe Navarro on tells), "lab" instruction (sit at a table with a pro), two tournaments (top prize in each for our camp was a Main Event entry), some meals/parties and a goodie bag.

Is it worth it? Our general consensus was that there's too much in the camp that you can't put a price on, so it'll be a personal decision on the value. For example, if you're really excited about playing cards and learning from a particular pro, what exactly is that worth to you? For some, that alone might be worth $2K. For others, maybe not. Getting two shots at Main Event seat certainly has some value, too. All three of us thought the instruction could have be better structured. The labs were the highlight. If all the instruction was done in this manner, it would have been better.

Other options: While we didn't attend a World Poker Tour Boot Camp (though John will later this year), we did talk with some officials while in Vegas and an interview is included on the show to give you some perspective.

OTHER TOPICS

Who let the dogs out? We found out how fond Chris is of cute puppies when we talked about the dog poker chip set being sold by dogpokerchips.com.

New Florida games: We discussed what a wild and crazy game $2/$5 no-limit can be, since your max buy-in is $100. We also talked about how a good player can clean up in the $1-$5 spread limit hold'em game being dealt.

Tampa Bay Poker Replay: Scott reviews Derby Lane.

HAND OF THE WEEK

Listener Mike found himself with Kh-Ks in a $4/$8 limit hold'em game at B&M cardroom near his house.

UTG+1, he raised and got four callers. The flop came Qd-7d-2d, and our hero bets out, gets raised and one caller. He calls. We thought a 3-bet here would have been better. It's the "cheap" street, so use it to narrow your future decisions. If the raiser caps it, you can consider folding or proceeding cautiously in the rest of the hand. If he just calls, you've retaken the initiative, and if he folds, well, even better.

The turn is the 4c, and it's checked around to the raiser, the caller folds and now we're heads-up with a decision to make. Mike calls. At this point, we agree. We didn't get enough info on 3rd street to know how strong or weak we are. The river is the 9h, Mike checks, the bettor continues and Mike ultimately calls (good move - one bet to win a huge pot) and takes down the pot as his opponent had Ad-Qc.

- SCOTT

Episide #109: Vegas, baby!

MAIN TOPIC

Part II of our four-part Vegas experience has us reliving our stops at the various poker rooms around town and sharing with you some great interviews that we (and by we, I mean Chris and Fasso. You don't really want me interviewing folks again, do ya?) got with pros at the World Series of Poker. Next week's show will break down the World Series of Poker Academy, and the final installment will highlight the cool and unusual items being peddled at the WSOP Gaming Life Expo. Listen to this week's show here.

ROOMS: Chris and I played at Monte Carlo (Scott's favorite), Orleans (tough, tough), Luxor (odd 3-blind structure), Paris (no cell phones allowed, yay!), Caesars Palace (Scott likes it, Chris doesn't), Treasure Island (off by itself down a hall with shops) and, of course, Binion's (how can you not like a room that not only spreads Juarez, but teaches you how to play it?)

INTERVIEWS: Marcel Luske complains about the dealers, Roxci Roads also complains about the dealers, new World Poker Tour host Layla Kayleigh tells us why she's excited about her new gig (and cheats certain firing by talking to the Ante Up! WPT Host Killers), Frank Henderson gets old-school with Fasso, Nick Frangos talks about stud and Gus Hansen makes Fasso's trip by supporting a return of 5-card stud.

OTHER TOPICS

WSOP: The Main Event is in full swing, and Gus Hansen was among the chipleaders at the time of our recording. We recount some of the funnier WSOP nuggets uncovered by the Associated Press, which is doing a bang-up job covering the Main Event. Among them: Phil Hellmuth wrecking his race car, Jamie Gold's mother, Jane, briefly flirting with the chip lead, Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon describing how Homer Simpson would play the Main Event and the fact that 6,358 players entered this year, down from the 8,700+ last year.

AIPS: A reminder that Event #7 (Pot Limit Hold'em) is Thursday night at 9 p.m. Eastern. For all the details, click here.

TAMPA BAY POKER REPLAY: We welcome our new feature, a short look back at the Week in Poker at Tampa Bay card rooms. (Subtle reminder to poker room managers: Send us stuff to talk about). This week, we talk about the new limits in Florida, a July 23 meeting to iron out rules and Scott's visit to Tampa Bay Downs.

HAND OF THE WEEK

We break down a Stud 8 hand from a micro limit HORSE cash game on FullTilt. Our hero engstrok starts with buried Aces and a J showing and joins a parade of callers on Third Street. On Fourth Street, he picks up a 3, which gives him a twinge of life for a low and a flush, and he bets out, only to get three callers.

Fifth Street brings a worthless King, while one opponent pairs his 10 and another gets his third baby. It's, oddly, checked around, which sets up some killer guessing by everyone on the last two streets. Sixth Street leaves two pairs of 10s on different boards, a pair of 7s on another and gives us a worthless deuce. It's called around. On Seventh Street, we don't improve and fold to a bet and two calls. Queens and Sevens scoops the pot.

Chris and I would have taken distinctive different routes than our hero. Chris would have gotten out earlier, while Scott says there's some validity to considering raising the whole way to drive players out. It definitely shows how cool, and cruel, of a game Stud 8 can be.

- SCOTT

On the road ...

So, The Wife and I are finishing up booking our September trip to Texas right now (easy, Ante Up Texas Chapter, we're so booked I likely won't be able to break free to check out the underground card rooms with ya, sorry), and it made me remember that I meant to post some non-poker travel stuff from the recently concluded Vegas trip. You can handle a post with very little poker content, can't ya Nation?

PLANE
You'll usually find me crisscrossing the country on Southwest (gotta love those Ding! fares - 3 trips to Ohio Stadium coming up in September - 88 bucks each). But the Guys with the Crackers could muster only a $419 fare for us to Vegas, so fortunately the good folks of Delta stole our business with a $219 fare. Ka-ching! Memo to Southwest: If you expect to me fly bare bones, you NEED to be the cheapest. Always. For half the price on Delta, I got in-flight movies, in-flight TV (on one leg) and the fun of turning down a Vodka-and-Fresca (interesting signature cocktail, Mr. Delta). Of course, Chris whined about assigned seats (huh?), but mostly because he wanted to hijack my viewing of Ocean's 12 on my laptop. (Good flick, not sure why people hated it so much. The Julia Roberts story line was hilarious. Oops, sorry. Spoiling it for Chris. Next time, buddy!).

CAR
I'm a Blue Chipper at Thrifty (always the cheapest), and it's usually only a couple of bucks more to bump up from Rickshaw class to Full Size. So when they pointed me to my row, I jumped in a shiny silver Dodge Avenger. Nice looking car. Fired that baby up, and satellite radio started blaring! Nice touch, Mr. Thrifty! The new Uber Rental Car Taj Majal in Las Vegas is brutal, though. Took me 20 minutes to get past Thrifty Security (here's an idea for travelers - do your freakin' chip n' dent walkaround when you get in the car. Don't wait until you get in line. That steams efficient folks like me off). (Side note - the line for the bus back to the airport on our return was like 678 people long. At 4:30 a.m. NOT kidding).

After I clear Checkpoint Charlie, I zoom out of the garage. Except this car lacked zoom. I tromped on the gas pedal, and I swear the car laughed at me. It eventually said, "OK, OK, I'll go" but geeeeeeez. Why build a car to look like a muscle car, but decide not to give it muscle?!? And one more note to the Dodge Brain Trust: Please fire the Executive Vice President of Blind Spot Technology. I've never been able to see out of any Dodge I've ever rented (and if you "drive" like I do, you NEED to see in the blind spots).

HOTEL
Orleans was a good pick. It's off Strip, so you're not going to be walking anywhere, but they have shuttles. The room was large enough - a table, loveseat and comfy chair, plus a work desk. Not bad for $60 a night weekdays. Bed was really comfy, and the best part: Fire Department-rated water pressure in the shower. What a difference that makes when you've been dropping racks of chips all over the city. Pool was nice, but uninspiring, but the Jacuzzi was big. Until that big hairy dude came in. It got really small, really quickly.

FOOD
As we said, we didn't go anywhere without a Las Vegas Advisor coupon. (Cue shameless plug: Even if you go to Vegas for just one weekend a year, you gotta subscribe.). Orleans buffet is a steal for the price (and wine drinkers can get a bottle for $6. And it's not Boone's. Really). Gold Coast buffet is pretty similar. Rio's buffet, once the class of Vegas, is rebounding again, but definitely not worth the price. Skip the Palms coffee shop - if I'm paying $7 for a chicken salad sandwich, at least put it on a croissant, Mr. Maloof. But the best meal deal in Vegas continues to never disappoint - the $4.95 sirloin dinner at the Ellis Island coffee shop. And don't forget to tear off the $5 blackjack matchplay coupon on your place mat. You win that bet, and you just got paid 3 bucks and change for eating a 10-ounce hunk of tasty meat with all the sides. Niiiiiiice.

ENTERTAINMENT
We were so jam-packed with the WSOP, the WSOP Academy, playing cards and hangin' with Kenna that we didn't have much time at all to do anything else. But we did manage to squeeze in a viewing of Live Free or Die Hard on Friday. Chris and I are both huge Die Hard fans (Chris saw the original 17 times in the theater. Um, freak.). And I gotta say, the latest installment dies hard. Absolutely terrible. The jokes were forced, the action was predictable and the plot had more holes in it than my WSOP strategy. I even got into a terse fight with two girls at the grocery store this week about the movie. They loved it. Turns out, they really only love Bruce Willis. Sigh. Memo to 20something girls: Kate Winslet is gorgeous. But she's been in plenty of unwatchable movies. Just because she's in a movie doesn't make it a winner. Same with Bruce Willis (You see Unbreakable?).

OK, next post is on poker. I promise.

- SCOTT

Ante Up MeetUp photo

John "Croker" Haire's wife was nice enough to leave her blackjack game to snap this photo of us at the Ante Up MeetUp at Binion's in Vegas. As we said before, it was a great time. AZSlick must have left before the photo was taken, but this was everyone else. From left, New Scott (aka Snuffy), John from Toronto, Croker, Chris, Scott, pleasant Binion's dealer and Fasso. We've also received lots of other photos from Ante Uppers in Vegas, so Chris will get those on the gallery ASAP.

- SCOTT

Episode #108: WSOP, baby!

Chris and I have less than 24 hours left in Vegas, but we have stories to last a lifetime (and, for the Ante Up Nation, at least three to four shows). So stay tuned over the next few weeks (109 will be pro interviews and other tidbits from our trip, 110 will be a review of the WSOP Academy and 111 will be dedicated to the products at the Expo). Whew. Listen to this week's show here.

MAIN TOPIC
Chris and I recount our World Series runs (Chris is a little more tired, since he ran much farther). Chris finished around 600 out of more than 3,100 entrants in the largest non-Main Event WSOP event in history, while Scott got to, well, sit at a table for a few hours in his event (it was a very nice chair).

But we both said we felt very comfortable for our first WSOP events, and we'll definitely be back.

OTHER TOPICS
Meetup: We played cards for several hours at one of the greatest card rooms in the world, Binion's (you gotta love the old school charm) with Ante Uppers AZSlick, Croker, New Scott and John from Toronto. The Binion's brass gave us a private table, and we dealt dealer's choice - stud8, limit hold'em, razz, 2-7 lowball and a painfully wonderful new game, Juarez (it's Omaha 8, but everyone gets five cards and there are two boards, but only one river. The best hi and the best low win. Ouch). Photos to come.

WSOP Academy: We attended the 3-day instructional camp to review it for you, our listeners. It was a lot of fun to rub shoulders with and get advice from the likes of Scott Fischman, Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem. But the jury is still out on whether it's worth the cost. Stay tuned for our in-depth review.

Sightings ...: Listen to the show to find out where, and under what circumstances we bumped into David Sklansky, and we also recount a long, frustrating night with a happy drunk named Andy.

OMM: As we predicted last week, Columbo dug himself his own trap by not getting information on his opponent, or driving him out, and he ultimately loses a hand when he lets his opponent catch up after Columbo flopped an Ace. Ugh.

HAND OF THE WEEK
Scott finally got serious about playing some no-limit cash games but as expected, he still has some things to learn. In a $1/$2 fun game at Paris, Scott calls a $10 raise preflop with 10c-8c in the big blind. He flops a 10 on a Jack high board with two diamonds. He checks to the initial raiser, who pumps $20 into the 3-handed pot. The other caller comes along, so Scott peels one off hoping to trip up or hit two pair. The turn is an 8, giving him two pair. He checks, hoping to get a check raise in, but something happened that he didn't expect - the other caller called again when the raiser bet out $30. Befuddled, Scott shut down his check-raise plan (he should have pushed) and called, and the worst card in the deck came on the river: the Ace of diamonds. Scott folded to the $35 bet when the other caller called. It was a good laydown, as the Ace gave the initial raiser Aces up (A-10). But Scott would have likely taken down a nice pot had he pushed on the turn. Live and learn.

- SCOTT

No luck out of the gate

Hmmm, wander if this is the kind of luck I'm going to have all week.

I get to the airport this morning, and am greeted by the PA barking "This is an overbooked flight. If you're willing to give up your seat, please see the gate agent."

What I heard: "Free money for getting to Vegas late."

I mean, I know my boy Chris is going to survive the first day of his event, so I don't need to get there *right* away to cheer him on. And the $4.95 steak dinner special is offered 24/7, so what do I have to lose?

I raced up to the podium, they were happy to see me, and the gate agent started tying away. While I was waiting, two other people got compensation - and, man, what compensation it was. A $400 travel voucher and a first-class upgrade on their next flight. Ka-ching!

So I sit and wait for my gate agent's screen/slot machine to come up 7-7-7. Instead, he grimly stares at me and shares the news. "I just can't get you to Vegas. I'm sorry, but thanks for offering to give up your seat."

Wow. I'm a loser already and I'm still 3 time zones from Sin City.

But it's not all bad news. I'm in Atlanta right now. I logged on to see if Hartsfield has free Wi-Fi access like the best airport in the world, Tampa International. I knew better. $7.95/day. Ugh. Well, gotta pay it. What else am I going to do? Chat up the screaming kid on my right, or eavesdrop on the way-too-loud cell phone conversation from the girl on my left? No way. So I long on to Boingo, and find out I still have 23 hours of access left from the last time an airport shook me down for Internet access. Ka-ching! So here I am, in a crowded airport, playing $2/$4 stud hi/lo on FullTilt and writing to all of you.  What an odd start to what I'm sure will be an odd trip.

- SCOTT

Vegas, here I come, baby!

My plane takes off in 2 hours exactly! My first real gamble of the trip is a layover in Atlanta (ergh), but as soon as I touch down in Sin City, I'm headed to Ellis Island for the $4.95 sirloin dinner (with a half-off coupon, I'll get out for less than 4 clams), then on to the sportsbook to get some money on the late baseball games and then to the Rio to railbird my man Chris as he plays for a bracelet. Cheer him on, everyone, and I go for my bracelet tomorrow.

Thanks again to the entire Ante Up! Nation for all of your well wishes for Fasso, Chris and I. As I said on the forum, we'll try our poker best to bring home a bracelet, but at the very least, you know we'll bring home some great stories. The next few podcasts should be very good ones. As always, thanks for listening, thanks for reading ... and thanks for playing poker!

- SCOTT

Epsiode #107: Don Baruch