2007 WSOP Main Event Seat

Wow, where to begin. Yesterday was the most nervous I have been playing on line poker. Probably the most nervous I have been at any poker table other than my first main event table in 2005. I haven't played a ton of satellites, so my endgame strategy is not polished at all. I was very afraid to make a bonehead mistake and cost myself a seat. I saw several other people make horrific mistakes when I was watching sprstoner win his two seats. I saw a few people do that yesterday too. I didn't want to be one of those guys. I also didn't want to tighten up to early and blind out a good stack.

Thanks to TDizz & Sprstoner for helping keep me calm late. Thankfully I had very few tough decisions after a few key hands. Going to try to go over most of it here now...

8:17 Hand 171: Going to skip to my first big pot. I was playing pretty tight, but had been dealt some hands. I had chipped up to 3500 and was dealt AQo in the big blind. A guy with 1900 raised and I jammed on him. He had TT but I flopped an Ace and busted him. I was up to 5500 in chips and rolling.

8:37 Hand 199: I get dealt AKo in the cutoff and reraise Jorj95 and he calls. The flop is a beautiful A-A-5. He checks, I bet 1/3 pot, he jams, I instacall. He shows 99 and doesn't improve. I was sitting at 10,000 with blinds at 75/150 feeling very good.

9:31 Hand 264: I was in massive tight mode which is brutal for me. I went almost an hour without playing a meaningful pot. I was able to maintain my stack with a few small ones which was really my goal. This hand was one of the 3 biggest for me in the tournament and probably the biggest.

I open for 600 UTG+1 with QsQc. The button and both blinds call. The flop looks decent for me with 6h 4c 6c. A few draws, but most likely missed everyone. I lead out for 60% of the pot and get called by both blinds...


So gross. I am done with the hand. Not putting another penny into this pot. It is far too likely one of them has a 6. Until I see the turn...


I almost kissed the screen. I was very sure I was winning a big pot. I was hoping to stack them both. Jorg95 leads out for 4k, sadly Rosst in the BB folds. We get it all in...


Such a sick turn card for both me and him. Brutal and awesome!

9:35 Hand 268: So I am sitting on 24,000 and the blinds are only 100-200-25. I really had no desire to play a big pot. I was content to sit back and wait and play very tight. Well I barely had time to breath after the queens when this hand came up.

I get KK and RR a loose player and another loose player jams on me...


I actually considered folding. I really didn't want to play a big pot here. There was just too much poker left and I called. I knew this would give me a huge chance at a seat. If I lost, I would still be decent shape. I called and he showed AKs and I was a 2-1 favorite...


The flop made me puke a little and now we were flipping..


Thankfully the turn and river bricked and I won another huge pot...


9:40: I am the chip leader with 155 left and almost 100 big blinds. Top 32 get a seat and its looking good. I posted this on the blog...


9:47 Hand 282: Not looking to play big pots, I get dealt AA and play a 22k pot...


10:56 Hand 358: I make it over an hour without playing a big pot. I get knocked down a bit, but this hand gets me right back to where I was...


12:15 Hand 406: I make it over another hour without playing a big pot. Again, the blinds knocked me down a bit, but I get right back to where I was with one hand...


This hand locked it up for me. I was pretty sure I could fold any hand and make it after this and thats what I did.

1:12 Hand 445: The bubble bursts on my table...



Saw some absolutely sick shit in this. The late bad beats are just disgusting when you go from $11k to $0. I saw AA > AA at one point. KK < QQ for a 115k pot, which was mind numbingly retarded by both players. They both had seats locked up and had no reason to risk it vs each other. KKK < JJ to runner, runner flush. Several other very sick hands.

So fired up today. Going to have several more posts coming about the Stars WSOP package and my travel plans. I need to figure some things about, but I have plenty of time. Hopefully my third trip to the Main Event will be my best one yet!

WSOPownage!!!!!

Got my seat WSOP Main Event Seat in the Stars 650 Sunday Sat.





Very fired up! My bankroll won't have to take the 10k hit this year. I think I spent about $2k to win it, so 8k of savings plus the spending money, good deal.

I will update more about it tomorrow.

Could be a Good Day

Don't want to jinx myself, but I am in a good spot.



Please dear god dont let me fuck this up!

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12th with 50 left and 32 get seats...



So close, hopefully all goes well. Updates to follow.

*************************************************************************

I played one hand in the last hour. It has me set up well to lock up a seat.

17/38, 6 more to go. WOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!

Blogger Bracelet Race Pimpage

Since I won $1500 WSOP Dollars in one of these last year, I should do some pimpage...

Hopeully we can get a big turnout and maybe 2 seats. Register early!

Smokkee Gets Owned

FullTiltPoker Game #2298050400: Table Summer Leaf - $0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:27:22 ET - 2007/04/27
Seat 1: lucko21 ($27.75)
Seat 2: julesmoney77 ($5.95)
Seat 3: SirFWALGMan ($64.30)
Seat 4: Drizztdj ($112.35)
Seat 5: bayne_s ($23.05)
Seat 6: TexansBaby ($37.05)
Seat 7: ScottMc ($24.45)
Seat 8: smokkee ($41.15)
Seat 9: MeCountCardZ ($13.40)
lucko21 posts the small blind of $0.10
julesmoney77 posts the big blind of $0.25
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to lucko21 [3s 8s] <---Suited Monster
TexansBaby: vnh
SirFWALGMan calls $0.25
Drizztdj folds
bayne_s folds
TexansBaby folds
ScottMc calls $0.25
smokkee calls $0.25
MeCountCardZ folds
lucko21 raises to $0.50 <--- Min raise for value
SirFWALGMan: MRMBJC
Drizztdj: RUH ROH MINRAISEAMENT <--- Good call after one min raise
smokkee: we're minraising now ? <--- Jam please, I have Aces
julesmoney77 has 15 seconds left to act
julesmoney77 calls $0.25
SirFWALGMan calls $0.25
ScottMc calls $0.25
lucko21: BIG HAND <--- aka the perfect Aces cracking hand (ATC)
smokkee raises to $1 <--- he is so getting busted
lucko21: TRAPPING
lucko21 raises to $1.50
julesmoney77 folds
ScottMc: about ot get ugly
MeCountCardZ: CAP
SirFWALGMan: lol <--- lol
SirFWALGMan: dammit <--lmao
SirFWALGMan calls $1 <--- lmfao
ScottMc: sack up pancake
smokkee: it's cheap wawfuls
ScottMc calls $1
Drizztdj: squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze
smokkee: u gotta call <--- We get it, you have Aces
smokkee raises to $2.50
SirFWALGMan: im gonna flop quads
MeCountCardZ: lol
lucko: i am incapable of stopping<-Very confidant in my suckout skillz
lucko21 raises to $3.50 <--- Very confidant
julesmoney77: somebody make a real raise please <--- I love this
SirFWALGMan folds <--- Gets out cheap


ScottMc calls $2 <--- Keep donating to my pot
SirFWALGMan: i know I am going to flop quads
Drizztdj: sighs point to doubtful
smokkee raises to $5.50 <--- The donk tries to sneak in a bigger raise
SirFWALGMan: now that I folded
lucko21: hey $2?
lucko21 raises to $7.50
Drizztdj: smok cheats
ScottMc: ok I am out just because you guys are annoying me <--- 14 bb's in pre and no flop, well played :-)
ScottMc has 15 seconds left to act
MeCountCardZ: allin scot
lucko21: lol
ScottMc folds
smokkee: wtg scott
lucko21: nothing in the book about that spot is there
smokkee: ur already commited
smokkee raises to $9.50
ScottMc: i would get called in 2 places cardz
lucko21 calls $2 <--- slow playing
** FLOP ** 9s 6c 5s <-- they don't even make it hard for me to suckout
lucko21 bets $18.25, and is all in <--- he can't call
smokkee calls $18.25 <--- calls basically drawing dead against me
lucko21 shows 3s 8s <--- 97% favorite
smokkee shows Ac As <--- this is going to hurt
** TURN ** [9s 6c 5s] Qs <--- was there ever a question?
** RIVER ** [9s 6c 5s Qs] 4c
SirFWALGMan: lol
lucko21 shows a flush, Queen high
smokkee shows a pair of Aces
lucko21 wins the pot ($58) with a flush, Queen high <--- Ship it
lucko21: owned
smokkee: oh man

Up and Down Night

I posted two night's graphs previously where I fell down early and made big comebacks. Well last night was pretty close to the opposite of that.

My first 20 hands or so I was up two buy-ins. I built it up to over $1k, then couldn't do anything right. I lost every big pot I played. I got stacked twice in about two minutes. I couldn't fold Jacks on an all rag board, my opp showed me Aces. I made up my mind to early in the hand that I had the best hand. When it became pretty clear I didn't later in the hand, I didn't adjust my read. Sigh. Then while I am somewhat tilting, a guy at another table cold calls a raise and a reraise with pocket 9's and obviously flops a set on my Kings. Nice play sir.

It was definitely a disappointing night considering how it started. I just quit the cash games before the night got any worse...


I decided to fire up the $150k Guarantee on Stars. Its such a great structure, I really should be playing it every week. I built up a nice stack when I got hit in the face with the deck and I was sailing into the money. That is, until I made a couple of really bad calls nearing the bubble, then got shortstacked and pushed into Aces. I finished about 25 spots out of the money, just gross. Bad night of poker all around. Got to take the good with the bad though.

Note Taking

Windbreak asked me if I would do a blog post on note taking. It is a subject I have somewhat avoided because it is a topic I never really wanted to get into too many specifics on. I am going to leave some things out, but I will touch on some basic points that are important and I think will be useful for people.

I use the color coding on Full Tilt and suggest you all do too. Its great for multi-tabling as a quick look at the table will give you some information. I am not going to go into how I color code opponents as I post screen shots up here way too often. I wish other sites offered this. Color coding is a huge tool that I use quite often.

When I take notes, I have two main goals. The first is to improve my table selection. If I know someone is a weak player, noting him will make it easier to find that player again. If I find several weak players at one table, I will either sit or get on the waiting list. I do have some notes that are as simple as 'donk', so even things that simple can be helpful.

The second goal is to improve my decision making during play. If I have a read on someone, I want to have it available to me every time I play that player. There is just way to many players today to remember them all. Note taking is a big advantage there.

When we attempt to read other players we do it through our own biases. I know at least for myself, I try to think 'what hands would I play that way'. So one of the major themes for me in note taking is when someone does something that I wouldn't. I want to reduce the amount my bias goes into my reads against them.

I guess an easy example would be if I raised from the cutoff with Ace-Ten and the button called and the blinds folded and the flop comes T-2-2. If I am the button in this hand, I am almost always behind TPTK here. I am rarely just calling a cutoff raise with an overpair from the button. I am also unlikely to have AT. I could have quads, but more likely I am behind. So if we get to a show down and the button shows Jacks, I am definitely making a note ("CC CO R on the BTN JJ" = Cold Called Cutoff Raise on the Button with Jacks). If I show up in similar spot against this player, I will now adjust the hand range I am putting him on, making my read against him a little stronger.

Some of the main things I am noting are hands that people open limp with, open raise with, reraise with, etc. How do they play their big pairs preflop? How do they play their sets? How do they play their draws? Will they stack off with top pair weak kicker? How do they play their sets on draw heavy boards?

If I have a note that someone plays draws slow, then they bet into me hard on a draw heavy board, I am way more likely to give them credit for a big hand. The reverse would also obviously be very helpful as well.

If a hand gets to a showdown, I try to look to see if there was anything unusual about the hand that I think will be helpful. Multi-tabling makes note taking harder, but even more valuable. I do it a decent amount, but still feel like its something I could get better at.

Hope this is helpful. I put this together pretty quick, but I think I covered most of the main points I wanted to. Let me know if you think I missed anything or things you do differently.

Back from Indy

Survived, barely. I was pretty much trashed every night and by pretty much I mean completely trashed.

I finished 2nd in a 20 man tournament the first night. The details are pretty fuzzy, but I know I got heads-up with Whale with a decent chip lead. He trapped me nicely with two pair and I paid him off when I rivered a worse two pair. After that he just put the pressure on and I couldn't do much right. Still was happy with 2nd.

I got Fulton to play screw your neighbor again. He still has lost every single time he has played it. So great. I had to give him a 40% discount on the last round to get him in. He still played and he still lost.

I also owned Fulton at Draw NL Hold'em. I saw flop with Q5s. It came A-K-6 rainbow, I bet and he called. I tossed my 5 and drew a Queen. The turn came another Queen to give me a set. We got it all in, he had hit his gutshot on the turn with JTo. Obviously though, the board paired and I scooped a monster pot. I run soooo good.

I was pretty much a donator in every other poker game played. In my defense, its not easy to win when you are drunk and trying to bluff all in every hand. I ran real good in props though. I busted out of the Saturday night's $30 tournament chasing $20 & $40 props. I hit them all. I was the second one out and almost made as much off the tournament as what first paid.

I gave drome 11-1 odds he couldn't win a sit-and-go with the chip lead with 6 people left. He called it the worst bet ever, but he still didn't win. It might have had something to do with the shots I got him to do.

I won $80 because I remembered who started the bashing of my sister. I guess I probably should split that with her, huh?

CBal folded a set in a game with a bunch of drunks. Seriously. Maybe the worst fold ever.

I run about 90% in any all-in blind prelop action. I run so good.

Oh and if Fritz is drinking rebull and vodkas, be careful where you go to sleep. Just trust me on this one. Fishstick will probably never sleep as sound ever again. Or as Fish told it: "It's not good when you wake up and Fritz is hovering over you saying 'OH, JEFF, you're SO lucky I didn't just t-bag you.'" Yea, these are my friends.


Troy- Thanks again for the weekend, you rock!!

Drunken Gambling Weekend Ahead

WOOOOT!!!

Going to the 2007 +1 Indy Meet tomorrow. Pretty fired up. Last year was a blast.

A full weekend of non-stop drinking and gambling.

Top 10 Goals for the weekend:

1. Survive
2. High Stakes Screw Your Neighbor
3. Maintain a blood alchol lelve of .15+
4. Avoid any and all High Card Draw action (its rigged)
5. Own at Quadruple Draw NL Hold'em
6. Not get arrested at the IPC
7. Bankrupt Fulton
8. Avoid being puked on during the wing eating contest
9. Titties!!!
10. Survive

I am out until Sunday or Monday. Good luck at the tables this weekend everyone.

Wild, Wild Cash Night

I haven't been playing a ton of cash games this month, but yesterday I was in the mood. I fired up a few tables and went at it.

The tables were fantastic for a weeknight. Plenty of action, the donks were out in force. Early though, I just couldn't do anything right. I ran Aces into a set of fives. I overplayed a hand and got stacked. I ran Queens into a maniacs Aces. Lost a $500 flip. Made a massive river misread in a big pot. Then I ran Queens into another maniacs Kings. It was a debacle. I was down $1900 over 900 hands. It was just so sickening. I was ready to kill someone.

Then the magic started. I went on a MASSIVE heater and wiped out all my losses and then some in the span of 11 minutes...

11:43 Table 1 - Trappy player with a huge stack, slow plays Aces. I turn a set and double through him.

11:46 Table 1 - Button pushes on a 5s 4s 3h flop in a RR pot. I call with Aces, he shows Jc5c and doesn't improve and I scoop a $670 pot.

11:48 Table 2 - I push with a pair, an open ended straight and a flush draw. I river a flush for an $800 pot.

11:51 Table 1 - Trappy player that I doubled through with Aces, stacks off with pocket 8's unimproved in a $2000 pot on a King high flop...


11:54 Table 2 - I have probably the sickest flop of my life and stack a guy for $750 pot....


I played for a while later and finished up at Table 1 with I think my biggest stack at a $2-4 table, but I could be wrong...


On Table 2, I quit when I finally busted one of the biggest maniacs I have seen. He was running at something like 65/43 or something. This hand ended his night and mine...


Check out this graph, poker is sooooo sick...

Notice the massive spike at hand 924. I was +3400 over my final 260 hands on the night. I was pretty happy.

B-Slap the Pros\Presto is Gold

Combing two blogger's themes here, Smokkee's B-Slap the Pros and Fuel55's Presto is gold...

I have no idea how Lynette Chan became a Full Tilt Pro. Seems odd to me. She hasn't won anything that I can tell. Either way, she has her name in red.

Blinds: $2/$4
6 players

Stack sizes:
Sucko: $832.70
Lynette Chan: $563
CO: $463.50
Button: $1187.50
SB: $536
BB: $400

Pre-flop: (6 players) Sucko is UTG with 5d 5c
Sucko raises to $14 <--- Easy opener
Lynette Chan calls <---Pro donk, cold calling way too often
2 folds
SB raises to $60 <--- Squeeze?
BB folds Sucko calls <--- Stacks are deep enough, plus I know...
Lynette Chan calls <--- ...the pro donk is coming along

Flop: 8d Jh 5s ($184, 3 players) <--- PRESTO!!!!!
SB bets $130 <--- Please have Aces!
Sucko calls <--- No real draws to worry about
Lynette Chan calls <--- Ok, this I didn't expect

Turn: Jd ($574, 3 players) <--- Boatage!
SB checks <--- Argh! Bet dammit!
Sucko checks <--- Slow playing a little longer
Lynette Chan checks <--- Huh!?!?! WTF are you doing?

River: 9c ($574, 3 players)
SB checks
Sucko bets $400 <--- Someone please pay me
Lynette Chan calls all-in $373 <--- WOOT!!!
SB folds
Uncalled bets: $27 returned to Sucko

Results:
Sucko shows 5d 5c (a full house, Fives full of Jacks) <--- Gold

Lynette Chan mucks (7c 6d - a straight, Nine high) <--- Cold called 2 raises pre with 76o, LMFAO!!!

Sucko wins the pot $1,317 with a full house, Fives full of Jacks <--- BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

Lynette Chan is sitting out <--- I love this part!

I Love Rakeback

This is an automated message sent from Full Tilt Poker.

Your Player ID: lucko21
Date and Time: 2007-04-14 09:29:11
Payment Method: Transfer
Transfer From: raketherake

Amount: $831.00

Status: APPROVED

This transfer has been approved. You may use your funds immediately.

Good Luck!

==

Pokertube.com

Not sure if I am late to the party on this one, but I just found this site. They have some very cool videos. Some of my favorites that I have watched so far...

The 1973 WSOP that started with just 13 players. Some great footage of Puggy Pearson and Johnny Moss.

They have two of Stuey Ungar's ME wins, 1981 & 1997. I had seen the 1997 one before several times, but never saw the full coverage of the 1981 final table.

Also the 1988 series made famous in rounders...

PETRA: Eighty-eight World Series, huh? Johnny Chan flops the nut straight, and has the discipline to wait him out. He knows Seidel's gonna bluff at it.
MIKE: Johnny-Fucking-Chan.
PETRA: Look at the control. He knows his man well enough to check it all the way and risk winning nothing with those cards. He owns him. Poor Seidel. Kid doesn't know what hit him.

The birth of the poker brat. I haven't watched the 1978 WSOP yet, but I am sure I will at some point this weekend.


They also have a lot of High Stakes Poker, Poker After Dark and many others up. Seems like a cool site. I hope they keep adding footage.

Quick Update

I have been sick this week and my back has been killing. The combination has me in just a miserable mood. I usually don't let shit like this affect my mood, but it is easily getting the better of me this week.

I haven't been playing a lot and probably shouldn't be playing at all. I don't have the mindset for it right now. I am playing pretty poorly and the beats\cooler\lost flips are just annoying the crap out of me this week. It's just not a good combination for winning poker.

I probably won't be posting much the rest of the week, barring something big happening. Sorry for the whiney post, hope everyone else is doing well.

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In the lack of any real post, I will do some pimping...

Check out sprstoner's blog, he won his second WSOP Main Event Seat on Sunday. So sick!

Or hoyazo's blog, he took 2nd place in the 30k on Full Tilt last week.

Well done guys.

WSOP $1k Satellite - Live Blogging

I won my seat on Tuesday, going to try to do a little live blogging.

72 Players registered.

Top 6 get a WSOP Main Event Seat and $2,000 in cash for expenses. 7th gets $0. The bubble is going to be rough.

3,000 starting chips, 12 minute levels.

First level 10-20.

9:00: Scott Fishman (empyseat88) and P0KERPR0 are in the field. A few other names I recognize, but the field doesn't look to loaded, still is not going to east obviously. Chip Stack = 3,000, 72 left.

9:10: A couple good flops early, I am up to 3,580 chips. WOOOT!

9:15: Bah, semibluffed a flush draw, back down to where I started. 2,980 chips, 71 left.

9:26: BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!! Third in chips. 5,930 chips, 67 left.



9:40: QQ < T9s. He turned trips. 4,940 chips, 62 left.

10:00: Break time, only 1 hand of note. Raised with QsJs from the hijack and got 4 callers, lol. Flop Q-8-8, I bet 1/2 the pot and everyone folded. 5,345 chips, blinds are going up to 40-80.



10:10: Ugh. RR the button from the big blind with AJs, he called. I cb the flop and he jammed, I folded. 3,145 chips, 50 left.

10:34: Quiet stretch for me. A couple small pots, chipped up a bit. 3,900 chips, 43 left.

10:44: Won a couple pots with AK. 5,040 chips, 36 left, down to 4 tables. Here is one of the pots, I got a decent flop and took it down with a cb...



11:08: Break time. Not much to work with the last big. Raised JTs and ran into QQ & JJ and folded. Down to 4,050 chips, blinds are going up to 120-240 with a 25 chip ante.



11:19: Out in 29th. Guy limp calls 13 big blinds with KJsoooooooted and gets rewarded. Sigh....

WSOP Super Satellite

While March was fun pounding away at the cash tables, it was also a little bit of a grind. This week I have been looking to take it easy and have a little to no stress at all. Just a week to clear the head. I might take longer, not sure. I will definitely be diving back into the cash tables soon, just not this week. Monday I barely played at all. I played the MATH, but sat out most of it. I played some $1/2 with a few other bloggers for about a half hour, but that was it.

I didn't play anything last night until 9:00. I saw a $100 WSOP Super Satellite on Full Tilt to their $1000 Thursday Satellite. So in the spirit of mixing it up and having a little more fun, I decided to give it a go.

I stayed out of trouble early and built a nice stack. I did make one mistake and jammed ATs into Queens, but I rivered an Ace, because that's how I roll. I run soooo good. :-)

It was only a 39 person tournament and the top 3 spots would win seats. I made the final table second in chips. CMitch also made the final table with a decent stack...



Unfortunately CMitch bubbled the money in 7th. I ran up a big stack and never looked back. Here I finally busted the shorty with Aces on the Seat bubble...



A few hands later it was over and I had taken it down...



And locked up my seat for Thursday where they are guaranteeing 5 seats....



Hopefully I can lock up my ME seat early this year. I might try to do some live blogging, but no promises.

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A couple other random blog notes:

There is a new battle blogger series starting, The Battle of the Blogger Tournaments. Which I think is a fantastic idea. They got Full Tilt to basically run it rake free which is awesome.

Jordan offered a prop bet on his blog which is pretty cool. He picked me, Fuel, Hoyazo and GCox basically against the field. I would love to win him some money, but I don't think he made a wise choice with me. It's doubtful I will play enough events to do any damage. I will give it a little more effort to play than I would have though. The man put his money on me, the least I can do is try to make a few more events than I would have. I am planning on playing the Mookie tonight, hopefully I can take it down. Even still, I doubt I will play even half the events in the series and probably much less than that. I hope one of my other "prop-bet-mates" can get it done for him.


Also Pearlsnapman did some mad pimpage on his blog for me. Sort of like a best of luckownage post. Check it out and give his blog read. Thanks for the plug buddy.

March Totals and April Fool's Day

By far my most depressing brag post ever. I had my worst day I have ever had on line yesterday. I got absolutely killed. The total I lost is just sickening. I undid a lot of the good I did in March. So pissed today. I wish it was just a bad April Fool's Day joke Stars and Full Tilt pulled on me. In such a bad mood this morning. Poker is just a sick, sick game.