Posted by Johnnymac 3:37 PM
I was doing some poker reading over lunch and came to a passage where the author of the book was trying to make the point that certain hands - like small suited connectors or KJ - can look attractive but are really very dangerous. His point was that not only do these hands need help on the flop to be playable but even if they do hit they are still very vulnerable on the turn and river. I think he said something like, "sure 7-6 suited has a lot of ways to make a hand, but those hands usually aren't good enough to win and at the end of the day it's still just 7 high. When you play cards like that, just what exactly are you hoping for, anyway?" Or something like that.

Anyway, I thought it was a good point. Lots of card combinations can make a hand, but only a few consistently make winning/ hands.


(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 9:46 AM
The lovable losers lost, Astros finished a sweep of the Cards, and the Giants blew it in extra innings. Does this seem like a team of destiny, ala The Ohio State University a couple years ago?



(0) comments

Posted by Johnnymac 8:39 AM
Lost Book

The wife and I were unpacking some boxes this weekend and I realized that I am missing a poker book, specifically, my copy of Pot-Limit & No-Limit Poker by Bob Ciaffone and Stuart Reuben. As (almost) all of my stuff is now gone from Canonico's house, I assume that book simply didn't make the move and that I have lent it to someone somewhere. Is it possible that someone reading this website might have borrowed it from me? If you do have it, please let me know - I don't want it back or need it right now, I would just like to know where it is.

And if you haven't seen it, ignore this post.


(1) comments

Posted by Junelli 4:54 PM
Read this hand, and let me know what you would've done differenly. I feel like I played it poorly, but can't seem to figure out how.

***** Hand History for Game 1002425404 *****
0/0 TexasHTGameTable (NL) - Wed Sep 29 17:50:43 EDT 2004
Table Table 14135 (6 max) (Real Money) -- Seat 1 is the button
Total number of players : 6
Seat 1: junell ( $53.95) On the button
Seat 2: rollemhigh35 ( $76.95)
Seat 3: hppyjohn ( $40)
Seat 4: KingCoxx ( $153.95)
Seat 5: derbystate ( $92.98)
Seat 6: miker0486 ( $73.30)
rollemhigh35 posts small blind (0.50)
hppyjohn posts big blind (1)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to junell [ Ks, Th ] Not bad starting hand on the button
KingCoxx folds.
derbystate folds.
miker0486 folds.
junell calls (1)
rollemhigh35 calls (0.50)
hppyjohn checks. Just me playing against the blinds
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 7h, Kc, Ac ] Hit Middle Pair
rollemhigh35 bets (1)
hppyjohn calls (1)
junell raises (3) to 3 Raise here to figure out where everyone was, and possibly get a free card.
rollemhigh35 folds. Thought so...Bitch
hppyjohn calls (2) Uh oh. Does he have an Ace? Flush/Straight Draw?
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 2s ] That didn't help him. So there's a good chance my hand is good (assuming he is on a draw).
hppyjohn checks. Hmmm. More evidence of the draw.
junell bets (7) Let's see where he is now.
hppyjohn calls (7) Text doesn't show it, but this was quickly called. He must have that Ace. I'm shutting down because there's no way he's going to fold top pair (no matter what kicker he has)
** Dealing River ** : [ 5h ] None of the draws hit.
hppyjohn checks.
junell checks. I didn't think betting here was a good idea. Either I'm beat, or he ain't calling. Plus there was little chance I could buy the pot if he did in fact hold an Ace.
** Summary **
Main Pot: $22.80 | Rake: $1.20
Board: [ 7h Kc Ac 2s 5h ]
junell balance $42.95, lost $11 [ Ks Th ] [ a pair of kings -- Ac,Ks,Kc,Th,7h ]
rollemhigh35 balance $74.95, lost $2 (folded)
hppyjohn balance $51.80, bet $11, collected $22.80, net +$11.80 [ 8c Ad ] [ a pair of aces -- Ad,Ac,Kc,8c,7h ]
KingCoxx balance $153.95, didn't bet (folded)
derbystate balance $92.98, didn't bet (folded)
miker0486 balance $73.30, didn't bet (folded)




(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 9:53 AM
November 14 is the date for our somewhat annual $100 NL Freezeout. Mark your calander. A website with registration info in under construction and 99% complete. It will be held in Houston again.

The only change in rules is that a bounty will be given to any person that knocks out a former champion, ergo the new name: Tournament of Champions

Fro



(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 9:06 AM
Glowing Praise

--Original Message--
From: phreaux
Date: 2004-09-27 22:51
To: info@partypoker.com
Subject: RE:Hand History from PartyPoker.com [#1684215]

I am very happy with your response. Thank you for taking action.

Is it possible that, either out of policy or gratuity, to reimburse me the
pot that I lost? Either out of PP.com's pocket or directly from the
offender?

I would not mind this being in the form of a deposit bonus tied to a large
number of raked hands.

Thank you

Craig

--Reply--

From: info@partypoker.com
To: phreaux@hotmail.com
Subject: RE:Hand History from PartyPoker.com [#1684215]
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 23:51:32 -0400 (EDT)

Dear Craig,

We do understand and respect your concern, and agree with the fact that the disconnection in this hand may have put you in a disadvantageous position.

Although certain hands look suspicious, the fact is, that we could never say for sure that a player has disconnected on purpose. We do have records of all players disconnects and details of the hands in which they occur and use this information to make a fair and accurate determination of the players motives. If we find a pattern suggesting that a certain player usually disconnects in key moments of the games where a bet/raise must be called or folded, then we act accordingly by removing that players disconnect protection.

Please keep in mind that a player can and will be legitimately disconnected at times that would look suspicious. If a player demonstrates a pattern of doing this we will remove his protection, even if that player was genuinely experiencing connectivity problems. Removing a players disconnect protection does not necessarily assume that player was maliciously using the system set up, to protect honest players.

The protection is a privilege, and we grant it to players that demonstrate a track record of non suspicious play. It is because of the above listed reasons that cannot, in this case, take any money won away from the player in question and refund players that might have been affected.

However, having said this, we realize the loss you incurred and understand that we are not in a position to accurately determine the outcome of the game had this incident not taken place. I therefore have proceeded to add you the amount of $23 as bonus for making the situation whole again and as a token of our appreciation for reporting this to us and helping us in our efforts to maintain the integrity of the site

If you have any further questions, comments or concerns, please contact us at alerts@partypoker.com and we will be more than glad to assist you.

Regards,

Francis Hamilton,
Investigations Team,
PartyPoker.com

--Reply--

From: phreaux
Date: 2004-09-28 7:52
To: info@partypoker.com
Subject: RE:Hand History from PartyPoker.com [#1684215]

I think that is fair and I thank you. I understand the circumstantial evidence situation you are faced with.

I will put glowing praise of Party Poker on my website for this resolution.






(0) comments

Posted by Johnnymac 10:20 PM
I have been meaning to write a post pointing out that I am not dead, just newly married, and now that there seems to be a theme to the photos I have an excuse. My hands are bloody because I have just slain Mr Scotch - errr, that tuna- errrr, that fish.


(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 9:30 PM
From: jb
To: phreaux
Subject: Omaha Hi/Lo
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2004 09:41:13 -0500

Go to Annie Dukes website. She has some interesting tips on starting handsfor Omaha 8.

http://www.annieduke.com/articles.php

Jayson B



(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 11:37 PM
I just got back from playing a Dealer's Choice game with my coworkers + 1 neighbor-of-coworker. I won $35, which had me feeling a bit chipper until I came home to a house with the alarm going off. I never figured out if someone tried to break in or if a critter set off the motion detector. Either way, I am the only one here right now. It's 11:39, and there isn't a chance in hell that I will be going to bed after the wind-up that alarm put me through. So, I think my only option is to pour myself a very stiff drink or two and make a nice long post. I apologize if I stop making sense towards the end of the post, but that would be the booze's fault, not mine.

I was somewhat destined to stay up late and drink tonight. I had one of those weekends where the alcohol consumption was enough to put you beyond hangover. You know when you wake up and don't feel bad because you actually still feel drunk. Somewhere 3 hours north of Austin the alcohol content level started to drop off and I got really sweaty. So even if it wasn't for the near-burglary incident, I would be faced with the dilemna tonight of going to bed with those horrible sweaty Sunday night dream-infested toss-n-turnin sleaps or drinking large volumes and postponing that sleep by 24 hours. The choice is now obvious.

==========================================================

What a weekend. It started out with a fast 10-mile run around Town Lake in Austin. This was the advance payment to my body for the harm that I intended to cause it later that day. The day ended with a UT victory in hand and drinking 12-yr malt whisky with my wife in the lobby of the new Austin Hilton watching poker on TV. Now how many guys have a wife that will a) drive 4 hrs to a football game b) drink some single malt afterwards and c) watch poker on TV with you on a Saturday night? I am pretty sure that my wife is the greatest wife in the history of wives.

The game tonight was same as usual - mainly 50c-$1 NL & PL Holdem, but a bit of O/8 mixed in + a few hands of stud and draw. The outsider was Scott, who was the host's neighbor. My top two stories of the night that are blog-worthy both come from Scott.

Story #1
Scott walks in and makes a comment that he is coming to donate and basically implies that he does not know how to play poker. I fell for it. But, before the first hand was dealt, I watched him riffle 2 stacks of 5 chips in his hand w/o a thought. Shuffling chips does not mean you are a good player. It does, however, mean that you have spent some time at a poker table. So, even before the first hand was dealt, I knew he was no stranger to the game. Lesson: Don't form opinions about players based on what they say about themselves. Form opinions on them based on what they actually do. Since I decided he had more game than the typical "tourist", I generally folded to his big raises. Had he never played with his chips, he may have gotten a couple more calls from me.

Story #2
We got tied up in a hand where I have already forgotten all the particulars. What I remember is that I had 14 outs on the turn. He bet the pot and I called. Now, I know HOW to play NL, but I KNOW how to play PL. Remember that I really cut my teeth at the Vic in London, which only deals PL poker. I don't even have to think some decisions through - they have become instinctive. The basic math in PL goes like this...On the turn there are 46 unknown cards. To call a pot sized bet gives 2:1 pot odds (and better implied odds). So 2:1 on 46 cards means you need 16 outs to automatically call. You are getting pot odds. Of course implied odds is what is most relevant and it is safe to say that 15 and 14 outs are still sufficient to give you reason to call. My rule of thumb in pot limit is an automatic call with 12 outs and only a thoughtfully considered call with less than that. Since 14 is > 12, I called. When I hit one of my outs and won, Scott was nay the happy camper. I was going to play it off as the lucky catch on the river, but the most experienced player at the table not involved in the hand pointed out that I had more outs than the one that hit me (the out was a 4 to make trips...Scot missed the flush draw and the overcard). Scott then understood and go pretty quite for about an hour.

==========================================================

I suck at O/8. I can't win a freakin penny at it. I have read at least 20 books on Holdem, but the extent of my Omaha knowledge is that one article on Steve Badger's website about having the nuts or a draw to the nuts plus Rolf's PL O/8 posts on pokerpages.com. So, I basically am still employing Holdem strategy to Omaha and give away a lot of money at that game. Methinks I should improve on this.

==========================================================

Remember my bitching about the all-in abuse by an opponent on Party Poker?
They responded, and I was very happy about their response. Read this:

==========================================================

From: info@partypoker.com
To: phreaux
Subject: RE:Hand History from PartyPoker.com [#1684215]
Date: Sat, 25 Sep 2004 00:50:22 -0400 (EDT)

Dear Craig,

We appreciate you taking the time to report situations of alleged Disconnect Protection abuse at PartyPoker.com

Starting with the hand that you sent to us, we performed an investigation that would allow us to examine thoroughly the account in question; ýGriffDaddy2k ý

We have looked into the players records and collected all previous hands in which this player used the protection. Our goal was to look for a pattern where the player usually disconnects in key moments.

Some of the parameters we use when investigating possible protection abuse:

The playerýs cards at the time of disconnection.
The playerýs previous action (whether he was betting / raising) and also the actions of the other players at the time of disconnection.
The benefit obtained by a player disconnecting
The timing of disconnection
A players pattern of disconnections
Previous allegations made by other players and/or the system

Using the information listed above we have investigated the history of the player thoroughly and have found that not only was the hand you reported suspicious but this player had two other suspicious disconnects in the past. Based on this information we have taken away the disconnect protection privilege for this player.In the event he is disconnected in the future his hand will be folded. We have sent an email to the player informing him of the investigation.

We thank you for taking the time to report your suspicions. Keeping the games honest is our highest priority. If you need any clarifications or have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us. We will be more than happy to assist you.

Kindest regards,

Francis Hamilton,
Investigations Team,
alerts@partypoker.com
www.partypoker .com


--Original Message--
From: phreaux
Date: 2004-09-24 11:50
To: info@partypoker.com
Subject: FW: Hand History from PartyPoker.com[#1684215]

I believe that GriffDaddy2k abused his disconnect protection. Could you
please investigate? If he is a repeat offender, I think he should get the
boot. If you have no previous complaints, could you pls put him on a watch
list?

See hand history below:



Hello phreaux,
You have recently requested your transcript of the game number 969947241.


***** Hand History for Game 969947241 *****
0/0 TexasHTGameTable (NL) - Mon Sep 20 22:10:17 EDT 2004
Table Flying Without Wings (Real Money) -- Seat 1 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: vincent101 ( $91.10)
Seat 2: tybrooke ( $123.60)
Seat 3: BILLIEOCEAN ( $87.30)
Seat 4: Howdyhoo ( $99.55)
Seat 5: D34D_M0N3Y ( $358.63)
Seat 6: FU_PAY_ME ( $176.70)
Seat 7: ctide ( $182.35)
Seat 8: phreaux ( $96)
Seat 9: B0NECrusher ( $100)
Seat 10: GriffDaddy2k ( $195.55)
tybrooke posts small blind (1)
BILLIEOCEAN posts big blind (2)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to phreaux [ Tc, 9d ]
Howdyhoo folds.
D34D_M0N3Y folds.
FU_PAY_ME folds.
ctide folds.
phreaux calls (2)
GriffDaddy2k raises (6) to 6
vincent101 calls (6)
tybrooke folds.
BILLIEOCEAN folds.
phreaux calls (4)
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 8s, 3c, 6s ]
phreaux bets (2)
GriffDaddy2k raises (15) to 15
vincent101 folds.
phreaux calls (13)
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 7s ]
phreaux bets (2)
GriffDaddy2k calls (2)
** Dealing River ** : [ As ]
phreaux bets (73)
phreaux is all-In.
GriffDaddy2k could not respond in time.(disconnected)
GriffDaddy2k Disconnect Protection enabled.
Creating main pot with $52.25 with players GriffDaddy2k
Creating Side Pot 1 with $73 with phreaux
** Summary **
Main Pot: $52.25 Side Pot 1: $73 Rake: $2.75
Board: [ 8s 3c 6s 7s As ]
vincent101 balance $85.10, lost $6 (folded)
tybrooke balance $122.60, lost $1 (folded)
BILLIEOCEAN balance $85.30, lost $2 (folded)
Howdyhoo balance $99.55, didn't bet (folded)
D34D_M0N3Y balance $358.63, didn't bet (folded)
FU_PAY_ME balance $176.70, didn't bet (folded)
ctide balance $182.35, didn't bet (folded)
phreaux balance $73, bet $96, collected $73, lost -$23 [ Tc 9d ] [ a
straight, six to ten -- Tc,9d,8s,7s,6s ]
B0NECrusher balance $100, sits out
GriffDaddy2k balance $224.80, bet $23, collected $52.25, net +$29.25 [ Ts Th
] [ a flush, ace high -- As,Ts,8s,7s,6s ]

==========================================================




Well, that makes me feel a little bit better. I am now going to send a note to Party Poker asking if they will reward me the pot that I rightfully won. Notice that Jesus said on RGP that Paradise not only gave him the pot, but also the call money (he must have won the hand.) I think that in this hand, Hero would have folded, and maybe PP.com will give me the pot. Maybe not, but I am going to ask.


==========================================================


I sent an email to Party Poker about a bit of software that I found (and that I advertise here via Google). My email:

--Original Message--From: phreaux
Date: 2004-09-24 11:48
To: info@partypoker.com
Subject: is this legal?[#1684196]

I would love to use this software, but not if it is against your rules: http://www.partyinspector.com/

OK, so this is their response:


From: info@partypoker.com
To: phreaux@hotmail.com
Subject: Reply [#1684196]Date: Fri, 24 Sep 2004 00:41:09 -0400 (EDT)

Dear Craig,
Thank you for contacting us.

With regards to your query, we do not encourage our players to use third party softwares for playing at our site. If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Care Department at any time. We are here 24/7 to assist you via email. Thank you for choosing us as your online gaming site!

DilipPoker Customer Care

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

I find the wording of the response very interesting. You know that their lawyers drafted a standard response here. Why do they "not encourage" versus "not allow"? I think that it is partially due to the impossibility to enforce such a rule. I think that they are afraid of a "victim" of such software could have an expectation of enforcibility if the encouragement were elevated to strict prohibition.


==========================================================


Did anybody see Johnny Chan's outfit on TV this weekend? WOW. That is ugly. We accounting majors at UT used to have a standard joke. If a person described a girl as hot, one person would chirp in with "UT hot? or just Business School Hot?" Well, when I say ugly, the appropriate chime-in is "Regular ugly clothes? Or Poker player ugly clothes?" The answer is a resounding - EVEN FREAKING POKER PLAYER CLOTHES UGLY.


==========================================================

On the drive home from Austin today I saw a great left-leaning bumper sticker on a car. Driving through Waco, I saw a great right-leaning bumper stick. I have spent a good portion of today reflecting on both of them. I wrote a post on both of them in my head but decided (at least temporarily) to not post them. The reason is this:

A few times in my life I have used the opportunity of a forum where I have people's attention to express my political beliefs. I naively assumed that people enjoy discussing politics, including politics that differ from their own. I was wrong. I have consistently found that a majority of our society f***ing freak out if you express an opinion contrary to their own. I got some serious hate mail once, including one from a friend that no longer speaks to me.

So rather than express my political beliefs here, I will express my lament that we live in a society that has no desire to discuss contemporary issues. We tune into stations that reinforce our core beliefs and shout insults at dissenters. We have a bipartisan system that encourages running to the farthest possible corner and shouting at the top of our lungs that the enemy is not only wrong but evil. This polarization energizes the unintelligent. It turns the intelligent sector into skeptics that quickly realize that any investment in paying attention is probably futile. This sucks.

I don't dream of a world where people share my politcal beliefs. I do dream of an America that truly discusses issues.

The fact that I downed a bottle of scotch and managed to not actually express my opinion on those bumper stickers is the greatest show of tongue-biting since OJ refrained from saying "Damn right I killed the Bi**h!"


=========================================================

The Docta ate at Rudy's BBQ today. That is some great Q.

=========================================================

Jane and I saw Garden State a few nights ago. We heard the soundtrack at the Scholes' house tonight. If you haven't seen the movie, go see it. It will be nominated for many awards, but probably only has a decent shot at original screenplay.

=========================================================

Morris has some sick streak going on like 7 of 12 Lake Charles tournaments placing in the money with 6 of the 7 being either 1st place or chopping the prize money. That is unreal. Well done.
=========================================================

My hand stopped shaking. Finally.

=========================================================

Kim owes us a fantastically hilarious post on a poker game a couple weeks ago. "All Red..."

=========================================================

Tired.

=========================================================

We hit 10,000 hits on our counter. My mom was definitely wrong.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


OK, I shook the heeby-jeebies and can finally crawly into bed after the scare of Hamburgerlar coming into my house and sniffing Jane's panties. I think the half-empty bottle of scotch of partially responsible for that. That, and the fact that the BoogieMan hasn't run through the hallway with his pants down around his ankles surounded by guardian dogs that shoot bees out of their eyes. I can confidently settle into our bed (Jane is out of town tonight). Good night. I apologize for an a**load of likely mispellings and other mistakes.

fro




==========================================================






(1) comments

Posted by Junelli 11:42 AM
Two things:

1. On Wednesday night, a club called "Kings" was raided by Vice. I haven't been there but am told it is very near Top Hat and Friendship. Any one have any news on this?

2. Dutch came in town to play in a $20-$50 Pot Limit game. I wonder if I can buy in for $200? Maybe we should get him over to Waring!



(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 10:25 AM
I wouldn't consider this a bad beat story. A bad beat is when you should have won, but someone drew out on you after making a stupid call. A bad beat is when you do everything right, but it all comes out wrong.

This is a story about me getting outplayed. I have put the hand history below and am curious as to anyone's insight on what I should have done differently

#Game No : 977608277
***** Hand History for Game 977608277 *****
$100 NL Hold'em - Wednesday, September 22, 23:38:17 EDT 2004
Table Blue Moon (Real Money)
Seat 4 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 6: tony9111 ( $151.55 )
Seat 7: str8ksfear ( $131 )
Seat 9: UllGoBroke ( $189 )
Seat 10: famlay ( $135.6 )
Seat 2: phreaux ( $191.3 )
Seat 1: dirtychum ( $311.8 )
Seat 4: toledo123 ( $95.5 )
Seat 3: BILLIEOCEAN ( $84 )
Seat 8: pattm ( $86.6 )
Seat 5: CRbella ( $94.45 )
CRbella posts small blind [$1].
tony9111 posts big blind [$2].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to phreaux [ Ad Td ]
str8ksfear folds.
pattm folds.
UllGoBroke raises [$10].
famlay folds.
dirtychum folds.
phreaux calls [$10]. hell yeah, I call. People raise w all sorts of crazy stuff.
BILLIEOCEAN folds.
toledo123 folds.
CRbella calls [$9].
tony9111 folds.
** Dealing Flop ** [ 5d, Jh, 2d ] not perfect, but I have a draw to the nut flush (9 outs) + overcards (6 outs). With 15 outs, I consider myself the favorite here, assuming he didn't flop a set. The only hand ULLGOBROKE would have raised pre-flop with is JJ. CRBELLA may have any of the 3 sets. Let's see.
CRbella checks. ah yes. gimme free card
UllGoBroke checks. ahhhh, he checked. No JJ
phreaux checks.
** Dealing Turn ** [ 5c ]
CRbella checks.
UllGoBroke checks.
phreaux checks. check, check - YAHOO. I get two free cards to make my flush. I dont want to bet, bc maybe a trap is being laid
** Dealing River ** [ Qd ] BINGO That is my miracle card
CRbella checks.
UllGoBroke bets [$20]. Oh my, not only did I get my sweet sweet flush, he is betting my hand for me. Probably on a steal, let's see. I'll bet $60.
phreaux raises [$60].
CRbella folds.
UllGoBroke raises [$80]. OK, either he is still pursuing a bluff or he has a hand. My rule of thumb is that a re-reaise is almost never a bluff. So what does he have? Oh, I know. He checked until that third diamond came, so he made a flush. But what hand could make a flush that would warrant a pre-flop raise? Hmm, KdTd. Oh, I get it. He made a set here...a set of queents. He thinks maybe I just have lowly AQ. Stupid fucker. I am going rape him.
phreaux raises [$80]. Take that
UllGoBroke is all-In. I am so rich
phreaux calls [$39].
phreaux shows [ Ad, Td ] a flush, ace high. YAHOOOOOO
UllGoBroke shows [ Jc, Jd ] a full house, Jacks full of fives. You know that look on Matt Damon's face when Teddy shows AA? That was me. I typed "nh" in the chat box and then went to bed.
UllGoBroke wins $387 from the main pot with a full house, Jacks full of fives.
Game #977615271 starts.

What would you have done differently?



(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 10:12 AM
Dutch Boyd

I am a bit late in posting this...seems Houston has had a lot of celebrity poker going on. Has anyone seen Farha lately?


From: "John Smiley" <john@pokercampus.com
To: Dr. Fro
Subject: Houston Poker - Dutch Boyd Tonight
Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2004 18:39:50 -0500
Hi Players :^)

---------------------NEWS----------------------
Dutch Boyd, WSOP finalistis playing in our game right now.
-------------As Seen On ESPN----------------

DID YOU KNOW?1. You can come and go when you like.2. Dinner and drinks are provided at every game.3. There are professional dealers at every game.4. You can call before you come to see how the game is.5. Our games are in a safe, clean, & friendly environment.

Please remember to support Poker Campus.This is Houston's only poker forum.One or two posts per week will go a long way ;^)

http://www.PokerCampus.com/forums/

Here are the games I know of this week.I hope to see you at one or all of them :^)

If you haven't been to these games before,you will need an invite.Call my cell 936-537-2777

Tonight:Thursday: 6PM $1/$2 Pot Limit Holdem - HoustonMatt Dean Hosting
Thursday: 6PM $20/$40 Limit Holdem - Houston
Friday: 6PM $100 (No Rebuy or Addon) NL Holdem TournamentAvg. $1500 1st place. 3-4 places paid. - HoustonCall ahead if you are running late.
Friday: 7PM $1/$2 Pot Limit Holdem - Houston
Friday 7PM $20/$40 Limit Holdem - Houston
Saturday: 5PM $50 (+1 Rebuy or addon) NL Holdem TournamentAvg. $1500 1st place. 3-5 places paid. - Houston
Saturday: 6PM $1/$2 Pot Limit Holdem - Houston
Saturday: 6PM $20/$40 Limit Holdem - Houston
Sunday: 4PM $50 (+1 Rebuy or addon) NL Holdem TournamentAvg. $1500 1st place. 3-5 places paid. - Houston
Sunday: 5PM $1/$2 Pot Limit Holdem - Houston
Sunday: 5PM $20/$40 Limit Holdem - Houston

Please let me know if you are coming!! RSVP

Questions?Email: John@PokerCampus.comJohn Smiley: cell 936-537-2777
And don't forget to visit and support:http://www.PokerCampus.com/forums/Houston's Only Poker Forum
John :^)






(0) comments

Posted by Junelli 10:34 AM
Does anyone know whether the Buy-In for the WSOP is $10,000 or something like $10,000 + $1,000? Is there any other fee/charge over and above the $10,000 entry?

===========
Nevermind I found it:

Buy-in Breakdown Fee Toke Total cost Net Payout
$500 $465 $35 3% $50 90.00%
$1,000 $940 $60 3% $90 91.00%
$1,500 $1,420 $80 3% $125 91.67%
$2,000 $1,900 $100 3% $160 92.00%
$2,500 $2,375 $125 3% $200 92.00%
$3,000 $2,850 $150 3% $240 92.00%
$5,000 $4,800 $200 2% $300 94.00%
$10,000 $9,600 $400 2% $600 94.00%



(0) comments

Posted by Junelli 7:24 AM


Morris and I played pot limit all night last night with Matt Dean. He was an extremely nice guy, and was happy to talk about his experience in the 2004 WSOP. A few tidbits from his perspective:

Josh Arieh is a prick;
Raymer was very good and deserved the win;
Dan Harrington was an awesome player (very nice too);
Chris Ferguson was also very nice (and clearly enjoyed the media attention);
Moneymaker divorced his wife and now has a hot girlfriend;
Hellmuth is not much different than on TV;
There wasn't very much bluffing at the tournament (TV is misleading);
Marcel Luske was hilarious and provided constant entertainment;
Murphy (the guy who overslept) was also good;
David Williams shouldn't have been in that last hand :)
ESPN made everyone sign a waiver beforehand authorizing videotape of all hands, etc.(i.e. Seidel couldn't block the camera with his chips).
ESPN producers were contantly telling the players where to hold their cards so that the camera could see em.
The tournament is exhausting. They played until approx 3am every night (averaged 12-15 hours a day).

He also mentioned the editing. As we all know, the tournament is severely edited down. Although Dean was only shown in a few hands on ESPN, he played at the final table for over 6 hours.


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Posted by Junelli 1:37 PM
Tonight I'm going to play $2-$5 pot limit Hold 'Em with Matt Dean (who finished 7th place in this year's WSOP, and took home $675,000).

Tomorrow I'll post details about how I made him my bitch...



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Posted by Dr Fro 11:56 AM
Thanks to Cameron for submitting this article on bots. This is a subject that has been discussed ad naseum on poker chat boards, but this is the first take on it in the mainstream media that I have seen. As a matter of fact, to date, the proliferation of articles in mainstream media on poker have all been the same bland "hey, poker is popular" take.

I think that as poker grows, we will see more and more articles on some of the darker aspects of the game. This is no different than pro sports like baseball. These days you pick up the sports page and it is about steriods and BALCO, chairs hitting fans, players betting on baseball, or Manny Ramirez being, well, Manny Ramirez. The topics that will eventually be part of the mainstream media coverage are:

- addiction
- poker pros "off the court" problems (Slim's pedaphile charges, for instance)
- cheating online via collusion
- cheating online via bots
- cheating online vis disconnect-protect
- massive losses suffered by newbies
- etc

Read Poker Nation and you will see plenty of dark side.

But as to the subject at hand in this article, I think that I agree that the robots are not really a problem yet:

“I don’t foresee a danger of bots killing the game in any sense,” he said.
“More likely, there will be a large contribution of cash from people who
try to create bots and fail.”

Yet I do find this short sighted. The technology will only improve and when that happens robots will have an edge.




(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 10:53 AM
Ordinarily, if I see one thing on TV and read another on the internet, I am going to believe the TV first. Some people consider me skeptical, but it should be pointed out that I don't always assume everything is false. I just don't assume anything is true. However, after doing some reading, I have become reasonably convinced that on at least one topic, the internet was right and TV lied. The subject is the WSOP.

The allegation is the ESPN concocted some hands in the WSOP for the sake of drama.

For starters, read Paul Phillips site about the Tony D Phil Hellmuth hand. Then read the 2+2 thread on the same subject.

Then see the rgp post by him on the Chuc Hoang Scotty Ngyuen hand. It is confirmed by Howard Lederer.

The RGP thread has this nugget by Jonathan Kaplan on a 3rd questionable hand:

in the WSoP 10k, i bowed out this year in 58th place. i was at the TV table when i lost my final hand. i just saw that hand replayed on ESPN. the hand i saw replayed was NOT the same hand i remember playing.

Now you can call me paranoid, but these are all reputable pros - not 4 hacks with a goofy poker blog. Their evidence includes their testimony, pictures, and simple logic on how a pro would NOT play a hand. It not only passes the smell test, it seem quite obvious that at a minimum ESPN made some errors. It appears more likely that they lied

(0) comments

Posted by Junelli 9:34 AM
Here is one of my complaints to Party Poker, along with its response:

Dear Mark,

We appreciate you taking the time to report situations of alleged Disconnect Protection abuse at Partypoker.com.

Starting with the hand
# 488738229

that you sent to us, we have performed an investigation that would allow us to examine thoroughly the account in question; Drewser141.

We have looked into this player's records and collected the previous hands in which this player used the Disconnect Protection. Our goal was to look for a pattern where the player usually disconnects in key moments.

Some of the parameters we use when investigating possible protection abuse:

The player's cards at the time of disconnection.
The player's previous action (whether he was betting/raising) and also the actions of the other players at the time of disconnection. The benefit obtained by a player disconnecting The timing of disconnection A players pattern of disconnections Previous allegations made by other players and/or the system

Using the information listed above we have investigated the history of player Drewser141 thoroughly and have found that along with the hand you reported, the player has shown some sign of disconnecting at keys times. Although that might seem suspicious, the player has in fact not disconnected more than what might be normal with an unstable internet connection and the hands in which he was reported by players or the system are borderline suspicious, at best.

Nonetheless, we have recorded your complaint into the players account and will keep this investigation on file. In addition, our gaming experts will be monitoring this player's account. If the player does at any time show a pattern of abuse we will remove his protection. We have sent an email to the player informing him of the investigation and making him aware that his actions are being monitored.

We thank you for taking the time to report your suspicions. Keeping the games honest is our highest priority. If you need any clarifications or have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us. We will be more than happy to assist you.

Best regards,

Maurice Black,
Investigations Team,
alerts@partypoker.com
www.partypoker .com


--Original Message--
From: mark@junell.cc
Date: 2004-03-29 21:11
To: info@partypoker.com
Subject: Intentional All-In Abuse (Hand 3[#921543]

I'm writing to report intentional all-in abuse by Player Drewser141. The hand history is below.

Mark A. Junell


***** Hand History for Game 488738229 *****
0/0 TexasHTGameTable (PL) - Mon Mar 29 20:57:04 EST 2004
Table Indo Marine (Real Money) -- Seat 10 is the button
Total number of players : 5
Seat 1: pez_boat ( $61.15)
Seat 3: Drewser141 ( $34.67)
Seat 5: REDDRAGON004 ( $22.93)
Seat 7: jubenne ( $28.32)
Seat 10: pharm8359 ( $26.85)
pez_boat posts small blind (0.25)
Drewser141 posts big blind (0.50)
junell posts big blind (0.50)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to junell [ 9d, 9c ]
REDDRAGON004 folds.
jubenne calls (0.50)
junell raises (0.50) to 1
pharm8359 folds.
pez_boat calls (0.75)
Drewser141 calls (0.50)
jubenne folds.
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 5h, Jc, 6c ]
pez_boat checks.
Drewser141 bets (2)
junell raises (4) to 4
pez_boat folds.
Drewser141 calls (2)
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 4c ]
Drewser141 checks.
junell bets (3)
Drewser141 calls (3)
** Dealing River ** : [ 2s ]
Drewser141 checks.
junell bets (16.65)
Drewser141 could not respond in time.(disconnected)
Drewser141 Disconnect Protection enabled.
Creating main pot with $16.65 with players Drewser141
** Summary **
Main Pot: $16.65 | Side Pot 1: $16.65 | Rake: $0.85
Board: [ 5h Jc 6c 4c 2s ]
pez_boat balance $60.15, lost $1 (folded)
Drewser141 balance $43.32, bet $8, collected $16.65, net +$8.65 [ Kd Jh ] [ a pair of jacks -- Kd,Jh,Jc,6c,5h ] chriss7 balance $15, sits out REDDRAGON004 balance $22.93, didn't bet (folded) jubenne balance $27.82, lost $0.50 (folded)
junell balance $17, bet $24.65, collected $16.65, lost -$8 [ 9d 9c ] [ a pair of nines -- Jc,9d,9c,6c,5h ] pharm8359 balance $26.85, didn't bet (folded


(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 8:52 AM
Disconnect Protect

A bread and butter play of mine goes like this. Preflop me and A get heads up after he raises, I reraise and he calls. The flop comes up ragged. I go all-in. My thought is that he has high cards, but not a high pair or else he would have re-re-raised me. Thus, I feel confident that a board full of rags did him no help. Thus, I can go all in and steal a decent sized pot. This exact fact pattern doesn't happen often, so it is the sort of move I use once maybe every 4 hours.

I sat down at Party Poker last night and had 2 of these opportunities in the first 5 minutes.

Both times the opponent waited forever to call and time expired. I never saw the disconnected-countdown thing. They seemed to just be playing possum. Regardless, they got disconnect protection, I got my bet back, the turn and river were dealt and when the made a pair on the river, they got the pot.

Disconnect protect is there to protect you. If you have a great hand but have the unfortunate luck to get disconnected mid-hand, you are treated as all-in for whatever you put in the pot before you were disconnected. The opportunity for abuse is enormous, especially in NL. The 2 best opportunities for abuse is to not have call a large, somewhat obvious steal. The second is to get a cheap draw. This is not as valuable as the first option, as you can't bet your hand when it comes. However, if someone bets 2x the pot on the turn you are still better off disconnecting and getting the free draw than calling if you have the 4-flush.

So, to curb this abuse, Party Poker only allows a maximum disconnect protection of twice per session (I think...I don't know how the limit works, because I have never needed to use it. The point is, there is a limit). Based on my experience last night, I have a feeling people milk this for what it is worth and us their maximum number of disc/prots they can get. I don't know if Party Poker actively monitors chronic users/abuser, or if they only react to complaints.
I am considering writing a complaint, but I am still in wait and see mode. At a minimum, I have made notes on the two players and I refuse to play with them again just in case. As a matter of fact, last night, I bumped into one of them at another table and got up and left.

If anyone has any thoughts on this matter, pls let me know. I am going to post on rgp and see who bits.



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Posted by Dr Fro 9:01 AM
I really liked that David Williams article below. Here’s this gem:

Even before this year's WSOP, Williams wasn't a nobody at the tables. He wasn't the guy who drops a few hundred at your local home game because he doesn't know the difference between having balls and having the nuts.

A great play on words. I think I am going to start using that phrase and passing it off as my own.

Then there was:

he wanted to call himself "Ace." Ace Williams. He even approached his mom about getting it changed legally--at 10. She told him to try it out at school and come back later. If he still wanted to be called Ace after that, it would be fine by her. "The kids at school made fun of me all day long," Williams says, laughing. "It was brutal. That was the end of Ace."

I laughed at this one because it remeinded me of Junell wanting to change his name to “Luke” after seeing Star Wars.

Last, I read:

This is gambling.

Actually, I read somewhere that it ain’t gambling.

(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 10:26 PM
The final episode of the WSOP aired last week w/o a peep from us on the subject. It was nice to see fellow Dallasite win $3.5 million. Here is a nice article on him.

I thought the final episodes were entertaining, but not as interesting as last year. My favortie moment of the final episode was Jesus' bluff. My favorite moment of the WSOP was the standing O Doyle got.

The most surreal experience of watching this years WSOP was being at a sushi restaurant on Thursday night. Not only was the WSOP over a few months ago...the final episode already aired on Tuesday. No worry, about 1/3 of the eyes in the restaurant were glued to the TV (that had the volume muted) I am still in awe about how popular poker on TV has become.



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Posted by Dr Fro 9:46 PM
Add one more (new) rule to my 5-rules-of-Party-Poker post:

6. Don't get online on Saturday night after drinking wine and port and malt whisky and then cognac. I made this mistake once before (different combination fo poison, but same result.) I got whooped on Sat night. My opponents picked up on my loose play and started calling more. That's fine, I switched strategies on them and raised my starting hand requirements. About that time, I started getting dealt some heat. Four different times I was all-in with high pairs heads up against an inferior hand. Four times my opponent paired (3 of 4 times they paired an ace) on the river to win. I wish PP offered insurance.

So anyway, I got clobbered, but then I invested about 3 hours of time on Sunday on PP and thankfully won 90% of it back. It took a sweet hand of JJ all-in to AA and TT to flop quad Jacks to win half of that. Most of the rest came on a river full house to beat a straight. Whew! A wild ride just to end up basically even.



(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 4:37 PM
I think I fucked up 2 hands yesterday.

The first one was when I had AA in the SB. It folded all the way around. Out of my typcall AA habit, I raised 3x the BB or made it $4 to play. BB folded and I won $1. Since one of the primary reasons for preflop raises w AA is toget it heads up, I had little to gain by a big raise. I should have raised it $1 and suckered him in. Thoughts?

The second one was just stupid. A guy bet, and I counted my outs and pot odds. I counted 4 outs to my belly buster and determined that given the bet and pot size, I needed at least 6 outs to call. I folded. The turn reminded me that I actually had a "double belly buster" or 8-outer. Thus, I should have called and I would have won. No further discussion required...I was pissed. It held up on the river too, and the guys were all in with competing sets. Frustrating and dumb.



(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 3:05 PM
From: "John Smiley" <john@pokercampus.com>
To: Doctor Fro
Subject: Houston Poker-New Tourny-Matt Dean
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 14:00:59 -0500
Hi Players :^)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Come Meet and Play With Matt Dean tonight.
Matt Dean Finished 7th in the 2004 WSOP Main Event.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please remember to support Poker Campus.
This is Houston's only poker forum.
One or two posts per week will go a long way ;^)
http://www.PokerCampus.com/forums/
Here are the games I know of this week.
I hope to see you at one or all of them :^)
If you haven't been to these games before,you will need an invite.
Call my cell 936-537-2777

Tonight:Friday: 6PM $100 NL Holdem Tournament
Avg. $1300 1st place. 3-4 places paid. - HoustonMatt will be playing in this tournament.

Friday: 7PM $1/$2 Pot Limit Holdem - HoustonMatt will be playing in this game.

Friday 7PM $20/$40 Limit Holdem - Houston

Saturday: 5PM $50 (+1 Rebuy or Addon) NL Holdem Tournament
Avg. $1500 1st place. 3-5 places paid. - Houston

Saturday: 6PM $2/$5 Pot Limit Holdem - Houston

Saturday: 6PM $20/$40 Limit Holdem - Houston

Sunday: 4PM $50 (+1 Rebuy or Addon) NL Holdem Tournament
Avg. $1500 1st place. 3-5 places paid. - Houston

Sunday: 5PM $1/$2 Pot Limit Holdem - Houston

Sunday: 5PM $20/$40 Limit Holdem - Houston

Please let me know if you are coming!! RSVP
Questions?Email: John@PokerCampus.comJohn Smiley: cell 936-537-2777
And don't forget to visit and support:http://www.PokerCampus.com/forums/
Houston's Only Poker Forum
John :^)






(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 1:39 PM
I have been spending more and more time at Party Poker lately. Of course online poker is different from B&M poker, but Party Poker in particular is different from Planet Poker. Planet Poker tends to have, IMHO, better players. They are either rocks are tricky, but seldom are they weak or passive loose. I have had to adjust my play. The first time I bought in, I eventually lost my roll. I got it back now, plus $75. I spend 90% of my time on the $50 NL tables, always with a full table. I have come up with a few simple rules that I have been following:

1. If losing, leave. There is a chance you are outmatched. There is a chance you aren't, too, but why chance it. There are hundreds of tables. Just switch.

2. Take notes. I use the player notes function pretty extensively and it has paid off a few times. Example: the other day, I was playing against a guy heads-up. He went all-in on the turn and I said to myself "this guy raised preflop, and the board has big cards, so he was probably helped by the flop" I almost folded, but then I read my notes. They said two things "will raise with baby pairs. will bluff all-in with nothing" OK, so I call and win with middle pair.

3. When up, stay. There are two reasons for this. The first is the corrolary to #1. You may just be better than the competition. But the more important reason has to do with the structure. In the old days, there was a minimum, not a maximum on your buyin on NL games. Due to the rising popularity of the game, maximums became common. They lured the suckers in without giving the pros the massive advantage of buying their way into a bully position. Obviously the size of your stack is a major advantage in NL, so why walk away when you have $100, only to sit down the next time with $50.

4. Rebuy often When my stack gets below $45, I rebuy. I want a big stack to use as a weapon and an opportunity to buy pots when I dont have a good hand. I also want to get full value on my big hands. Thus, I get buying up to the max when needed.

5. Fold to re-raises and check-raises Both of these are signs of strength. Few people would use them in a bluff. The few that would are either a) so bad that you will eventually end up with their money anyway or b) pros. In case b) you want to avoid combat with them. So in basically all cases, I fold to re-raises and check-raises. The only exception I can think of is if I have set an obvious pattern of doing this several times in a row and I suspect that someone has picked up on it and is making a move. Even then, I may wait one more opp before calling.

These rules have been serving me well.



(0) comments

Posted by Junelli 11:23 PM
The ultimate poker rulebook.



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Posted by Dr Fro 4:29 AM
I just finished up work here in Rome and managed to get on the internet. I can't type for long, because I am anxious to go troll around the town (read: find a sidewalk cafe and order many bottles of wine). Anyway, I thought our Austin readers would be interested in this.

Charity tournaments are for suckers as far as the poker goes, but hey, it is for a good cause.



(0) comments

Posted by Johnnymac 10:45 PM
Quick update from Alaska - it will be quick because internet access costs 75c per minute. (Yet another way that the cruise ship makes up for all the free food by nickel and diming you for EVERYTHING else - it kinda sucks, actually)

Anyway, aside from the way money is blowing out the door, Alaska itself is beautiful. We are in Juneau today and went whale watching this morning and then this afternoon flew in a helicopter to hike on a glacier. Very stunning and very un-Houston.

As far as the gambling, I was rather disappointed to see that there is no poker at all on the boat. I figured that with the casino there would at least be a poker tournament or two, especially on the days at sea, but nothing but slot machines and table games. I have only played blackjack once so far on the trip and am down about $100 in a very painful 30 minute span where I won exactly 2 hands. Those results are skewed so far to the left that I expect if I go back I should get a little bit of it back, by definition.

So that's it. We'll be back on Sunday night and I'll have more football pool information on Monday morning.

(Oh yeah, I'm also married now... this is my honeymoon. I can't believe how stressed out I was before the trip and how much I've noticed myself relaxing since. Honeymoons come highly recommended - heh heh)


(0) comments

Posted by Junelli 11:09 PM
This guy's wife thinks he's addicted to poker. I can sympathize...



(0) comments

Posted by Junelli 11:30 AM
Morris and I went out to the Northside Poker club yesterday and played in their Labor Day No-Limit Tournament. It was a $200 buy-in (freeze-out) with exactly 30 players. Each player started with $40,000 in chips. The blinds began at $1,000-$2,000, and increased every 15 minutes.

I was nearly eliminated on the first hand when I was dealt KK, against the Big Blind's Q3. Luckily for me, he slowed his betting down, and I only lost $18,000 to his 2 pair. Somehow I managed to grind my way back up, and made the final table as the chip leader. I had a commanding lead for about an hour, but a few missed hands brought me down equal with everyone else. With 6 people left, we decided to cut a deal because 5 of us had nearly identical chip stacks (~$220,000), and there was one short stack with ~$50,000. We paid the short stack $300, and the remaining 5 of us divided up the pot equally.

The tournament was a lot of fun, but the blinds increased way too fast (they wanted those cash games to start quickly I guess), and it became more about whether or not yuo were dealt a good hand. At the final table, it became a "move-in" game, and we rarely saw a flop (and almost never a showdown). At that point, you either get the cards or you don't.

My best play occurred at the final table when I was dealt AA on the button. The blinds were $10k-$20k. Everyone folded around to me, and I made a very small raise to $40,000 (only double the big blind). The small blind to my left, reraised me making it $140,000 to go (exactly what I wanted him to do). When the big blind folded, I moved all-in. The small blind had ~$100,000 left in his stack (and he had already placed $140,000 into the pot). He laid down AK, and I took the $375,000 pot without seeing a flop.



(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 5:47 PM

There is a special edition of Rounders coming out, which I will surely buy. Not that I need a special edition....I still watch the original about once a month and it never gets old.

This may be the last post from me/John for at least a week. JM's rehearsal dinner is tonight and he is off to Alaska all next week. He is signed off for sure. After the wedding, I am off to Italia...I may not be able to resist the temptation to find a PC somewhere and make a post, but don't count on it. arrivederci!!!!!!!

(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 5:42 PM
I posted this link a long time ago, but I think the URL changed and I had a busted link. Izmet has some very sound strategic advice. I decided to give him a read a long time ago when I notice several respected posters on rgp referring to him.

Unfortunately, his advice is limited to a very narrow field - loose, low limit games. However, if you find yourself needing advice on these games, his site is 1 of the top 2 resources out there (the other being Lee Jones).



(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 6:11 PM
A decent read on online tournament strategy. I like this part:

A common misconception that I see often in the chat windows at tournament tables
is that the big stack at the table is really a big fish because he/she is now
calling everyone and raising everything. This is true in some situations but
from my point of view, these stacks are playing appropriately. To me, a bigger
mistake is gaining a big stack early, but continuing to play average stack
strategy. By playing in that manner, you give up a lot of inherent equity that
comes along with a big stack. It's a little like upgrading to a high-performance
sports car, but only using it to drive the kids to school.

Read part II and part III too (there is a busted link to the sequels on the site)




(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 6:01 PM
Those who know me well know that my least favorite hand is J9 offsuit. This largely comes from the fact that any board that improves your hand will also have you losing to a group of hands that most would not fold preflop.

Anyway, I found a website call Jack Nine Offsuit.



(0) comments

Posted by Dr Fro 9:07 AM
From the mailbag. If you are interested, email me and I will fill in the blanks.

It is getting close to the first football game of the year and I thought we should get the elimination pool started. The more people we get the bigger the pot. I ask that you forward this e-mail to anybody I may have omitted or those you think would like to participate this year. The rules are the same as last year: Pick any NFL team to win the first week of the season. (No point spreads) If your team wins you continue on. If they lose you are eliminated. However, you will have the opportunity to "buy back" in during the first three weeks of the season. You can only pick (use) a team once during the season. The last one standing gets the pot. However, at any point in the season, the people remaining may decide to split the pot in any fashion they choose provided their decision is unanimous. Buy Back: If you are eliminated
in the first three weeks you will have the opportunity to get back into the pool. It will cost you an extra $50 for every week you were in the pool. Example: If you pick the Saints in week one and the lose to Seattle - you can buy back in for $100 (Another entry fee of $50 and Week 1's $50) If you get knocked out in week two it will cost you $150 to get back in and a week three departure will cost $200 to get back in. You must make your decision to get back in before the next week. (Example: If you lose in week one and you do not get back in before week two you are permanently out.)

IF YOU ARE ELIMINATED IN WEEK 4 YOU ARE OUT - THERE IS NO BUY BACK AFTER WEEK 3.

The entry fee is $50 and is payable prior to the first week of the year. Mail your checks to ________. Your pick is due every week by Friday @ 3PM so that I can e-mail everyone the picks for the upcoming weekend. On weeks when there is a Thursday night game your pick is due by 3PM Thursday if you choose to play one of the teams playing that night. (Remember the first game of the year is on Thursday September 9) Please get your picks in timely! If I do not receive your pick by
the 3PM deadline on Friday you will be eliminated. There are too many people in the pool and it is impossible for me to try and track down picks. If you have any questions send me an e-mail or give me a call __________. Please let me know if you are going to play so that I can remove those who choose not to play. Thanks!

(0) comments

Posted by Junelli 3:46 AM
Just finished our home game tonight. It was a huge turnout: 20 people at 2 tables. As expected, increasing the blinds from $1-$2 to $2-$5 made an enormous difference in the dynamics of the game. The pots were huge, and the re-buys were constant. At one point the "bank" held over $6,000! Not bad for a Wednesday night home game!

Morris and I scored big, winning approx. $3,400 between us. Of the 20 people who showed up, I believe only 5 left with a profit. I'm going to bed...



(0) comments

Posted by Junelli 4:10 PM
I've quickly thrown together some ideas on how we would structure the WSOP Satellite tournaments. Let me know what you think. Because this blog is limited to 5 "comments," you might want to send me your comments via email.
=======================

The Waring Double Shootout Satellite

The Waring Double Shootout Satellite is a two-tiered tournament that awards a $10,000 seat for the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event to a player who beats 18 other players (9 at the First Table and 9 more at the Final Table).

There will be 10 “First Table Tournaments” with 10 players each. Each of the winners of the 10 First Table Tournaments will play against each other in the “Final Table Tournament.” The winner of the Final Table Tournament will receive a $10,000 entry into the 2005 World Championship Event.

There will be no cash prizes awarded. The winner of the Final Table Tournament will get his/her entry fee paid for the 2005 WSOP.

The 2005 WSOP will be held June 3 – July 15. I’m not sure of the exact dates for the Main Event, but it is most likely July 9 – July 15.

Buy-In: The Buy-In for the First Table Tournaments will be $100+$15.

Here are the proposed Rules:

Players will be allowed to enter as many First Table Tournaments as they want until the win a seat into the Final Table Tournament. However, a player may only win one seat for the Final Table Tournament. Thus, if you’ve already won a seat for the Final Table Tournament, you can’t enter any subsequent First Table Tournaments.

Seats that have been won for the Final Table Tournament must be played by the player who won the First Table Tournament and cannot be transferred or assigned to anyone else.

If a player has won a seat for the Final Table Tournament, but is unable to attend, that seat will remain empty for the Final Table Tournament (however, the absent Player will still share in the percentage of any ultimate WSOP winnings (see below).

If the number of players for the First Table Tournaments is insufficient, or the tournament is otherwise unable to collect enough money to pay the entry fee into the 2005 WSOP (i.e. $10,000), the winner of the Final Table Tournament will take the entire prize pool as cash, and can elect not to play in the 2005 WSOP.

All players that participate in the Final Table Tournament will have a percentage interest in any earnings at the 2005 WSOP. So if the player who wins the Final Table Tournament, goes to the WSOP, and subsequently wins any money, 10% of those gross winnings will be taken and divided equally amongst the 9 players who played in the Final Table Tournament. For example, if Thad Davis wins the Final Table Tournament, goes to the WSOP, and wins $300,000, the 9 other players would each split $30,000, and receive $3,333.33 each.

The prize is an entry-fee into the 2005 WSOP Main Event. It is not $10,000 in cash. In other words, the winner must play in the 2005 WSOP main event, and cannot simply pocket the cash.

The WSOP entry-fee cannot be assigned or transferred to someone else. In the event the winner is unable to attend the 2005 WSOP, the WSOP entry-fee will go to the 2nd place finisher at the Final Table Tournament, and so-on. If this occurs, an additional 10% of any gross winnings will be taken off the top and paid directly to the 1st place finisher who was unable to attend the event. Of course, another 10% of the gross winnings will be distributed equally among the 8 remaining players. Yes, this means that a 2nd place finisher could go to the WSOP, win money, and have to give up 20% of it (10% to 1st place finisher, and 10% to the rest of the table), but this is still fair since the 2nd place finisher wasn’t supposed to be at the WSOP anyway.

In the event the no one plays in the 2005 WSOP (for whatever reason), the total prize pool ($10,000) will be equally divided amongst the 10 players who participated in the Final Table Tournament (i.e. $1,000 each). Any money already paid out, but not used for the WSOP shall be refunded upon demand to the tournament director for distribution to the remaining players. Should the funds be improperly withheld or not refunded in accordance with these rules, the funds will be owed by the player who retains the funds. In no instance will the tournament director be responsible for paying this debt.

All players must read, understand, and consent to be bound by these rules.

The prize will only consist of an entry into the 2005 WSOP Main Event. It will not include any funds for travel or hotel accommodations while in Vegas. Players are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to Vegas.

There will not be a direct buy-in for the final table, unless we have less than 10 players who qualified by winning a First Table Tournament. In the event we’re short a spot, a player may be allowed to buy-in to the final table for $1,000, subject to the sole discretion of the tournament director.

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Posted by Johnnymac 2:08 PM
I have had a couple of responses to the football pool. Anyone who wants to play is welcome - the more the merrier.


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Posted by Junelli 11:58 AM
The 2005 WSOP will take place June 3 - July 15 this year. I'm toying with the idea of holding a series of one table satellites to win an entry into the tournament, and I wanted to get your thoughts.

We could hold 10 separate 1 table tournaments with a $100 buy-in. The 10 winners of tournament satellites would get a seat in the final table "super satellite" to be held at a later date. The winner of the super satellite would get his entry fee paid for (with the remaining 9 finalists each splitting a small percentage of the ultimate winnings).

Let me know if you like this idea.


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Posted by Junelli 11:40 AM
The definitive resource for building your own poker table...
http://www.pcpotato.com/poker/

This guy originally posted step-by-step plans on how to build a simple felt top table. 6 months later he later posted instructions for building a padded rail. And he now has a library of drawings, plans, photographs that have been submitted by other people. It's a great way to check out different styles/ideas. I like the "race track" tables.

You will notice that most of the tables are built on top of a simple folding table (or have folding legs mounted to the table top). This makes storing it very easy. However, if you don't like folding legs, you can see examples of sawhorse or pedestal legs.

Some other websites dedicated to poker table construction:
1. http://www.scottkeen.com/poker/pokertable.asp
2. Pictures of a racetrack table.
3. http://chris.norrick.com/poker_table/
4. http://www.homepokertourney.com/tables_build.htm

While my velvet table top has held up well, it stains too easily, and has accumulated a lot of drink rings. It works great, but it looks like shit. I think I may take on another project soon...



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Posted by Dr Fro 11:21 AM
I can't ever emphasize enought the importance of good record keeping. Consider this free tool.



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Posted by Dr Fro 10:00 AM
The question of legality of gambling was recently discussed in the Houston Chronicle.



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Posted by Dr Fro 9:57 AM
Is this Wilson's dad?



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Posted by Dr Fro 9:53 AM
I watched the WSOP last night. I liked it when Doyle busted out and everybody gave him the standing O. Very nice. I was surprised by Jesus’ Arsenio-Hall-esque fist pump to Mattias Andersson. He must have really got underneath Jesus’ skin.

The big game in Houston is tonight, so I am sure there will be some good emails in the mailbag Thursday morning. Blogging will be light after that for a week with John in Alaska and my going to Italia. Hopefully Junell can entertain you.



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