TripJax

Gettin' Hammered

2011-12-18T20:28:00.000-05:00

Chapel (far back, 3rd from right) w/ AceTenBomber & Crew

Many of my readers have had a chance to meet my brother, Chapel, in person over the last several years either through blogger events or tournaments. What some of you may not know is he is kicking out quality poker content over at his blog, Gettin' Hammered. In addition, with my online poker play taking a nose dive since poker's black Friday earlier this year, he's playing way more poker than I am with various cash games and tournaments (including quite a few charity tournaments in and around North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia).

In the past year Chapel has traveled to Canada with the AceTenBomber team (pictured above), where he played at The Montreal Open (here are Part 1 and Part 2 trip reports on his blog). He has also been interviewed on Short Stacked Radio, a new poker radio station that debuted in July of this year, boasting some pretty impressive interviewees, such as Phil Hellmuth, who was recently on with the Short Stack crew. One other experience he managed this year was taking down a bad beat jackpot at one of his various underground games. I can't say I've ever taken down a big bad beat haul like he did, but just hearing the story, several times by several people in one weekend, made me feel like I was there. If you ever get the chance to meet Chapel - he's also known as TheGetSomeGuy by some - be sure to ask him about the bad beat jackpot.

If you enjoy reading poker content and are looking for another great blog to add to your RSS reader, be sure to jump over to Chapel's blog and give it a gander. Hook him up with a few comments as well. I know he'd love to see you visit.

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

Bubble Protection - An Online Poker Tournament Bubble Safety Net

2011-11-25T15:03:00.000-05:00

I came across the Bubble Protection concept from reading a recent UK PokerNews article a little while ago. Shame I'm not able to try the service out since I'm in the U.S. and not eligible. If anyone reads this and gives it a try, please comment and let me know about the experience.

From their How It Works page:

The "bubble" is the last finishing position in a poker tournament before entering the tournament payout structure "in the money". Typically the "bubble" refers to a single or small number of positions outside the last finishing position. BubbleProtection.com covers a "new bubble" that is calculated at 10% of the total number of tournament entrants. By way of example, if one thousand players enter an online tournament, the "new bubble" covered by the Bubble Protection policy would be 100 positions (10% of total entrants) outside of the tournament payout structure.

At the BubbleProtection.com website a player simply types in his online player name (or names), and selects a tournament or tournaments from our insured daily tournament schedule. An automatic premium calculation will appear and ask the player if he wishes to purchase the protection. The player is asked to select payment type, register player information, agree to terms and conditions and the one time/one tournament policy is issued. Players have up to ten minutes after a tournament starts to purchase Bubble Protection.

BubbleProtection.com technology tracks all the insured players (policyholders) in the tournament and automatically verifies the players finishing position (according to the poker site standings) in real time. If the player finishes outside "the new bubble" or within the tournament payout structure at the end of the tournament the policy is then void and terminated. If, however, the player falls within "the new bubble" the player's account at BubbleProtection.com will be automatically credited the total of the tournament fee and the poker site rake fee. Accounts are credited within 30 minutes after the completion of a tournament.

It is the player's option to keep the credit balance on his BubbleProtection.com account or have the account balance or any amount in it returned to the player. Players can access their account and have any amount returned simply by requesting a check or a transfer through their Moneybookers account. All requests for payment will be processed and funds forwarded via the payment process of the player’s choice by 5:00 pm PST the next business day.

I haven't spent enough time reviewing this to determine if it's worth it, but I love seeing new concepts brought into poker, so I hope it has some positives to bring to the game. Insurance has been around for a long, long time, so I'm not saying this is anything that will boggle the mind, but you catch my drift.

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

Big-Ups To Lana For Borgata Bad Ass Tournament Run

2011-11-15T19:22:00.001-05:00

Congrats are in order for LJ who managed to land a 1st AND 2nd place finish this past weekend in the Ladies Event and Event #3 at the 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open. Oh and she's preggers too, which amazes me that she could handle multiple long tournament formats. My wife is nearing 9 months pregnant and knowing the discomfort she has gone through these last few months further solidifies how impressive Lana's run was this past weekend.

And like ColonelPoker mentioned in the above link, she has some eh-splainin to do considering she clearly broke the one player to a hand rule. I guess she gets a free pass this time around. If it's true babies can hear and react to sounds around them, such as babies listening to classical music, then hopefully her baby will soak up some poker strategy and pop out already knowing the basic strategy as well as poker terms, such as fish, slowplay and bad beat.

'Grats on an awesome run LJ and good luck with the baby. I remember when ChickJax had our first child like it was 10 years ago...erm...'cause it was 10 years ago.

Picture cred to theborgata.com here.

Double Aces Twice

2011-09-30T20:36:00.001-04:00

I'm late to the game, but I just watched Day 6 of the WSOP and I have question: what are the odds of going 6 days in a WSOP tournament, then having AA twice in a row? I realize there are tons of factors in play, but just wondering if there was a wide range ratio?

Oh and, yeah, this is the first time I've posted in a while. More to come?! Let's light this candle.

Location:Greensboro, NC

It's been a slow news day, so why not announce this?

2011-06-22T19:01:00.001-04:00

8% Akohol

2011-06-08T21:05:00.001-04:00

Random sign at local inconvenient store. Not sure if from rogue beer distributor or store owner, but I dug it.

Jump Desktop (Remote Desktop) & Full Tilt Poker

2011-03-21T13:36:00.001-04:00

First off, this is not a paid review or advertisement for Jump Desktop. I simply noticed something yesterday and thought I'd write about it. I was perusing the remote desktops for my iPhone and came across Jump Desktop and their pictures in iTunes. The very first one focused the pointer and highlighted section directly on a link to Full Tilt Poker...

It's as if the app was taunting me with, "Hey TripJax, I know the only reason you're looking at me is to see if you can use me to play poker on your phone." Those bastages must be on to me or something. Is this Inception? Have they made it into my dreams?

I've written about remote desktops for poker in the past, but I'm on my mobile and too lazy to find the links. I used my iPhone to play in a tournament in the past and, to the best of my recollection, actually finished for a nice score and may have won the damn thing (my how memory fades).

For that tourney I used LogMeIn, but I also now have TeamViewer on my PC and iPhone, though I've yet to give it a try. Now that the iPhone has been out for a while and remote desktops seem to be gaining traction in the smart phone market, I was wondering if any of my 1.5 readers had any experience using any of the options available to play poker? And how about the iPad or iPad 2?

Until next time, may the felt e with you.

Location:Greensboro, NC

All In For Victory Charity Poker Tournament

2011-03-12T09:17:00.001-05:00

I'm playing in this today. It's been quite a while since I played live poker. Wish me skill.

Until Next Time, May The Felt Be With You.

TripJax

Location:Concord, NC

Poker Around The Intertubes

2010-11-26T15:59:00.000-05:00

I've been a tad out of the loop lately as it relates to poker. Other than keeping up with my bro and his quest for a ticket to Vegas via the Victory Poker Pro Contest, it's just been slow going. In fact, the first time I stared down an online poker table was when I watched him play a SNG last week while sitting in my living room killing time. The last time he visited and played, he won the SNG; this time proved no different as he took down another SNG while I sat back and enjoyed the show.

I've yet to play on Victory Poker, but I'm pretty sure I'll give them a go sometime soon. I'll certainly be more inclined if they give my bro a chance to go to Vegas and compete against 24 other hopefuls to be their next poker pro for a year. Guess we'll just have to see about that, though I consider him a lock with his 1 minute video garnering the 3rd most votes of all the entrants. In the meantime, I've been thinking more and more about poker lately, so I thought I would see what's going on in the poker world around the intertubes.

First off, it looks as though there may be some turmoil between Phil Hellmuth and his sponsorship of Ultimate Bet. Seems he hasn't worn any UB logos for a while and may be having issues with his sponsorship deal with them. To be honest I've always felt like Phil was in the right place at UB. Playing the annoying poker brat part, I don't think he fits in well with the bigger poker sites like Full Tilt or PokerStars. I always felt like UB and Phil were a perfect fit. Watch Phil prove me wrong and ink a deal with one of the big two before we hit 2011.

Next up, it seems former WSoP world champion Peter Eastgate has sold his championship bracelet at auction on eBay for nearly $148,000. Previously he had indicated he would take a reduced roll in the poker world and it looks as though this might be the icing on the cake. Nothing like winning over $9,000,000, then selling your bracelet and calling it quits. I don't begrudge him a bit for not being a poker ambassador. Some years the poker world hits the the jackpot - Greg Raymer being a good example - and other years you get Russ Hamilton. That's just the way the bookie crumbles.

And with that let's take a minute to discuss PokerStars. Wouldn't you know it, they've once again laid claim to the latest WSoP Champ, Jonathon Duhamel. During my long drive home from work recently, I spent some time listening to various audio interviews of him and I have to admit, I was pretty impressed. He definitely sounds like he could be an ambassador for poker. And though it might not be as big a deal as I first considered, I think it's good that he can potentially tap the US, Canadian and French markets as an ambassador. That could be a pretty powerful voice for poker if he works as much as he says he will.

On to Full Tilt for a moment. Though they had their chances to claim the champ, it just wasn't meant to be. That's not really what I want to write about right now anyway. What has impressed me of late is their announcement of the Rusk Poker Mobile capabilities. Yes you can now play poker on your smart phone while . I've already read stories across the intertubes about people winning/losing money while on the toilet as well as in their car at a stop light. Pretty hilarious stuff if you ask me.

Sadly it looks as though I won't be taking advantage of this opportunity anytime soon as it only works on phones that support flash, such as Android enabled smart phones. Honestly, I'm not sure who to be disappointed in more. I could of course hoist the middle finger at Apple for refusing to offer flash on their phone, but this little nugget of news has been known since their first iteration of the iPhone. I could also give Full Tilt a hard time for not offering a version of the mobile app sans Flash, KNOWING that Apple is in no rush (pun intended?) to add it to their platform. There is no doubt that keeping iPhone out of the game severely hurts their Rush Poker Mobile player base by not offering support for arguably the most important phone in the history of phones. I just hope they are hard at work on a version that supports the iPhone.

With all this poker site talk (make that type), it's gotten me thinking about the many sites I've played in my 7 years of online poker play. Now I've played some stinkers in my day, though I won't mention any names right now, but I've also played some excellent sites that are always bringing the heat as well as continuously looking to improve. Many sites and guides have reviews of all the poker sites you can play online and it should come as no surprise that PokerStars and Full Tilt always seem to be at the top. And though I've enjoyed playing at both for many years, I must admit Full Tilt remains my favorite site to date. Yeah I know I just mentioned it's a bummer they don't have Rush Poker Mobile on my phone, but at least they are pushing the envelope by making it available with a good platform on as many phones as currently possible. I love the fact they are always coming up with new and interesting ideas. That's just my type of poker site.

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

World Series of Poker No Limit Hold'em Championship Final Table 2010

2010-11-06T13:12:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to let my readers know the World Series of Poker No Limit Hold'em Championship Final Table is available for live streaming at ESPN3. If your ISP allows that site, you should check it out. Time Warner Cable just recently stopped being terards, so I should be able to watch. Woot!

Catch all the action HERE.

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

Poker With Anna Chapman, Alleged Russian Spy

2010-10-11T22:12:00.001-04:00

Remember the alleged Russian spy? You know, the sexy redhead who made news a few months ago? Wouldn't you know she's gone and made herself an iPhone poker app! Since I occasionally write about poker in these here parts and seem to be on a poker and iPhone app kick of late, I figured I better mention this one here. So take a look see...

While I'm intrigued by all this, the chances of me spending one hot penny on this app are slim to none. That shit better get ad supported and go hella free, otherwise this is the closest it will get to my phone (I prepared and published this post from my iPhone, so there's that). I don't give three shits about $1.99, but I just can't see buying what looks to be a broke ass app. It wreaks of fail and until someone says otherwise count me out. Come on readers, prove me wrong!

During my prep for this post, I came across this amazing article about Anna Chapman Nude. Seriously, you need to take 45 seconds and go read it. If you are a lazy bum and need some motivation, here is an excerpt:

Her photos have been placed on the Facebook as well for the pleasures and enjoyment of the users. The gal in birth suit is being attracted every opposite sex due to her curvy and sexy figure.

Seriously, how can you go wrong with that? The gal in birth suit on The Facebook being attracted every opposite sex?

You just can't make this shut up, my friends.

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

Location:N Elam Ave,Greensboro,United States

The Melting Pot for our 11th anniversary!

2010-10-02T17:38:00.001-04:00

Smokin' hot.

My View At Dinner Tonight

2010-09-27T23:17:00.001-04:00

Awareness! The Headphone App For iPhone Perfect For Poker Players?

2010-09-22T20:58:00.001-04:00

Though this iPhone app has many potential uses, as a poker player, the first thought that popped in my head was listening to music while still keeping up with the game at a live poker table - without removing my earbuds. In essence, this app allows you to hear music from your iPhone playlist (or a radio app), while still keeping up with sounds/voices occurring around you by utilizing the phones external mic.

For an example that doesn't involve poker, imagine being on a train and wanting to listen to your music, but not wanting to chance missing the announcement of your upcoming stop. This app would facilitate this by focusing on the sudden noises occurring around you, like a persons voice over a speaker, while blocking out other ongoing variables like the sound of an engine or air conditioner. That's pretty much the gist of it.

For full disclosure, I have not purchased this app yet; thus, I have not used this app. I do plan to grab it soon and the first chance I play live poker again - probably the year 2012 at the rate I'm going - I'll let you know how it goes. If you test it out before I post my experience, especially at the poker table, please let me know how it goes.

Below is a video with further details on how to use the app.

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

Victory Poker Contest

2010-09-19T11:41:00.001-04:00

Back in June I wrote about my brother's quest to become a member of Team Victory Poker. Here are the specifics direct from the Victory Poker Contest website:

One lucky male or female out there will win $100,000 in tournament buy-ins, a fully furnished condo on the Las Vegas strip, a new car, a watch, and more! To enter, you need to create a 1 minute video convincing us why YOU should be the next Victory Poker Pro. Create a profile on the page and get your friends to vote for your video (they can vote once a day). 25 people will be chosen and flown out to Vegas to meet the team. After testing your abilities and going through some fun challenges in poker, it finalizes down to one person whose life will be changed. Will it be you?

When he first posted his video, I wasn't sure how much traction it would receive. For starters, most of the videos were trying to be funny. I say trying because none of them are really too funny, save for a couple that made me chuckle briefly. On the other hand, my brother's video is poignant and, quite frankly, to the point. Often contest voters go for funny over serious, so I had concerns right off the bat. Also, he posted his video rather late in the contest. Quite a few people had already listed their video and were receiving tons of votes. I felt these road blocks would make it an up hill climb for sure.

Fast forward to today and my bro is 3rd in voting out of 70+ videos! Since posting his video he has received 3935 votes. Make that 3936 as he just got my vote. The amazing thing to me is his vote per visit percentage. That is to say, 75% of people who view his video vote for him. I'm pretty sure he has the best vote per visit ratio. Compare his percentage to the guy in first place, who gets a vote just 22% of the time. That dude has a TON more visits, which is the reason for his success. He definitely has the flashiest video and I don't expect anyone to catch up to him, including my bro. Still, all this tells me my bro has some loyal fans who continually revisit, and vote when they do.

And with that, I would ask you to please take one minute to sign up and vote for my bro. As noted above, you can vote once daily. Every vote counts and I know he would greatly appreciate it.

Bro, whether you win or not, color me impressed.

Victory Poker Contest

2010-09-19T11:37:00.000-04:00

Back in June I wrote about my brother's quest to become a member of Team Victory Poker. Here are the specifics direct from the Victory Poker Contest website:

One lucky male or female out there will win $100,000 in tournament buy-ins, a fully furnished condo on the Las Vegas strip, a new car, a watch, and more! To enter, you need to create a 1 minute video convincing us why YOU should be the next Victory Poker Pro. Create a profile on the page and get your friends to vote for your video (they can vote once a day). 25 people will be chosen and flown out to Vegas to meet the team. After testing your abilities and going through some fun challenges in poker, it finalizes down to one person whose life will be changed. Will it be you?

And with that, I would ask you to please take one minute to sign up and vote for my bro. As noted above, you can vote once daily. Every vote counts and I know he would greatly appreciate it.

Bro, whether you win or not, color me impressed.

After Watching Beer Wars...

2010-09-18T19:32:00.001-04:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Railing Is Not An Option...I Felt

2010-06-30T21:30:00.000-04:00

If you haven't noticed, I've been on hiatus in these here parts for a while. It was needed, but I have no regrets. I've been doing this for a while (2004), so it's good to take a break every once in a while. That said, I'm breaking my...erm...break, in order to pimp my broseph for a contest he has entered.

Victory Poker is offering a $100,000 bankroll, new condo and a new car in Vegas for 1 year. All it takes is a one minute video and some votes to get him in a top 5 spot in order to be considered as the potential winner. I just spent the last 30+ minutes watching every video and I can attest there are some serious failures going on there. There are a few good ones, but my bro is up there in the top 5 for sure.

To that end, I'm asking that you support my bro and vote for his video. You can vote once a day, every day. If you are up for the task, I'd ask that you do just that.

Signing up takes about 20 seconds and then voting takes about 5 seconds each day. Here is his video for your viewing/voting.

Thanks for your support of the TripJax fam.

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

BBT5 And The Blogger Battle Royale

2010-05-19T18:56:00.000-04:00

Just a little adverteasing for the Full Tilt folks after all the great stuff they've done for the poker bloggers...

Play Online Poker with poker's top bloggers

Brought to you by online poker room Full Tilt Poker

Blogger Battle Royale, here I come.

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

Is SquareUp The Answer To UnderGround Poker Games And Random Poker Blogger Prop Bets?

2010-05-17T21:02:00.000-04:00

I came across this really cool, free payment alternative called Square (by SquareUp), available to iPhone and other smartphone users, and it automatically had me thinking: could this little square plug-in be the answer to underground poker game payments and stupid ass poker blogger prop betting - cash free?

I don't know, i'll let my readers chime in, but it would be pretty damn awesome to stroll into a poker game with ZERO cash in my pocket and be able to buy-in and cash out without ever exchanging one green piece of paper. Sure there is a fee involved, but I'd gladly pay the 3 some odd % to not have a fear of someone crashing down the door trying to send me to county jail.

And how about the random prop bet or home game where you just don't have the cash in your pocket, but want to be good for it right away. There are so many opportunities with this bad boy and, might I add, again, it's sent to you for free.

So here's the deal. They send you a little square thing and you can swipe a credit card with it. They get a 2+% credit for every charge and you get extremely easy payment processing from your phone. At first I couldn't think of how I, random Trip, could benefit from this, but then I started thinking of my poker blogger brethren and it all started coming together. I mean, who doesn't want Wawfuls whole bankroll in one quick, slick prop bet paid off via credit or debit card?!

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

BBT5 TOC Ticket Punched

2010-05-13T02:21:00.000-04:00

Just took down my 3rd Mookie and landed my BBT5 TOC seat! I finished 2nd in an earlier BBT5 tourney, so this feels good. I know if you've played long enough, you've been in a similar situation where finishing 2nd feels like last. Thankfully this makes up for it.

I was actually down to 700 at one point, but tried to hunker down and be less of a terard. Not long after I was cruising.

To those of you at my table(s) during the early stages of the tourney, sorry about being laggy on my decisions. I was playing from my iPhone, so sometimes it would be slow. I didn't switch to the computer until I broke the 10k mark if memory serves.

As you may recall, if you read my earlier post, I'm donating 20% of all my winnings from any BBT5 tourneys I play to Anna's Benefit, from back when BloodyP asked bloggers for help. By my count, I think I'm at about $100 going to Anna now.

Don't forget about the remaining seats. A big thank you to Al and Full Tilt for this opportunity. Here is the info again in case you need a refresher...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below you will find details on all the events as well as the BBT5 banners

Tournament: Poker From the Rail
When: Monday, April 19th through May 24th starting at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $24+2 (or token)*
Password: 2010WSOP

Tournament: The MookieWhen: Wednesday, April 21st through May 26th starting at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $10+1*
Password: vegas1

*Winner also receives ToC entry

Tournament: Battle of the Blogger Tournaments InvitationalWhen: Sunday, April 18th through May 23rd starting at 19:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: Restricted freeroll**

**$2,000 Prizepool + 1st and 2nd place receive ToC entry

Tournament: Blogger Battle RoyaleWhen: Sunday, June 6th starting at 14:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: Freeroll for BBT participating bloggers

Battle of the Blogger Tournaments banners

BBT5 - Large banner
BBT5 - Medium banner
BBT5 - Small banner
BBT5 - Thumbnail banner

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I think it goes without saying, but damn well deserves to be said. A big thank you to Al and Full Tilt for making this happen. Al rawks!

Poker From The Fail (Me, Not The Tourney)

2010-05-05T21:06:00.000-04:00

Played patiently, played aggressively and just plain played the other night at the BBT5 ~ Poker From The Rail Series on Monday. When I got heads-up with a 5-1 chiplead, I could feel the TOC seat. Still, I knew I needed to keep myself in check. You see...

I had just recently gone into a WSoP Step 4 (to get to step 5 of 7) on Full Tilt the previous week and went into the heads-up with an 8-1 chiplead. After a red hot tourney I ended up flailing in the end to take 2nd.

So of course after being red hot, including a 4 frush suckout against BadBlood, I got 2 tough frush hands to go against me, which pretty much sealed my fate. Glad it happened against oossuuu754 as he's good people. I'm ready for The Mookie tonight. Bring it!

Cool Full-Motion Poker Videos By All360Poker

2010-04-24T14:33:00.001-04:00

This is a pretty cool camera set-up that allows you to view and zoom around the poker room and table during a poker hand. You control it by clicking within the video and moving the camera around; it's similar to how Google Street View works as far as I can tell. This particular video was the big lay down of Ace/King by PhilHellmuth against David Benyamine in the WPT Championship.

Update: Took down the video as it was too loud and would auto-play. Just go to the link below to see the video technique in action...

Tip of the cap to you, Pokerati, for pointing this out in your post. I hope to see more from All360Poker.

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

Bummed, But Keeping It In Perspective

2010-04-18T18:36:00.000-04:00

With about 30 minutes until the first BBT5 freeroll, it looks like I won't be making it for this round, unless some last minute magic happens. It's my own fault, so I can't complain. Al was kind enough to think of me for the freerolls and send me an invite, but as I mentioned earlier, I've been having email problems. I got to him late and doubt my screen name will be loaded in time.

To that end, it looks like I'll only be making the last 5 of the freerolls; regardless, I plan to play as many of the events for the whole BBT5 as possible. I wasn't able to play many tournaments during and after BBT3, so this go around I'm going to do my best to hit them all.

I was thinking that all this free money should probably go towards some good, given the opportunity of making a score along the way. If I'm lucky enough to land some free cash during any of the tournaments, I plan to donate 20% towards something worthy. I think keeping poker blogging winnings in the poker blogging family sounds good, so if I happen to make some cash during the BBT5, I'll be transferring 20% to BloodyP, for further credit to Anna's Benefit.

Methinks I'll sleep pretty well at night if I can bring home a little poker blogger bacon and help out a little girl along the way. Now I just have to figure out how to not be too donktastic throughout BBT5.

Hijacked Email

2010-04-17T23:47:00.000-04:00

A few months ago my yahoo email was hijacked. If you received a random email from me back in February with just a link or random jibberish, it wasn't me, but my apologies for it happening. After working some things out, I went on my way figuring everything was okay. Well I just realized that wasn't the case.

I haven't really used my yahoo email for several years and have just had any emails I receive there forwarded to my gmail address. Turns out when I got jacked and changed all my info, I forgot to update my forwarding info with gmail. In other words, I haven't been getting my yahoo emails forwarded since February.

To that end, if you emailed me there and I didn't reply, my apologies again, but I didn't know. I've got nearly 1000 emails to go through, so I'll do my best to get back to everyone, no matter how long ago it was.

Thanks y'all.

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

BBT5 Is On

2010-04-17T23:09:00.000-04:00

Well I've taken some time off from the blog - about a month, to be exact - and I'm ready to get back on the saddle. Originally my laptop hard drive bit the dust, so I was without a computer for a while. Sure I could blog from my iPhone, but I just didn't have it in me. I'm happy to report I finally got my computer back up and running and, lo and behold, I've got something to blog about...

THE BBT5!

I know I'm late to the game in pimping this, but better late than never.

Here are the specifics listed on the Full Tilt blog regarding the tournaments...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below you will find details on all the events as well as the BBT5 banners

Tournament: Poker From the Rail
When: Monday, April 19th through May 24th starting at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $24+2 (or token)*
Password: 2010WSOP

Tournament: The MookieWhen: Wednesday, April 21st through May 26th starting at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $10+1*
Password: vegas1

*Winner also receives ToC entry

Tournament: Battle of the Blogger Tournaments InvitationalWhen: Sunday, April 18th through May 23rd starting at 19:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: Restricted freeroll**

**$2,000 Prizepool + 1st and 2nd place receive ToC entry

Tournament: Blogger Battle RoyaleWhen: Sunday, June 6th starting at 14:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: Freeroll for BBT participating bloggers

Battle of the Blogger Tournaments banners

BBT5 - Large banner
BBT5 - Medium banner
BBT5 - Small banner
BBT5 - Thumbnail banner

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I think it goes without saying, but damn well deserves to be said. A big thank you to Al and Full Tilt for making this happen. Al rawks!

Hands On With The First iPad!

2010-03-19T09:48:00.001-04:00

This morning a fellow emplyee said he had gotten hold of the first iPad, so I of course demanded he bring it in for me to peruse.

This is what he strolls into my office with...

It's a touch screen MessagePad circa 1994...ish, that he found while cleaning out his basement.

Nice.

I know this was a non-pokery post, but still...

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

Mastodon Weekend 2010

2010-03-04T10:42:00.000-05:00

I'm about to head to Mastodon Weekend 2010. Last year was a great time, but I wasn't around long enough to see and do everything I would have liked. This year I plan to remedy that.

For those that don't know what Mastodon Weekend is, I'll just link to Otis and leave it at that. Actually, let me also add a hearty thanks to Bustout Poker Apparel while I'm at it. Be sure to follow them on twitter at @bustoutpoker. They've been kind enough to add some perks to our Friday tournament, including free food, extra $ for the tournament and possibly some free stuffs in the form of clothing/apparel.

And with that, I must leave you all for several days. Should you need me, I will be in twitter land. Let's light this candle...

I will not go shot-for-shot with AlCantHang.
I will not go shot-for-shot with AlCantHang.
I will not go shot-for-shot with AlcantHang.

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

House Of Cards ~ The Professor, The Banker And The Suicide King ~ The Biggest Game In Town

2010-02-21T17:22:00.000-05:00

It's like Full Tilt's Rush Poker, but Wall Street style.

I purchased three books last weekend and all look to be pokery in theme; however, House Of Cards is actually not about poker, but rather the shitting of the bed Wall Street experienced in 2007/2008. Weird how even when I purchase a book that has nothing to do with poker, it has a pokery title and playing cards on the cover. Yeesh. I actually found that book in the clearance bin at Ross for $3. The other two books, The Professor, The Banker and the Suicide King and The Biggest Game In Town have been on my radar for several years now and I'm stoked to give them a go. I purchased those two on Amazon's Kindle for iPhone so I can read them easily whenever and where ever without carrying the hard copies.

I'm already a couple of chapters into House Of Cards and it stings a little to look back on what was a very tough time for so many people in and out of the financial services industry. For anyone interested in understanding a little more about the debacle that was Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, this book is definitely one to take a gander at. It's sort of like driving slowly past a horrible accident, when you want to look away, but can't. It is interesting understanding more about details of the various tragedies that played out.

My house would be lost with one or two big bets.

After needing a short break from House Of Cards, I fired up The Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King several days ago and managed to devour it right away. I had a hard time putting it down. I've known about this book for some time, but had just never gotten around to purchasing it. Man am I glad I did. I felt right at home with this book as I already knew almost every name of anyone discussed within. The story was well written by Michael Craig and he always seemed to keep it interesting. I felt like it read well and would have been an okay read for anyone who wanted to know a little more about the fascinating game of high stakes poker.

It's hard to give this book justice in a little blog post, but it really did amaze me being able to delve deeper into the richest poker game on the planet. Tough to wrap my head around people playing even $100/$200 limit poker, much less $100,000/$200,000. The value of a house or several people's yearly salaries were being tossed around like they were nothing. Millions and millions of dollars were exchanging hands with the flip of a card. I don't know about you, but that just automatically puts me in awe of the situation. I'm extremely happy Andy Beal and the poker professionals like Doyle Brunson, Todd Brunson, Jennifer Harman, Ted Forest, Gus Hansen, Chau Giang, Barry Greenstein and Howard Lederer, to name a few, were okay with this book and even offered up their views to enhance the stories. I would definitely say give this book a read if you haven't already.

The last book I have yet to start, but plan to dig into at some point this week - maybe even tonight - is The Biggest Game In Town, by Al Alvarez. I've heard this book mentioned often and can't wait to give it a go. If I think of it, I'll try and mention it here after I finish it up...

"I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal."

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

Sthuper Duper Sthuper Bowl Wagers

2010-02-07T14:34:00.000-05:00

It'z Sthuper!

I am a turrrible sports bettor so I try not to do it too often. I do enjoy dropping a few virtual dolla bills on the Super Bowl though. To that end, here are my terarded bets for the night. And yes I realize I put two different bets down on one action (yards for first touchdown), but let's just say I'm hedging and leave it at that.

All Times In Eastern Standard Time

Print Open Bets

Update Open Bets

Date placed:
Feb 07, 2010 9:52a

Single (Placed by Web)

Football - NFL Team Props (Prop) Moneyline

Super Bowl XLIV – How many yards will the first Touchdown of the game be?

All wagers have action.

(4052) 40-59 Yard Touchdown 19/2 Sun@6:30p

Risk US$ 5.00 to win US$ 47.50

Date placed:
Feb 07, 2010 9:51a

Single (Placed by Web)

Football - NFL Team Props (Prop) Moneyline

Super Bowl XLIV – How many yards will the first Touchdown of the game be?

All wagers have action.

(4050) 16-25 Yard Touchdown 9/2 Sun@6:30p

Risk US$ 5.00 to win US$ 22.50

Date placed:
Feb 07, 2010 9:45a

Single (Placed by Web)

Football - NFL Team Props (Prop) Moneyline

Super Bowl XLIV - What will be the result of the Super Bowl XLIV Coin Toss?

Wager is on the opening coin toss. All wagers have action.

(100) Heads (Coin Toss) -105 Thu@11:00p

Risk US$ 10.00 to win US$ 9.52

Date placed:
Feb 06, 2010 3:49p

Single #167555865 (Placed by Web)

Football - NFL Lines (Game) Point Spread

SUPER BOWL XLIV - Sun Life Stadium - Miami, FL

(101) New Orleans Saints +6 (-120) Sun@6:25p

Risk US$ 50.00 to win US$ 41.67

Poker Podcasts: The Hard-Boiled Poker Radio Show

2010-01-23T18:54:00.000-05:00

Continuing in my poker podcast series, it's time to post about the first poker podcast I ever listened to, The Hard-Boiled Poker Radio Show by Short-Stacked Shamus. First off I'd like to offer a little more insight into Short-Stacked Shamus (3S for simplicity sake) and his Hard-Boiled Poker blog. I've yet to meet 3S in person, but as can happen in blog writing and reading, I feel like I already know him. In an odd way, reading a persons blog and hearing their voice in a podcast can yield a false sense of entitlement. Still, I feel like if/when I get the chance to me 3S, it will be as if we've known each other for some time. That seems to happen quite often in the poker blogging world...indeed a good group of people.

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.

Rush Poker by Full Tilt Poker

2010-01-19T21:14:00.000-05:00

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.

Poker Podcasts: Gambling Tales Podcast

2010-01-18T20:50:00.000-05:00

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.

WBCOOP

2010-01-10T22:26:00.000-05:00

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

How To Play Real Money Poker On Your iPhone

2009-12-16T21:49:00.000-05:00

PokerListings has an interesting blog post on their site that not only gives instructions on how to play real money poker on an iPhone, but also shows proof of it in action. From the looks of it the functionality is not ideal, having to constantly resize and move back and forth, but regardless of that, I'm still impressed. Considering Apple won't approve a real money poker app, and the phone doesn't allow any adobe flash functionality, it is interesting how they managed to get the game to work.

Below is the video, but be sure to visit the blog post in the link above for full details.

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

Gus Hansen's Every Hand Revealed

2009-11-21T16:05:00.002-05:00

Last week I bought this book figuring it would be a while before I was able to get it started given my crazy work schedule. Then on Tuesday ChickJax had a severe allergic reaction to an antibiotic which ultimately put her in the hospital near anaphylactic shock. It's been a scary ride in the hospital the last few days, but thankfully she is starting to turn the corner today and has had a good chance to sleep and recover.

For those that read here regularly and knew about what was going on (primarily from my FaceBook updates), thanks for your thoughts and prayers. We are hoping to be out of the hospital tomorrow, with her continuing to rest from home. The doc (no not Dr. Pauly or DrChako this time) said it will probably take up to 2 weeks to be fully recovered. Yeesh.

All that said, during the quiet times I've had a chance to start reading this book. I plan to do a write-up/review, but for now let me just make a note to the professional poker players that decide to write a book...

LAY OFF THE FUCKING EXCLAMATION POINTS FOR FUCK SAKE!

Between Helmuth and Hansen (what little I've read of Gus' book so far), it's enough to drive a sane man batty. I find myself wondering when the next EC will show up instead of focusing on the book.

And with that I'll end this post, but be back soon with a full write-up! I promise! It will be awesome!! Thanks! Exclamat!on po!nt!

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

-- Posted from my phone that starts with an i.

2009 WSOP Main Event Final Table Random Thoughts...Again

2009-11-10T23:32:00.000-05:00

Now that the final table has aired on ESPN, I have a few minor follow-up comments...

Why did Darvin Moon lie to his own family and friends about what he held in the hand against Steve Begleiter where he folded to an all-in raise with only 6mm more to call into a 45mm+ pot (numbers not specific). He held K Q offsuit, but told his family and friends in the crowd he held QQ. My only guess is he was worried the players were close and might hear what he really had, but regardless, saying you folded QQ in that situation just sounds straight up terarded.

::

During the live reporting, I seem to recall reading where Darvin Moon did not shake hands with either Phil Ivey or Steve Begleiter after knocking them out, but the production tonight shows he did in both cases. I don't recall where that was written, and I don't think it was written to call out Moon, but I just wanted to make sure that was noted.

::

Joe Cada at one point had 1% of the remaining chips in play at the final table and came back to win. That is mind boggling; it boggles the mind.

::

Darvin Moon better get a few years worth of season tickets out of the New Orleans Saints for wearing that hat when he could have just as easily taken some serious cash for a sponsorship patch covering that Saints logo up. They've already gotten good press from that story and could keep their team name in the news and in good light by reaching out to him.

::

Cada run goot.

Here We Go

2009-11-10T20:56:00.001-05:00

Well that didn't take long. The 2009 WSOP main event final table doesn't even air on television for another 5 minutes from now, but already the fresh college kid gloom and doom articles are hitting the news. This is why in my previous post I thought we might not see this type of thing - or at the very least, less of it - if Darvin Moon had won. Instead the beacon of light for college kids looking for an easy way out will shine in just a few minutes.

I really like how Joseph Cada has presented himself and I think he will be a good ambassador for poker, but I doubt he helps the cause for legalization anytime soon given the tendency for those in power to poo-poo anything that involves the potential degeneration of our youth.

Enjoy...

Can You Count On Having Cada's Success? Don't Bet On It.

2009 WSOP Main Event Final Table Random Thoughts

2009-11-08T14:33:00.001-05:00

If you don't want to know anything about the current final table results, now that they're down to the final two, then the title of this post should have already sent you away. Otherwise, please read on...

I managed to keep up with the coverage all day and night via the PokerNews live reporting blog (thanks F-Train and friends), the Bluff Magazine audio/video live coverage (no visual of players or reporters, just video showing live chip counts and action), and various bloggers who rawk (mainly Doc Pauly). Okay I'll try not to use anymore parenthesis the rest of the way for fawks sake.

Now onto various thoughts in no specific order.

On such a big stage - the final table of the greatest tournament in the world, no doubt - when is the last time you recall 2 of the smaller chip stacks at the start of the day making it to 3rd and either 2nd or Champion? Antoine Saout started with only 9.5mm and finished 3rd, while Joseph Cada started with 13.2mm and will finish 1st or 2nd. Pretty amazing if you consider the big stacks at the start.

This isn't final table talk, but can anyone who was in media row during the final 18 please tell me approximately how long the decisions were for Moon and Kopp during each move of the now infamous diamond debacle hand. No doubt the ESPN editing can sometimes be deceiving when it looks like decisions are made in a split second, but are sometimes minutes long.

During the Bluff Magazine audio broadcast I mentioned above, they were asking listeners to submit questions to the show for live discussion among the reporters. At the time the discussion was between Annie Duke, Hollywood_Dave and someone else I don't recall. I submitted a question and it actually was brought up during the commentary. The question was...

@Hollywood_Dave In recent interview PhilH. said Shulman would introduce a monumental game changing tactic. You seen anything as such yet??

For those that don't know, in a recent interview on ESPNs The Poker Edge, Hellmuth told Andrew Feldman as part of his coaching of Jeff Shulman, he had introduced a tactic that would change the way the world thinks about poker. I was highly skeptical and, ultimately disappointed in what he finally disclosed was the tactic.

To step back a moment, at the time my questions was discussed on air, they were unwilling to read too much into the question as it was still relatively early in the game, but they did mention it seemed Shulman was raising 4x the big blind instead of the typical 2.5x or 3x.

In the end, once they were down to 7 handed, Phil Hellmuth did disclose his new tactic was to raise 5x the big blind. I don't recall Shulman ever raising 5x - I'm pretty sure he was sticking to a regular raise or at the most 4x - so I'm guessing once he got into his groove, he determined it was not the right play for the table.

I get why Hellmuth felt this was a good move, as it put the small stacks to the test and kept them from calling small raises to hopefully hit, but I don't think it was a poker move that would change the way the world viewed tournament poker. Those are basically his words, not mine, thought I don't recall exact quotes.

It's no secret that Joseph Cada got lucky at the final table to end up heads-up with a 2/3 to 1/3 chip lead. Twice he was all-in behind needing luck on his side and twice he flopped sets to take down game saving hands. I think it bears mentioning that this luck should not result in his accomplishments being overshadowed. You play the game as best you can each hand and at some point in a tournament that size, you need luck to take it down. He is no different and, quite frankly, there was some serious luck going on at the table. I think Cada showed he was a pro more than anyone else at the table from 27 down to 2. I was very impressed with his play throughout. I can't wait to see how all the action from the final table translates into an ESPN episode.

Between Darvin Moon and Joseph Cada, I think Moon would be better for poker. A win by Cada would be a lot like Eastgate winning last year. He's the young guy who is making a living playing poker. We get it and every other college kid gets it too. I'm sure the number of young online players is currently rising and will continue to grow whether Cada wins or not.

For those across the nation and world who are against poker, we don't need more glamourising kids dropping out of college to become poker pros. We know it happens and they are probably a big part of the growth, but it doesn't help with the vision we want to portray to the world about the legalization of poker. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's how I feel.

Now as for Moon, here is a guy who took no advertising deal for the final table, instead choosing to be his own man and wear his N.O. Saints hat. He's the guy that is reminding everyone out there that it is okay to work hard, but also enjoy the game of poker without it getting to you. In every interview I've heard of him so far, he says he won't change and will be going back to work no matter what happens. Yeah that would suck as far as an ambassador of poker, but it helps show the world that it's okay to go play some poker, enjoy it, but not let it change you and your family. To me, that is a win for the legalization of poker both online and off. What am I missing here?

Joe Sebok and Jordan from HighOnPoker sound a lot alike. I can't remember if that has ever come up in his or other blogs, but I could definitely hear it in the audiocast last night. In fact, Sebok and Jordan share a similar sense of humor. I found myself laughing quite often at a Sebok comment, which is pretty much what happens anytime I'm around Jordan. Methinks Mr. HighOnPoker should consider his own podcast or, at the very least, be a guest on poker podcasts whenever possible. It wouldn't even have to be solely about poker. I would dig a podcast of various discussions from him.

Okay that's going to have to do it for me. Please leave a comment if you'd like to discuss various thoughts from my topics above.

Poker Blog Reader iPhone App

2009-10-28T21:18:00.001-04:00

Has anyone with an iPhone or iPod Touch given this new Poker Blog Reader iPhone App a try yet?

-- Posted from my Phone that starts with an i.

Full Tilt Cashout Tournaments

2009-10-18T20:20:00.000-04:00

Was reading Bayne today and noticed his mention of the new Cashout Tournaments at Full Tilt. This sparked my interest as I've pondered this idea in the past. I've been known to try and conjure up random new poker games or tournament schemes, but never really kept at the cashout tournament long enough for it to make sense. Glad to see FT saw it through.

Has anyone else played these tourneys and can offer their opinion? I plan to give it a go soon, at the very least to try something new, but was hoping to get some thoughts on them from other players. Here's a link to the specific details of the Cashout Tournaments on Full Tilt's website, but I've also listed them below for a quick view.

credit to Full Tilt for info below...

-------------------------

Cashout Tournaments

Full Tilt Poker’s Cashout Tournaments give players the option of cashing out some or all of their chips before the tournament has ended.

Cashout Tournaments follow the same rules as standard tournaments, except that each buy-in is split between a regular tournament prize pool and a Cashout pool. Players compete for a share of the tournament prize pool as they would in a standard tournament, but also have the option of cashing out some or all of their chips before the tournament has finished.

How Cashouts Work

When a player decides to cash out, the amount they choose is taken from the Cashout pool. Cashout value is based on starting stack size and the tournament buy-in amount.

For example, in a Cashout Tournament with a $20 + $2 buy-in, $10 goes to the tournament prize pool and $10 goes to the Cashout pool. If each player starts the tournament with 1,500 chips, then 1,500 chips are worth $10.

Partial Cashout

Players may make partial Cashouts in 10% increments of their original stack size. Using the tournament example above, partial Cashouts work like this:

A player may cash out as few as 150 chips – 10% of the starting stack; the value for 150 chips in this example is $1
A player who’s stack size has increased to 3,000 may choose to cash out 1,500 chips; the value for 1,500 chips in this example is $10
A player who’s stack size has increased to 5,000 may choose to cash out 3,000 chips; the value for 3,000 chips in this example is $20

Please note that players may perform partial Cashouts for any amount of their stack in 10% increments of their starting stack. When a player makes a partial Cashout, the chips cashed out are removed from play.

If a player chooses to make a partial Cashout while a hand is in progress, the Cashout will show as “Pending” until the hand is completed. Once the hand is finished, the Cashout will be completed unless the player’s chip stack has dropped below the amount requested. In this case, the Cashout will be cancelled.

Full Cashout

A full Cashout allows a player to leave a tournament before it has ended and take the full Cashout value of their chip stack. The value of the individual’s chip stack is determined the same way as a partial Cashout.

When a player makes a full Cashout during a tournament, they are eliminated in their current place in the tournament at the conclusion of the hand. For example, if a player who is in 21st place completes a full Cashout, they are eliminated from the tournament in 21st place and the Cashout value of their chip stack is credited to their account. If the player making a full Cashout has made it to a paid place in the tournament, the prize amount from the tournament prize pool is also credited to their account.

Please note that when a player makes a full Cashout, the total Cashout value is rounded down to the nearest cent. As with partial Cashouts, the chips cashed out are removed from play.

Cashing Out

Players may choose to make a Cashout at any point during a tournament’s Cashout period by clicking CASHOUT.

When the Tournament Cashout Options screen is displayed, the player may select Full Cashout or Partial Cashout, and enter the specific amount using the Cashout slider.

A player may choose to cancel the Cashout process at anytime before it is completed by clicking Cancel.

Players will be able to cash out until the tournament reaches the final table, at which time the Cashout period will end. When the period ends, all money left in the Cashout pool is divided between the remaining players based on the current Cashout value of their chip stacks.

The Cashout pool can be viewed in the tournament lobby. Please note that the total Cashout pool will decrease as players cash out.

To find Cashout Tournaments, look for the icon in the main lobby.

Local News: 30-Player Poker Match Robbed In Winston-Salem

2009-10-05T22:29:00.000-04:00

This city is 30 minutes from where I live. One of my offices is in Winston-Salem, so I'm there quite often. I've never really thought about playing in any games there, but I'm always amazed by these stories, so I thought I would share. Click the title to go directly to the news site where the post has comments and further details...

---------------------------------------

30-Player Poker Match Robbed In Winston-Salem

Winston-Salem NC -- Winston-Salem Police are looking for three men accused of busting into a poker match and taking the player's money.

It happened around 11:30 Sunday night in a building behind a home on Griffith Road.

Witnesses told police three men, all armed with guns, busted into the building through the front and side doors.

One of the suspects then hit two of the players, 63-year-old James Mullin and 50-year-old Mark Bowen, with the butt of a shotgun. Both men fell on the floor and were robbed of their wallets. Police say the suspect then shot into the wall.

The suspects then ordered the 30 players on the floor and took their money.

Both men hit with the gun are expected to recover.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the Winston-Salem Police Department or call CrimeStoppers at 727-2800.

WFMY News 2

Udon Wannit Multi-Accounting? & PokerStars.tv

2009-09-27T20:17:00.001-04:00

I haven't had much to write about lately, but don't expect this to be one of those bummed out posts about lack of poker or blog content. It is what it is and that's all I'll say about that. About the closest I've been to poker of late was pulling out most of my FullTilt bankroll, which would be better used to pay some bills instead of sitting there gathering dust.

I also took a little time to read this post by Otis over at the PokerStarsBlog. Reading that post prompted me to watch this video on PokerStars.tv. I gotta tell you I was pretty impressed with the whole set up. Maybe this has been around for a while, but it was the first time I had really watched it closely. The fact they are showing online poker very close to the way you can see it on mainstream tv is pretty impressive; all the way down to the odds/percentages of hand-to-hand play.

I decided to do a little sleuthing of a few of the final players at the table and found some pretty juicy nuggets of onrine intertube controversy focusing on multi-accounting. Specifically, the second place finisher, Udon Wannit, had barely played any poker over $15, yet managed to finish in 2nd place. Now this wouldn't really be a big deal as any fonk can score huge in a live or online tourney; however, some folks made a big deal of it because he/she did not satellite into the event and, after having just played very small stakes, suddenly started playing many of the large events during the 2009 WCOOP. After the WCOOP was over he went from $3600+/- to $1.3mm. Not too shabby.

Now I'm not hear to judge and haven't read enough to really have much of a say, but I was wondering if anyone else had read about this and either knew more details or just had an opinion they wanted to throw out there. I don't have time to go through tons of pages to get the fully scoop. So readers, watchagot?

Until next time, may the felt be with you, as long as you aren't a multi-accounter...

Who's Got Two Thumbs And Is Going To TWO NCAAF Games Tomorrow?

2009-09-18T15:28:00.001-04:00

This guy!

Yes that would be me, the headless terard, in the above pic. ChickJax was wondering why the hell I was asking her to take the above picture of me, so hopefully this clears it up for her. I'm an idiot.

Looks like I'm headed to the UNC game at 12pm, then the NC State game at 6pm, with a little tailgating before each. It's gonna be a loooooong day with several adult beerverages I'm sure. Really looking forward to it.

This is my first attempt at posting to Blogger from the BlogPress iPhone app, so I hope it works out. I got tired of waiting on the free Lite version to show up, and they dropped the price of the paid version to $.99, so I pounced on it.

Until Next Time, May The Felt Be With You

TMZ Talks Poker: Face The Hate

2009-09-13T13:26:00.000-04:00

I guess it's been a slow day for celeb news over at TMZ as they actually took the time to post a poker news story today (see below or click here). Apparently some dude is suing NBC for 85 meellion dollars, claiming he came up with the idea for Face The Ace several years before it hit the tubes.

He might have a case, but I think the amount he's seeking might be a tad much. That show's not worth a dime over 80 meellion dollars. Actually, based on the ratings noted below, it might not be worth 85 dollars.

Begin TMZ article...

NBC Takes Gutshot Over Poker Show

Posted Sep 13th 2009 10:03AM by TMZ Staff

A poker show on NBC that actually did worse in the ratings than a re-run of "Finding Nemo" is the subject of a ridiculous $85,000,000 lawsuit -- which is about a mil for each person that watched it.

A guy named Brandon McSmith claims he came up with the idea for a show where wannabe poker players compete against pros (who were hidden behind doors) for a chance to win a seat at the World Series of Poker.

Smith claims he pitched the idea to a company called Poker Productions -- but they rejected it.

Fast forward two years -- a show called "Face the Ace" popped up on NBC where contestants "select a pro from behind four smoked-glass doors." And guess who created it? Poker Productions!

The grand prize on the NBC show -- a cool mil.

Even though the show is so awful it has been relegated to Saturday afternoons, McSmith wants $85,000,000 in damages.

Poker Blogging Via BlogPress Lite iPhone App About To Make My Life Easier

2009-09-09T23:59:00.001-04:00

For my fellow blog readers who have an iPhone, be sure to check out the below article from Buzz Blogger, regarding their free and soon to be available iPhone App. BlogPress has been around for a while and is an app that makes it easy to post on the fly from your iPhone. When it first came out it wasn't really ready for what I was looking for - it didn't have image posting or categories/labels - so I chose to pass on it. I ultimately forgot all about it until I recently saw the below post about the upcoming BlogPressLite. While the previous version allows you to post to a decent list of top blog sites, at a cost of $2.99, the new app will only post to Blogger, but will be free. Quite frankly I should have bit the bullet a while back and paid the $2.99, but since I had forgotten about it until now and the free version will be available very soon, I'm just going to sit tight.

Hope other iPwners find this helpful.

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

Begin Google article now...

---------------------------

There's an app for that!:

We're very happy to announce today that Blogger now has a home on the iPhone. The team behind BlogPress (a popular app already available in the iPhone App Store) decided to build a free version of BlogPress just for Blogger users to celebrate Blogger's 10th birthday. BlogPress Lite packs many of the great Blogger features you have come to know into a simple yet powerful mobile application for blogging on the go.

Rich-text WYSIWYG editing, image uploads, labels, configurable settings, and auto-save are among the many features that are part of BlogPress Lite, as well as a handful of other optimizations for the iPhone experience. Landscape editing mode is supported and will feel very familiar for iPhone users, and blog posts are automatically saved when you have an incoming call—you won't have to ever worry about losing a post.

We're grateful to the team at InfoThinker for adding to the birthday 'party.' The app has been submitted to the App Store and should be available shortly. (We'll update this post when we see it.)

This is one of many features announced as part of Blogger's 10th birthday. Happy Birthday!

Fun With Pause And Phil Hellmuth

2009-09-02T20:31:00.000-04:00

As many of my readers know, I've been known to give Mr. Phil Hellmuth a hard time in the past, so when his fug mug showed up in the latest 2009 ESPN World Series of Poker episode, I had take notice. First off, he decided it was high time to make an ultimate anus of himself (again) by playing the part of Caesar, hoisted into the poker room...

(picture source PokerListings)

You see, that's exactly what he wants. Good or bad, publicity is what he craves. I get it, I really do; however, I don't have to like it. He's figured out what makes money, but it comes at a price; a price where d-bags like me give him a hard time. It's a fair trade for the paychecks he cashes regularly.

With that I offer you Phil Hellmuth Paused. These pictures are not altered by photoshop or any other program. In fact, they are just paused screenshots of my HDTV taken from my iPhone camera. All I did was change the angle of the shots.

Let's start with what peaked my interest in the first place. Seriously, what's up with the lip sheen?

Need a better shot of that lip juice? Well, okay...

What the WTF? I have no doubt in that picture he is wearing a Got Fail? t-shirt. Speaking of, I now need to go make a Got Fail? t-shirt.

So back to that picture: Did he just hike to the WSOP in sub zero weather, thus needing a lip glaze to Safe The Chafe? Oh wait, no, he was CARRIED into the poker room.

So, with all the above noted, what's a poker blogger to do when making fun of a poker "celebrity" and his shiny lips? Well, alter the angle of course! How about camera up, angle down?

Look at that noggin'. You'd think that dude has won the Noble Prize 11 times right?!

Or how about camera down, angle up?

I didn't know Hellmuth played in the NFL. Nice!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. I'm kind of bummed I haven't gotten a cease and desist order from Hellmuth's attorney yet. Oh wait, I haven't hit send yet.

Peace fawkers.

Until next time, may the felt be with you.

Sent from my Phone that starts with an i.

TripJax

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