Posts - December 2008
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The Year That Wasn't
December 22, 2008With 2008 drawing to a close, it’s time for me to take a look back at my performance and goals for 2008. Looking back, 2008 can be remembered as the Year That Wasn’t.
2008 wasn’t the year that I had a break-through performance at the WSOP Circuit event or WPT event in Tunica in January. I played OK but bubbled in Event 1 of the WSOP circuit event. I cashed in Event 1 of the WPT event but did not reach the final table. I played in Event 3 of the WSOP event but failed to even make it to the bubble. I played more aggressively than the previous 2 tournaments and risked my stack on a draw which failed to hit. So while this trip wasn’t a total failure, it also wasn’t a success. It just wasn’t.
2008 wasn’t the year that I made it back to the WSOP Main Event. I played in too many qualifiers to mention but just couldn’t get my game together enough to win a seat. After playing the Main Event in 2006, this is a perennial goal of mine. There is nothing like playing in the Main Event but 2008 wasn’t my year to play it.
2008 wasn’t the year that I took bankroll management serious enough to build a respectable bankroll. I have all of the tools. I know what it takes. I just couldn’t commit myself to grinding my way up the ladder. Now with the Double or Nothing Sit and Go’s on PokerStars, I have an easy way to build the bankroll. I just have to commit to playing just these and stick with it instead of playing them to support loses playing MTT’s. But 2008 wasn’t the year of that commitment.
2008 wasn’t the year that the PokerNews forum grew exponentially. I’ve been a moderator here for over 1 year. We’ve got a good core group of members. I just want to see it grow. We started the PokerNews For Fun Tournaments each week and they’ve had some success. I would have liked to see them grow larger than they have. But, 2008 wasn’t the year for that growth.
So closing 2008 as the year that wasn’t, I can only look forward to 2009. Hopefully, 2009 will be the year that all of these goals and more are reached. Time will tell.
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PokerStars Blogger Championship
December 14, 2008{html:5380}
Don't believe what Rhino posted. I'll be taking this down.
I have also registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!
This PokerStars tournament is a No Limit Texas Hold’em event exclusive to Bloggers.
Registration code: (waiting for code)
Really guys, this should be fun for all of the bloggers here on PokerNews. Hope one of us can take this down.
319 views, 1 comments
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Bubble or Bust--Day 3
December 12, 2008$22.8K. Not much of a chip stack when the average is over $85K. But I can’t look at it that way. I have to stay positive. I have to look at it as I’m 2 double-ups from average. Today is the day where I must double up early or I’ll be blinded out. I’m going to have to be aggressive. Hopefully my table will all be wanted to just cash and I can steal some blinds. I’m up early (for Vegas). I could barely get to sleep last night. This was worse than Day 1. At least then I knew that I had some play in my stack. It’s pretty much shove or fold. I may try some stop and go’s. I’ll just have to adjust to my table, taking what I can get.
Since I moved to the Gold Coast yesterday, all my wife and I have to do is walk across the street to the Rio. There aren’t as many people in the casino as there have been on previous days. I guess some of the folks that have already busted out must have gone home or still be crashed in their rooms. OK by me. I’ve got internal pressure enough. We make our way back to the Amazon Room. I still have a few minutes before they’ll allow us to go to our tables. Finally, we’re allowed in. This is it. Time to make some money or bust trying.
Of course, I’m the short stack and I start off in the BB. Does the guy that runs this work for PokerStars?? Rags. Rags. Rags. This could be a short day.
, yes. This is what I’m talking about. Fold, fold, fold. C’mon, I need a raiser. Fold, fold, fold. OK, how about a caller? Hmmm, how should I play this? Should I limp and risk a bad flop? Should I shove and hope somebody thinks I’m just stealing? Maybe I’ll just raise 3xBB. That should weed out the rags but allow anybody with decent cards to call. Then I’ll shove on the flop. “Raise”. Fold, fold, fold. Crap. No action, but at least I’m alive for another round. I figure I have to win a hand per round while hoping for a double-up.There’s my wife standing at the rail. My table is 1 row in so she’s not right behind me but it’s nice having her here. Maybe the cards will continue to come and I can do her proud. Fold. Fold. Pocket 7’s-shove and steal the blinds. OK, that’s 2 hands this round. Fold. Fold. We’re about 200 from the money. At this point, that’d be a major accomplishment. Fold. Fold. OK, they just announced that all of the spectators needed to clear the room. 15 minutes until the 1st break of the day. Fold. Hmmm,
in the SB. Any ace is better than the average starting hand so I’ll continue with my standard 3xBB raise. BB calls. C’mon, dealer. 
. Holy crap, this is it. How to play it? How to play it? Settle down. Settle down. Breathe. Look a bit disgusted but don’t over do it. Pat the table for a check. What?? He bet?? “All-in!!” And call. 
. OK, buddy. I can’t blame you for the call but this one’s got to be mine. “Nothing stupid, dealer.” 
?!? You’ve got to be f%@!# kidding me. No f#$#@ way. “Nice hand. Good game and good luck everyone.” Sure, I’ll shake your hand. I want to knock you in the head but I’ll shake your hand instead.The walk of shame is the worst feeling in the world. That last hand took my emotions from the highest to the lowest with one turn of a card. Now I have to walk out of here knowing I’m beaten. Here’s my wife. “No honey, I’m not going on break early. Well, I guess I am. But mine’s a long break. Like for the rest of the tournament. What happened? I lost. You don’t bust out of a tourney by winning a hand. Look, just give me a minute, OK? Let’s get out of here and I’ll tell you what happened in a minute.”
I found out later that the hand got a write up on CardPlayer.com who was covering the WSOP that year. Doesn’t take away the sting. Looking back there are several hands I would have played differently. Not this last one. But I would have never been blinded down so low on Day 2. Just having some chips could have changed the whole game.
This has been 2 years ago now. Amazing how many things have changed in that short time. The UIGEA was passed and most of the online sites that I liked no longer allow US players. I haven’t really even come close to winning a WSOP seat since then. I’ve tried though. Man I’ve tried. It’s like a drug. Once you play, you know why this is the tourney that everyone wants to win. I can’t get it out of my system. I’ve played some WSOP circuit events with limited success. One year, I’ll make it back. Maybe next year will be the year.
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PokerNews $1,000 Added Xmas Tourney on CarbonPoker
December 08, 2008PokerNews $1,000 Added Xmas Tourney on CarbonPoker
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The Downfall of TAG Play
December 07, 2008TAG play- a style of play where a player plays only premium hands and plays them aggressively with large bets or raises or re-raises. Multiple books, e-books, and articles have been written recommending this style of play. Dan Harrington has made a career with TAG play and has written multiple books on it. This is the style of play recommended for most beginners as it takes less thought and is a good way to gain experience at the tables. This is the style many recommend for live tournament play as it is a good way to protect your chip stack while minimizing the risks by only playing premium starting hands. It also helps the player establish a tight image that can be used in future hands for successful bluffs. So if this is the "best" style of play, why are the most successful players both live and online not TAG players?
While TAG play as a mix of styles does have its place during a tournament or cash play, TAG play by itself has some extreme downfalls. When a player chooses to use solely TAG play, they are playing long-ball poker. They will be involved in very few pots but the ones that they are involved in will generally be big ones. This works out great as long as they WIN these pots. If, however, they do not, they find themselves at the rail wondering what happened.
With this, TAG players suffer the most "bad beats", which makes perfect sense. If you only play premium hands, most of the hands that you lose will be "bad beats", at least in your mind. While AA is statistically the best starting hand and will win a higher percentage of time than other starting hands, that does not mean that AA will win EVERY time that they are played. There is no 100% guarantee that the best starting hand will win each hand. If there was, poker would be one boring game of players simply waiting for premium hands to play.
Which brings us to the final downfall of TAG play: There is no guarantee that you will be dealt premium hands to play or that those hands will stand up. There is nothing worse than waiting for premium hands and being card dead. When this happens, it seems like the games are rigged. Everybody else is playing so why can't you get cards to play? How about because everybody else is not playing only premium hands? While waiting on premium hands, your chip stack can be blinded perilously low. Once this happens, generally, the next time you are dealt a premium hand or even a semi-premium hand, you're tournament life is at stake. This is a situation that TAG players find themselves in much too often. They've waited for a premium hand and when they finally get one, their tournament life is at stake. Meanwhile other players have been building their stacks so calling the TAG player's bet is +EV even if they figure that they are up against AA. The cards fall in their favor and the TAG player is out scratching his head as to what happened.
So why would anybody want to play a TAG style? The TAG style has its place in a balanced style of play. With the flow of the game, moving from a TAG style to a LAG style and back can be very effective. When moving to a new table or starting a new tournament, a TAG style can used while noting how your new table is playing. Establishing a tight table image can be useful for future bluffs and steals. Whenever there are maniacs at your table, TAG play can be used to trap your opponents. Right after the cash bubble bursts, there tends to be a lot of maniacal play be the short stacks. TAG play is good to use at these times, too.
So while there are times that the TAG style of play can be useful, if a player sticks to a strict TAG style of play, there are many downfalls to his game that he will face. So for the best results, use the TAG style as part of your arsenal rather than you're whole weapon of choice. Learn to flow between the styles depending on what the situation at the tables dictates and you will be a more successful and more well rounded player.
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Day Off
December 03, 2008(Blog of 2006 WSOP)
Since play was completed on Day 2B, we have a day off before Day 3. I guess I’ve been remiss in my blogging. I forgot to mention a couple of important things going on today.
Since I had to pay for my own hotel, I only booked for one week at the Orleans. With nothing to do during dinner breaks, I decided that I would move over to the Gold Coast so I could go to my room and still make it back for play to resume. I would have moved over to the Rio but I’m on a shoestring budget so Gold Coast it is. The Gold Coast isn’t quite as nice as the Orleans but I’m just needing a bed and a place to relax anyway so no problem. I get my things together and take the free shuttle over to the Gold Coast and check in. Now I can prepare for the most important event today…..the arrival of my wife.
Yesterday, during Day 2B, I was up to over $65K in chips and things were looking very promising. So I called my wife during one of the breaks and had her go ahead and book a flight out to Vegas. I looked like a shoe-in to get to the money and there’s nobody else in this world that I’d rather be there than my wife. She has totally supported all of my poker and gambling trips so I want to share this time with her. After being card dead for hours on end, the prospects are not nearly as promising anymore. But the flight was booked and she’ll be here soon. Time for me to take a cab out to the airport and meet her.
OK. I have to say something about the cab ride out here. It was like watching a movie from the backseat. I really disassociated myself from all that was happening before my very eyes. I remember the ride over to the hotel from the airport was dull, uneventful. I figured a trip back to the airport would be just as boring. Nope. I’m not sure where my driver trained, but if I owned a team in NASCAR, I’d put him in the seat. I told him that I was headed back to the airport to pick up my wife and we were off like a bat out of hell. Traffic was a little heavy but that didn’t slow him down. He cut through parking lots, squeezed our way into lanes that were not empty, and just about 2 wheeled it around every turn. Thank God I was just a passenger. We made it and now I’m waiting for my wife to come out. Damn 9/11. I would have loved to meet her at the gate.
Her plane should be landing now so it won’t be too long. Once she comes out, we’ll cab it back to the Gold Coast and get some dinner. Nothing heavy. I have to stay right because tomorrow is Bubble Day. We’ll find out if this trip was worth it or not then. With my stack, I’ll need some help early.
Well, there she comes, a site for sore eyes. I haven’t seen her in a week so I’ll just pick this back up tomorrow, Day 3.
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