This one was over quick. I 3-bet AT on the button against a pretty loose bad player in the CO whom I’d 3-bet several times before. He called. The flop came T-high with a flush draw. He checked and called. The turn was a 9, making the board something like … Read full post
My first table was pretty unremarkable except for Erick Lindgren a few seats to my right. He was playing a kind of loose and passive style, but he was making it work for him. After I got myself knocked out in 4th (at that first table), he had more than … Read full post
I was too inconsiderate to order your gift well in advance and too cheap to get expedited shipping, so it may not arrive tomorrow. But it will be there soon. In the meantime, here are photos from Bryce and Zion Canyons. For everyone who wasn’t there, I’ve included the occasional … Read full post
I’m not sure who this company is that they produced an ad of this length and production quality, but I thought it was awesome!
Once again I had some rough table draws, ending up with a lot of high-stakes cash players. As I previously explained, this is bad in an FTOPS tournament for a number of reasons. One of them took me to valuetown on the first hand of the tournament:
Full Tilt Poker, … Read full post
This ran simultaneously with the HORSE, and I didn’t even realize it was scheduled. I think turbo tournaments are stupid, but it was an FTOPS, I was already playing, and it as going to require close to 0% of my attention, so I played. Thankfully, it was over quick, as … Read full post
I wanted to make this post about how bad people are at Stud/8, because they are. Split pot games will rip clueless players to shreds. O/8 is a pretty easy game to get, so you don’t see quite as many huge mistakes. Plus there are fewer betting streets and it’s … Read full post
I knew Monday night’s FTOPS was a 1K NLHE, but I was pleasantly surprised when I was “seated” to find only five other players at my table. I had no idea it was a 6-max! I was less pleasantly surprised to find two other regulars in the FTP 10/20 games … Read full post
This event replaced the usual $200 FTP $750K Guarantee and had an appropriately weak field. I didn’t do anything special to chip up, aside from occasionally abusing the fish on my right. I did find check-folding Aces on the turn at one point:
Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold’em Tournament, 80/160 … Read full post
2+2 forums mainstay and Poker Savvy Plus Guest Pro Shaundeeb (no relation to Freddy) won yesterday’s $500 heads up FTOPS tournament. He dusted his opponent in the Final Four in a single hand (sorry converter can’t seem to handle a HU tournament):
Full Tilt Poker Game #7600724839: FTOPS Event #9 … Read full post
I went pretty deep in the $500 heads up matches, finishing in the top 64. Here’s a blow-by-blow:
Round 1
My first two opponents were ridiculously soft. I polished the first off in minutes, then waited over an hour for round two.
Round 2
I was so busy playing other … Read full post
This was a $200 6-max tournament with a $40 bounty on each player. I lasted a few hours but only won one bounty. Because it was 6-max, I was able to accumulate chips without a lot of big hands. Eventually JCarver got moved to my left, which cramped my style. … Read full post
Event 7 was the $100 rebuy. On the first hand I raised AQ on the button, called a shove for half a stack (ie the guy didn’t double rebuy), and got shown AA. I reloaded $100 more and that’s all I was in for. It’s practically the only hand I … Read full post
I’m not great at PLO, but I played the $500 PLO 6-max FTOPS event because I want to get better and I was sure there would be plenty of worse players. There were. Unfortunately, they ran good:
Full Tilt Poker
Pot Limit Omaha Ring game
Blinds: $20/$40
6 players
Converter… Read full post
Event 4 was a $300 NLHE tournament that allowed one $300 rebuy and one $3000 add-on. The initial $300 bought 2000 chips, the rebuy bought 2000 chips anytime during the first hour that you had 2000 chips or fewer, and the add-on bought $2500 chips at the end of first … Read full post
The ninth Full Tilt Online Poker Series commenced on Wednesday with a $200 NLHE freezeout. I lasted only about two hours, and this was the closest thing to an interesting hand I could find:
Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold’em Tournament, 100/200 Blinds, 9 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter
MP2: … Read full post
Here are two pretty interesting hands from a small PLO8 tournament that I final tabled on Saturday ($100 buy-in, like 135 players, I finished 8th, not a big deal). It’s pretty rare that you would slowplay in PLO8 because a single card can easily make even huge hands an underdog. … Read full post
Can’t complain about this. All three of these hands were from a single session at the same table over the course of about four hours:
Poker Stars, $25/$50 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 8 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter
SB: $5,611.45
BB: $750
UTG: $800
UTG+1: $5,175
MP1: $6,785
MP2: … Read full post
I just happened to notice this post on fellow Poker Savvy Plus pro Dani “Ansky” Stern’s blog. He posted the details on PokerHand, but I find it annoying to click a link just to see the action, so here’s my summary:
Dani’s playing 10/20 heads up no limit … Read full post
As of yesterday, I’m now a Core Pro, as opposed to a Guest Pro, at Poker Savvy Plus. This means I’ll be making videos more consistently for them: five times per month, so roughly one a week.
It’s a great honor to be affiliated with Poker Savvy Plus, because … Read full post
I’m going to be publishing my trip report from my 35th place finish at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event in three installments in the Two Plus Two Internet Magazine. The first installment, covering Days 1 and 2, has just been published in the August issue.… Read full post
I had the best year of my poker career last month :-). Obviously that was thanks to cashing for $193,000 at the WSOP. It’s pretty freaky to think that there were several spots in the tournament, most notably when I was all in with AK vs JJ and spiked an … Read full post
Full Tilt Poker
Pot Limit Omaha Ring game
Blinds: $2/$4
5 players
Converter
Pre-flop: (5 players) Hero is SB with :9d :9s :8c :8h
UTG calls, CO raises to $11, Button calls, Hero calls, BB calls, UTG calls.
Flop: :6d :ks :9c ($55, 5 players)… Read full post
This was against some random in the weekly FTP 100 rebuy. I felt like although he probably was dumb enough to shove pocket pairs here, he’d raise most of them pre-flop. I felt like random diamonds, often with a dominated Ace, or just Ace-high would be his most likely holding. … Read full post
This incident occurred a while ago, but I just came across this first-hand account from a hired chef who was not playing in the game posted on The Agitator:
… Read full postThe raid occurred around 7:40 p.m. I was in the kitchen area which was just inside the front door when
I was reading an autobiography of a guy whom I’d never known to be a poker player when I came across this rather detailed account of a big 5-card stud pot he once won. I’d be very surprised if anyone who hasn’t read this book himself were to guess the … Read full post
Sorry all, I know I’ve been a little light lately on posts and especially on strategy stuff. Truthfully I haven’t played much poker since the WSOP. This is due to some combination of having a lot of non-poker stuff to catch up on and also not feeling any pressure to … Read full post
I was playing a little HORSE yesterday and made a read/laydown that might be standard/uninteresting for serious Stud/8 players but that made me happy. The villain, Berry Johnston, won the 1986 WSOP main event, and actually he and I played together live at Day 1 of the 2006 WSOP, … Read full post
Thanks to everyone who’s asked about these, and especially to Nick from London who prompted me to make this post I’ve been meaning to make. I’m really flattered that you all are so eager to read a trip report from the WSOP. I’m going to be publishing the trip report, … Read full post
I was looking through my Stat Counter log today for a glimpse of how people were finding my blog, what links and search terms they were using, etc. I came across two funny ones. Well, the first is really more disturbing than funny. One person googled “How to kill … Read full post
Full Tilt Poker, $5/$10 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter
Hero (BTN): $2,517
SB: $1,000
BB: $1,888.75
UTG: $5,702.90
CO: $1,017
Pre-Flop: A
T dealt to Hero (BTN)
3 folds, Hero raises to $30, SB raises to $90, Hero calls $60
Flop: ($180) … Read full post
The $15K World Poker Tour Bellagio event always attracts a star-studded field of pros fresh off competing in the World Series of Poker. The six-handed final table this year was no exception:
Seat 1: Ralph Perry – 1,635,000
Seat 2: Luke “IWearGoggles” Staudenmaier – 3,495,000
Seat 3: John “The Razor” … Read full post
I played my first online session in weeks tonight, and it went great. Mostly just running well, though I do think I chose my spots well. I also may not have gotten paid off on the river here if I hadn’t gotten tricksy:
Poker Stars, $10/$20 NL Hold’em Cash Game, … Read full post
I’ll lead off with the big one. My girlfriend pointed out to me that although a few people posted it as a comment, I hadn’t actually made a post that included my finish at the World Series of Poker. Out of 6,844 players, I finished 35th and won $193,000. How … Read full post
Frankly, I didn’t do a very good job of courting/attracting media attention despite my deep run in the WSOP. But here are a few links to coverage of my play:
Seat 1: Craig Stein – 440,000
Seat 2: Niklas Flisberg – 1,264,000
Seat 3: Mark Wilds – 485,000
Seat 4: Andrew Brokos – 4,444,000
Seat 6: Lisa Parsons – 581,000
Seat 7: Peter Neff – 1,275,000
Seat 8: Darus Suharto – 1,057,000
Seat 9: Owen Crowe – 1,050,000
Owen Crowe … Read full post
Thanks for all the support guys. Today was ridiculous, such a tough table for most of the day, fought tooth and nail to get up to 2 mil then got moved to softer table and picked up quick 2 mil. Alex is an amazing player, had some awful luck today … Read full post
Seat 1: Garrett Beckman – 515,000
Seat 2: Allen Carter – 413,000
Seat 3: Brad Johnson – 237,000
Seat 4: Reagan Silber – 671,000
Seat 5: Brent Sheirbon – 919,000
Seat 6: Pontus Khosravi – 629,000
Seat 7: Alexander Kostritsyn – 1,137,000
Seat 8: Andrew Brokos – 678,000
Seat 9: … Read full post
I’m listed as Andrew Brooks on Poker News, finished the day with 566,500. That’s down a fair bit from my peak of 750K but a hell of a lot better than the 65K I started with. I finished level 1 still at 65K, then won a flip for my life … Read full post
Here’s my Day 3 lineup. I’ve never played with Brandon Adams, but from what I’ve heard, he’s very good. I played with Liv last night, she tells me she’s a professional, but I didn’t think she was especially tough. Very nice, though, and achingly beautiful. I can’t say I mind … Read full post
Wow crazy today. Climbed steadily to 145K by dinner, got 100K in drawing dead, pulled out AK JJ for a 90K coin flip, sucked out 6c 3c AQ on a Qc 4c 4x flop (running straight, baby!), won 12K 22 AK to get up to 180K, then got rivered for … Read full post
The numbers are in, and 6,844 players entered the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event. Fewer than half survived Day 1, and only about 1/3 of those will survive Day 2. Hopefully I will be among them.
I’ve done some research to learn my Day 2 seating assignment along … Read full post
Even though I eventually won a WSOP seat through Stars, they were out of hotel rooms at the Palms, so my only option was to take $1000 in exchange for their sponsorship. Cheapskate that I am, I spent my first few nights at the Imperial Palace. The room was nothing … Read full post
I came out to Vegas a few days early to get into the swing of things, to see some friends with whom I play and talk poker regularly online but rarely see in real life, and to take care of some business. This will be my third time playing in … Read full post
I finished my first day at the WSOP with 67,125. I think the average is like 40-50K, so I can’t complain. But I was up over 100K with 30 minutes to go and got myself in a really bad spot. I raised K4s to 1100 UTG (tight table, end of … Read full post
After working most of the morning, I got to the Rio about 4:30 and wandered through the Gaming Life Expo. It was pretty disappointing, way fewer scantily clad women than in past years. There were long lines to meet Chris Moneymaker and Doyle Brunson, but there was no wait for … Read full post
There’s a free sample from one of my Poker Savvy videos up on Cardplayer this week:
… Read full postSome of the scenarios that Brokos goes over include how to play a strong hand like A-Q after missing the flop or hitting a flop that leaves your A-Q weak. He discusses what kinds
My first day in Vegas was a blast. I’ll get into more detail tomorrow, but basically I got to pretend I was a big shot for a day. I had an interview with a reporter doing a story on poker and philanthropy, then a taping for Cardplayer with the Poker … Read full post
Some of the other Poker Savvy Pros and I are doing a round table discussion with Card Player magazine today. They’re accepting questions and awarding one-year Poker Savvy Plus memberships if yours is chosen.
… Read full postSimply e-mail a question or two that you would like asked during the video tomorrow. We’ll
Not that it’s really any of my business, but I knew Eric a bit a few years ago and was very surprised/worried, in light of the recent cheating at Ultimate Bet, when I heard that he was joining up with them. So it was with considerable relief that I … Read full post
My latest poker strategy article, Defending Against Bluffs, has just been published in the July 2008 issue of 2+2 Internet Magazine. Here’s a teaser:
To discover the true cost of a fold, you have to consider your opponent’s entire range. The next step in building up a defense … Read full post
Hey, a winning month! Maybe I am not so bad at this game after all. There are still a few days to go, but I probably won’t be playing much if at all. As you may have noticed, I haven’t been playing the last few days either. I leave for … Read full post
I was having trouble getting the ESPN360 feed to work. I finally got it streaming just in time to hear, “There are eight players left, Tom Chambers has busted out.” Whoops. I don’t know the full story, but apparently he got all in with top set and lost to a … Read full post
My buddy Tom (LearnedFromTV), who’s already been tearing up the 2008 WSOP with a second place finish for $140K in the $2500 Stud/8-O/8 Mixed event and a shallow cash in the $1000 Razz, has made his second final table of the series, this time in the $1500 PLO/8. Once again, … Read full post
George Carlin, one of my favorite stand-up comedians, died yesterday at the age of 71. I was fortunate enough to see him live at the Orleans in December, and of course now I’m doubly glad that I took advantage of the opportunity to see him when I had it.
I
After spending more than enough money to buy in directly, I finally won a freaking main event seat in one of the last $650 satellites Stars will be running. Counting the spending money and sponsorship deal that comes with the package, I think that I ended up breaking even on … Read full post
The New York Times ran a neat article today about a convention of casino chip collectors this weekend in Las Vegas. In case you need another excuse not to play the slots, you can apparently hit the jackpot even if you don’t deposit your chip:
… Read full postLast year, Eric Rosenblum, a
Full Tilt Poker, $3/$6 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 4 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter
BTN: $1,249.10
SB: $600
BB: $1,385.25
Hero (UTG): $1,542.65
Pre-Flop: Q
J dealt to Hero (UTG)
Hero raises to $21, BTN calls $21, SB folds, BB calls $15
Flop: ($66) 9 3
K (3 … Read full post
BryanS, the awesome guy who represents Poker Stars on the 2+2 Forums, just posted a nearly final draft of the schedule for their annual World Championship of Online Poker. As usual, it looks like it’s going to be a ground-breaking event for internet poker, featuring some huge buy-ins, some … Read full post
More often than not I end up regretting big moves like this in tournaments, but I think this one is alright. It worked, anyway.
Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold’em Tournament, 120/240 Blinds, 25 Ante, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter
MP: 25,020
CO: 25,268
BTN: 3,120
SB: 6,095
Hero … Read full post
With deeper stacks (these hands are all from deep tables), you need to be, not necessarily more aggressive, but aggressive in more situations. With 100 BBs’s, a 4-bet squeeze will almost always commit your stack, which means there’s only a narrow range of hands with which you can make this … Read full post
Man I was around Vegas for most of the WSOP last summer and nothing spectacular happened. Then I sit it out this summer and all of my best poker buddies start kicking ass. Guess I am a jinx.
Payouts
1 $434,789
2 $277,452
3 $167,973
4 $137,343
5 $112,641
6 … Read full post
is that the bad beats are more expensive than ever! Here are some monsters I lost today:
Full Tilt Poker, $2/$4 NL Hold’em Cash Game, 6 Players
LeggoPoker.com – Hand History Converter
UTG: $1,006.70
MP: $448.30
CO: $870.20
Hero (BTN): $1,021.50
SB: $416
BB: $525
Pre-Flop: A A dealt to … Read full post
My dad keeps up with the blog, so I figured I’d make a post to wish him a Happy Father’s Day. I didn’t see him today, since he’s in Maryland and I’m in Boston, but he’ll be coming out to Las Vegas for the WSOP as he has for the … Read full post
Ran down to Foxwoods for a few hours today to get back in the swing of live poker in preparation for the WSOP. Mostly I reminded myself how mind-numblingly boring the games are and how god damn stupid and annoying the players are. Jesus it’s bad enough they take two … Read full post
As some of you know, my poker playing for the last few years has supported not only myself but a debate league in the Boston Public Schools. It started as just a volunteer thing that I did with a few teachers, but we soon realized that it had potential … Read full post