Poker Podcasts: The Hard-Boiled Poker Radio Show
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Hard-Boiled Poker is no doubt one of the best poker blogs written today. 3S always puts forth extra effort in his posts to bring quality to each; where so many blogs miss the point, including my own, 3S hits the spot. He rarely strays from discussions of poker, but when he does it stays interesting. He doesn't try to purport himself to be something he is not. Like his moniker suggests, he is a small stakes player who is not afraid to show it. He began blogging in 2006, but decided to fire up a poker podcast in April of '08.
So on to the podcast shall we? Shamus puts out one of the most creative poker podcasts out there in The Hard-Boiled Poker Radio Show. It truly is one of a kind. The focus of his podcast is vintage radio shows involving gambling and poker as well as other classic books and tales of old. He will sometimes read from books and discuss historical situations that lead into the main classic radio show of the podcast. In addition, during some podcasts, he will play a poker/gambling themed song.
In general when you download a poker podcast you are expecting to hear about the latest poker news or maybe general gaming strategy. The last thing you would expect to hear is a random radio show from 1945. That's what separates THBPRS show from the rest. It wouldn't work for most people, but somehow it fits perfectly for 3S. You can tell from his writing and his spoken word, it is a passion of his.
3S manages to take it one step further with his podcast by giving fully detailed show notes for each episode on the his THBPRS blog, specifying what you can expect he'll be talking about and often delving deeper into the topic at hand with additional links to more information. Take a look at his first episode notes as a great example of this. I can't say enough about the detail that 3S puts into this recreational, but top notch offering.
I will finish up by saying this podcast is not for everyone. For the same reason that some will absolutely love the uniqueness of the show, a select few will probably crave the action style podcast that is inherent with a game like poker. If you are someone looking to learn about strategy or the latest Phil Hellmuth tard ass news, this probably isn't for you; however, if you are looking for a unique take on the timeless game of poker, give this show a go.
I'll end this post by noting the first comment 3S ever received on his THBPRS blog:
Keith said...
Never stop podcasting. Ever ever ever.
Thanks.
Indeed, Keith, indeed.
Until next time, may the felt be with you.
Labels: poker podcasts
posted by TripJax @ 6:54 PM,
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Rush Poker by Full Tilt Poker
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
As I write this I'm playing Rush Poker on Full Tilt Poker, which, if you don't already know, means it is very hard to write this. Folks, I may be jumping the gun, but I think this is a game changer. I'm absolutely amazed at the idea and very excited about the concept. Whoever thought up this idea deserves a move out of the cubicle and a monster bonus/raise.
So for those that don't know, Rush Poker is a cash game where you are added to a queue of a ton of other players. When you start play, you have one table of action. When you fold, you are immediately moved to a new table in the same room to begin a new hand. There could be upwards of 2000+ players in one room, so there are always new hands starting. Also, there is an option to quick fold, which means even if the action has not gotten to you, you can quick fold and move on to the next hand. So that's the gist of it...
Let's dig a little deeper, shall we?
The Good
Where do I start?! Okay I'll give it a go...
- It's hella fast paced.
- You can start and stop whenever you want, but when you start, it is ON.
- When you fold (or quick fold) a hand you immediately start a new hand (hence the difficulty in writing this post while playing).
- There seems to be no jack assery in the chat since you immediately move on to a new table of players. It would take a reall asshat to remember your screen name and come chase you down to talk shit.
- You really get down to the nuts and bolts of the game. There is no table selection and trying to keep tabs on a player becomes virtually impossible with how fast the action is. You are really just playing pure poker. you make the best play possible for the situation at hand and then you move on. It will take a new software or a fast pen and pad to remember anything in a particular hand or table.
- You can get in so many more hands in a session because the action never stops as long as you are in play.
- You receive credit/points for any hand you play as long as there is a rake - this includes even if you fold or quick fold during a hand and move on to a new hand at a new table.
- At least in my short experience, it seems players are more likely to fold to a raise more often because they feel empowered to move on to a new table and new hand. It's as if the action manipulates players into folding more often.
- You can get a monster amount of points if you multi-table, especially if you do so during happy hour for double points!
The Bad
Interestingly, much of The Good is also The Bad depending on your views and style of play.
- It's hella fast paced. If that's not your thing, lucky for you there are other tables to choose from.
- There's no table talk, no interaction with other players and no chance to really connect with anyone.
- There's no chance to have friends rail your table or chat at your table because you are always moving after every hand. Girly chat will be hella difficult with Rush Poker.
- There is no table selection and no real chance to peg a player for a particular style unless you had a previous note.
- I'm grasping here folks...I need some peoples to add more of The Bad in my comments. Really I've just stopped playing so I could actually type and I'm just ready to get back to the tables.
The Ugly
I've got nothing here. So far I'm really digging this. I'll at least add one...
- I envision many people trying to poo poo this concept because it is so radical to the game. Let us not forget the many radical changes to poker that many disliked in the beginning. Some hated tournaments when they were introduced. Some hated Texas Hold'em when it was introduced. Some hated satellites when they were introduced. All I gotta say is give this a chance.
I'd be very interested to hear as many comments as possible to this post as this new idea is very interesting to me. It's right up my alley as I love innovation in the poker world.
Thanks Full Tilt Poker for not sitting on your hand until it falls asleep so you can feel like some other poker room is jackin' you off. You are controlling your own destiny. It makes sense for you to push as many tables and hands as possible and you created a game that will appeal to the masses and is in your best interest. That's business 101 right there folks. There is a reason why the Super Turbo SNGs are tearing it up and Full Tilt just took notice and progressed to the next best thing...
That's pimp.
Until next time, may the felt be with you.
posted by TripJax @ 9:14 PM,
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Poker Podcasts: Gambling Tales Podcast
Monday, January 18, 2010
Now that I drive nearly an hour and a half each way to work at least three days a week, I've started to get into iTunes podcasts. This has helped me stay sane and made the drive much easier than it would normally be. I'll often delve into a podcast and then suddenly I'm pulling into the parking deck or home driveway wondering how I got to work in 45 minutes flat. Obviously that's not really happening, but it feels like time flies when enjoying a good audio show.
It should probably come as no surprise that my favorite podcasts so far are poker and sports related. Being this is a poker blog, I'll stick to discussing the poker podcasts for now. Not sure where I'm going with this and subsequent posts, but I'm thinking I might try and make it a series, focusing on one podcast per post.
So let's get started with the most recent podcast I started listening to from none other than Falstaff and Special K. These are guys I play poker with regularly; by regularly I mean about twice a year. I've been pretty lame with the live poker the last few years so making a trip to G-Vegas is about the only time I seem to play these days. That really needs to change since these guys live in Charlotte and it takes about half the time to get to their home games versus G-Vegas.
Moving on, Falstaff and Special K recently started a podcast called the Gambling Tales Podcast...
As of today this podcast is only 6 episodes deep, and I'm only 3 episodes in, but so far I'm really enjoying it. The basics of the show are some random discussion from the fellas, followed by an interview and gambling tale from a guest of the show, then a little more discussion to close things out. The theme of the show is discussing any and all things gambling. So far each show has had an interesting story from the person being interviewed, which I think is a great idea.
I have to say I'm rather impressed with what the guys are putting together so far. They have excellent speaking voices and they play off of each other well. Johnny Falstaff is more the color of the show and Special K really brings it full circle and is on point all the time. I didn't know what to expect when firing up the podcast the first time, but I'm very much looking forward to finishing out the last 3 episodes and downloading any potential upcoming shows.
From what I can tell, the shows are scheduled for at or around two weeks apart. If you get a chance, be sure to check these guys out. At this point they aren't too far along, so you can easily start show number one and get caught up quick. For a little more detail, take a look at Poker Prof's blog post about the show.
Next up will probably be Short-Stacked Shamus and his Hard-Boiled Poker Radio Show.
Until next time, may the felt be with you.
posted by TripJax @ 8:50 PM,
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WBCOOP
Sunday, January 10, 2010
I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! Bloggers can register for to play for free in the WBCOOP, if you don’t have a PokerStars account you can get your Poker Download here.
Registration code: 268669
posted by TripJax @ 10:26 PM,
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