My most recent article, De-Polarizing Your Turn Range, has just been published in the September issue of 2+2 Internet Magazine. Unfortunately for regular readers of my blog, there won’t be a lot of new information, as the article mostly brings together my analysis of two different cash game … Read full post
The Washington Post recently ran a very thorough story on two debaters from the Baltimore Urban Debate League. It’s probably the best article I’ve seen on any urban debate league. It’s generally true that any press is good press, but too often news articles tend to have an undertone … Read full post
I was really happy with the way I was playing yesterday. The aggressive style that wins money at shorthanded 5/10 NL has been getting me into trouble in tournament play lately, but yesterday I didn’t do anything dumb: no hopeless calls, no big bluffs, and no desperation plays. I was … Read full post
This is from a $100 freezeout on Poker Stars. Villain in this hand is Lilholdem, one of the most successful tournament players around. From what I’ve seen, he’s loose and aggressive, sometimes to a fault.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold’em Tourney, Big Blind is t150 (9 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of … Read full post
Sorry for the lack of updates, but as predicted, I haven’t spent a lot of time on the computer in Chicago. I’m out here for a week volunteering for the Chicago Debate Summer Institute, a two-week camp very similar to the institute I ran in Boston last week. Unlike my … Read full post
Sorry things have been slow recently, but I haven’t played much, with Boston’s summer institute last week, and now I’m headed out to Chicago to volunteer for a week at their institute. I won’t be playing much if any poker, and probably won’t have a lot of opportunity to update … Read full post
Not that we’re in agreement politically, but I’ve got a lot of respect for McCain, more than I have for pretty much any other politician. He seems genuine, humble, funny, intelligent, thoughtful, etc. Nothing like a few years in a Vietnamese prison camp to give you some perspective, I guess.… Read full post
Today was the last day of the BDL’s week-long summer institute, and it really went better than I could have hoped. There were some snags, particularly when the post office lost three weeks worth of my mail including all of the applications, but we rallied and managed to bring together … Read full post
I skipped Tuesday’s $200 O/8 event, but played the $300 rebuy 6-max last night. I started to the left of kwob20, who was playing like a complete monkey during the rebuy period, just shipping his stack in really bad spots. In one hand, he limped behind a limper, I potted … Read full post
Came across this strange but quite well done poker video today:
I literally felt physically ill after busting out of this tournament. That was probably in no small part due to the fact that I’d slept badly the night before, spent the whole day teaching and running around doing other things to keep the BDL summer institute going, and then played … Read full post
I’ll start by telling you that the BDL camp got off to a good start. We had twelve students on our first day, which was about as many as I’d expected when we first thought about having an institute, but not as many as I’d hoped after the flood of … Read full post
Once again, got off to a good start. Eventually, this happened:
Full Tilt Poker
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $100/$200
9 players
Converter
Stack sizes:
UTG: $13505
UTG+1: $15869
MP1: $1845
MP2: $7740
MP3: $10452
Foucault: $7435
Button: $2686
SB: $10085
BB: $6027
Pre-flop: (9 players) Foucault … Read full post
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Skipped Event 4, which was the $500 PLO 6-max. Chief (for those of you who know him) IM’ed me for a quick primer in the game cuz he satellited in. My first piece of advice was not to play satellites for tournaments you shouldn’t be playing. I told him … Read full post
$200 Pot Limit Hold ‘Em. I built up from 3000 to 5000 early on when my KK flopped KJJ and the clown who called me out of position with Q9o bluffed his gutshot into me. That should have taught me something: don’t try to bluff random tournament donkeys. At 25/50, … Read full post
Last night was the $200 HORSE event. I made it about three hours in, ran well in the first couple levels against some clueless donks, then got nothing playable for like an hour, got outdrawn by another donkey at Razz, rebuilt thanks to some stubborn Stud donkeys, made a baby … Read full post
I took seven semesters of French in college, and though I’ve never been to a French-speaking country, my knowledge of the language, particularly the written languate, was pretty strong when I graduated. In the past three years, though, I’ve barely used it. I’ve been wanting to read the Harry Potter … Read full post
Since I was already planning on playing the Stars $300 and FTP $200 last night, and I’m going to be playing more tournaments because of FTOPS, I decided just to play all tournaments last night and no cash. That’s probably wise anyway, because the mentality required for tournaments versus is … Read full post
The fifth Full Tilt Online Poker Series started with a $200+9 NLHE tournament last night. It got a huge field, well over 4000 players, and featured the usual generous FTOPS structure. There were no antes, for example, until two hours into the tournament. A little over 500 places paid, and … Read full post
Sorry, I know this is old news, but it’s something I’ve been wanting to comment on for a while. In my opinion, Jerry Yang’s victory at the 2007 World Series of Poker is great for the game’s image. There are those who claim that a win by a largely inexperienced … Read full post
The last hand that I posted involved me shoving pocket Tens on a KQxx board against a guy who had reraised me pre-flop and then bet the flop and turn. Part of my reasoning was that when the K turned, he was actually less likely to have because he bet … Read full post
Full Tilt Poker
No Limit Holdem Ring game
Blinds: $5/$10
6 players
Converter
Stack sizes:
UTG: $1000
Foucault: $1711
CO: $1514
Button: $551
SB: $1850.75
BB: $1163
Pre-flop: (6 players) Foucault is UTG+1 with :th :td
UTG folds, Foucault raises to $35, CO calls, 2 folds, … Read full post
I knew this was going to happen once I made my first TED post. Now I am going to have tell you about what exciting new things I see each day!
Jennifer Lin on Piano Composition and Improvisation– Everything she plays is very good, but I especially recommend the … Read full post
PLO has long been my worst game, but it’s also the second most popular form of poker after NLHE, especially for higher stakes games, so I’d really like to learn it. I’ve been playing 1/2 from time to time, just trying to get a hang of it. Here’s a spot … Read full post
They are called TED Talks, and they are like intellectual crack. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and basically TED conferences bring together some of the smartest and most fascinating people from these fields. Each gives an 18-minute talk about the work that he or she does, and to … Read full post
I’ve got an article called “Value Flows Downstream” in the August issue of 2+2 Magazine. The article is about river play and how it can influence other streets. In particular, it discusses the importance of thin value betting marginal hands on the river, so I figured I’d … Read full post
I’d never played the $1000 FTP Money Monday until last night, but at the time, it just felt right. I’m an early-to-bed, early-to-rise kind of guy, and I often start getting tired around 9PM. Last night, however, I felt awake and alert, so I decided to give this tournament a … Read full post
Ugh, yesterday was not a good day. I spent most of the day playing 6-8 tables of big Sunday tournaments and 5-10 NL. I wasn’t playing particularly well in either, and combined with some moderately bad luck, this led to a pretty rough day. The only redeeming point was a … Read full post
After much delay, anticipation, and worry, the day has finally arrived. US customers can now withdraw their long-locked-up funds from Neteller. The only catch is that Neteller asks you to sign a release that indemnifies both you and them from being sued. I’m not a lawyer or in any way … Read full post
There’s a trailer up on YouTube for the documentary, called Resolved, about high school debate in which my friend Dave plays a key role. Unfortunately he isn’t in the trailer, and in fact his students are barely shown either, but if you’re intersted in a brief introduction to the … Read full post
This isn’t a move I make often, but here the stars were aligned correctly. My opponent was very aggressive at several tables and seemed to be targeting me specifically (not a bad approach, since I was playing more weak hands than anyone else). He was c-betting 100% of the time, … Read full post
Came across a good story recently on the blog of 2+2 poster Degen about being arrested for playing poker in Thailand. I couldn’t figure out how to link to just that post, but it’s currently the top item on his blog. Here’s a good excerpt:
“In America if you … Read full post
Sorry for the lack of updates recently, I didn’t realize how long it had been because I actually posted something two days ago, but then Blogger ate it and I was too despondent to retype it all. But I still had it in my head that I had updated recently, … Read full post
OK this is pretty much just a brag post, but whatever, I had a huge day today, thanks in no small part to this first guy. Here’s some masterful play by him that angers the universe:
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (5 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of … Read full post
The 5/10 NL FTP game is very aggressive, much more so than the 3/6 game. That’s given me opportunities to make some big calls, which is always fun. Here’s a few from last night:
Full Tilt Poker No-Limit Hold’em, $10 BB (6 handed) Hand History converter Courtesy of PokerZion.com
Hero … Read full post
I happened today to come across two media pieces dealing, at least tangentially, with the issue of gangs in Los Angeles. Gangs and related problems of crime and drugs are issues in virtually every major metropolitan area in the US, but LA seems to be the epicenter both in terms … Read full post
I made a squeeze play with rags and ended up sucking out on some terrible player. He told me how awful I was to re-raise with J7 etc etc so I challenge him to 10/20 NL heads up and he accepts. It starts off alright, he is pretty tight, I … Read full post
Money should be available around the end of the month. From today’s press release:
“The Company is using its best efforts to allow withdrawal requests as soon as possible and US customers will be able to sign in to their NETELLER account to request the withdrawal of their funds … Read full post
Now that the WSOP is over, I really want to scale back my tournament play and focus on improving at 6-max no limit ring games. My recent winnings have given me enough of a roll that I want to dive right in and start multi-tabling 5/10 pretty aggressively. I’ve played … Read full post
Poker received brief but favorable mention on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times this week. The piece, Texas Hold ‘Em Seizes Gotham, focuses on a character nicknamed “Old Man”. Old Mas is portrayed positively as a responsible recreational gambler:
“he limits losses to $500 a night but … Read full post
I should be on my way to the Rio right now, preparing to nurse a sickly stack into a monster as I did on Tuesday. Instead, I am sitting in front of my computer trying to decide how to explain to all of you how it all came crashing down.… Read full post
That blogger from the Balitmore Sun whom I mentioned a few days ago just posted another little blurb about me. His conclusion?
“…super smart and level-headed don’t always necessarily go together. It’s refreshing to see when it does.”
I’m blushing.… Read full post
I wasn’t feeling real well today, so I only played three of the majors: the $200 million guarantee on Stars, the $500 million guarantee on FTP, and $200 200K guarantee on UB. I ended up cashing kinda well in all three, and came 36th out of more than 2000 on … Read full post
The Los Angeles Urban Debate League, run by my good friend David Wiltz, has been in the news lately thanks to a new documentary about the world of high school debate that highlights two of his former students. Here’s a good summary from the article:
“In the film, the … Read full post
Barry and goleafsgoeh were the two players who most concerned me at the table, and with one gone and one crippled, I was ready for total table domination. Except that we didn’t get to play even a single hand after the second break. No sooner had the tournament director announced … Read full post
I got a mention on the Baltimore Sun sports page today from a blogger named Bill Ordine. He didn’t know much about me at the time, but here’s what he had to say:
“The only other Maryland player who appeared to cash-in at the main event who was listed … Read full post
I ended my Day 1 report by bemoaning my measly 30,000 chips but predicting that, “A lot will depend on how things go in the first few hours. If I can get off to a good start, I could easily double or triple up and be right back in contention.” … Read full post
I’m at Table 26, Seat 6. Here’s the full lineup:
1. Olav Prinz von Sachsew (101,700)
2. Justin “Jurollo/WPTHero” Rollo (238,500) Justin’s blog
3. Dale Michael (123,500)
4. Matt “Matt24/Mattster24” Sterling (137,000) Matt’s website
5. Andy Stocker (261,500)
6. Me (344,100)
7. David Lee (74,700)
8. Randall Amiel (179,700)
9. … Read full post
I’m at Table 26, Seat 6. Here’s the full lineup:
1. Olav Prinz von Sachsew (101,700)
2. Justin “Jurollo/WPTHero” Rollo (238,500) Justin’s blog
3. Dale Michael (123,500)
4. Matt “Matt24/Mattster24” Sterling (137,000) Matt’s website
5. Andy Stocker (261,500)
6. Me (344,100)
7. David Lee (74,700)
8. Randall Amiel (179,700)
9. … Read full post
I had a huge day today, up from 30K to 344,100. I’m not sure when I’ll get around to posting the write up, so please be patient. Hopefully I’ll be tied up for a few more days :-).
Thanks to Darren and others for the updates on here. That hand … Read full post
Here’s a good tibit from Conor Tate, who will be at my table today. Apparently he’s a pro with some British coaching site, but I found his blog from his first day’s play both interesting and informative. Two highlights:
“I immediately get the impression my table is going to play … Read full post
Looks like a tough lineup, and I’m not thrilled with where I’m sitting relative to the big stacks and specifically Barry G:
1- Me 31K
2- Barry Greenstein 93K
3- Scott Yeates 163K
4- Miles Dooly 57K
5- couldn’t find a listing, maybe empty?
6- Conor Tate 109K took 1… Read full post
I left the house around 11AM on Friday bound for the Rio and the main event of the 2007 World Series of Poker. Vegas is experiencing record highs for the weak, with the thermometer topping out near 120 degrees. It’s enough to leave me sweating after a two block walk … Read full post
I’m working on a longer write-up, but I don’t know when that will be done, so just to let you all know, I did survive Day 1 of the main event. It was a real roller coaster, as evidenced by my chip stack relative to the average at the end … Read full post
As I was driving to the Rio on July 4th, whatever radio station I was listening to at the time wished me a “Happy Fourth from the All-American Radio Station” and then started playing the song, “Fortunate Son” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. You may recall there was a Wrangler jeans … Read full post
I arrived at the Rio around 3:30 PM on July 4th. I had $4000 in tournament lammers in my left pocket and $3400 cash in my right. My objective was to play satellites (they were running a bunch of $500 and $1000 megas, including one at 4PM) until I was … Read full post
Went out to the Rio last night, primarily to meet Nate from 2+2. Traffic was atrocious, so it took me like twice as long to get there as it should have, but I still had about two hours to play. I got a seat in a new game, and when … Read full post
Jonas Flug-Entin, 2+2’s Riverboatking, is at the final table of the $10,000 World Series of Poker Pot Limit Omaha Championship event. It’s a pretty sick line-up:
Seat 1 – Doyle Brunson – 510,000
Seat 2 – Patrik Antonius – 650,000
Seat 3 – Marco Traniello – 420,000
Seat 4 – … Read full post
This was only my third hand at the table, but I’d already established an aggressive image at the table by steal raising from late position on the first two hands, once checking and folding when my opponent caught better than I did on fourth and once winning with a bet … Read full post
My most recent poker article, entitled “Your First World Series of Poker“, has just been published in the July issue of Two Plus Two Internet Magazine. Please let me know what you think with comments here or in my thread in the 2+2 Magazine Forum.… Read full post
I went out to the Rio last night to play the 7PM $1000 second chance tournament. For some reason, even though our table was apparently sold out, four players didn’t show up in the time I was there, which unfortunately was not very long. In fact I was probably the … Read full post
I heard this story from Bond, who heard it from someone else, so I have no idea how true it is, but I think it’s hilarious, regardless.
Some NLHE tournament or something, guy raises pre-flop, Chan calls out of the blinds. On the flop, Chan check-raises all him, and the … Read full post
After the $5K yesterday, I played a $512+13 ten-handed satellite. It was winner take all in tournament lammers, but since this was live poker, my understanding was that deals were almost always made.
The play was predictably bad. Tons of limping pre-flop, no one ever raised without having AK or … Read full post
I am both pretty good at poker and kind of arrogant, so it is rare for me not to be one of the best players at any poker table and even rarer for me to admit it. In yesterday’s $5K 6-max event, I was not one of the best players … Read full post
I’d been going back and forth on whether to play this. I’ve been frustrated with how few prelim events I’ve played and how little playing time I ended up with in the two that I did play. However, my bankroll can’t really handle more shots right now, especially since I … Read full post
I was browsing this blog from a Vegas taxi driver and was very glad to see this post about all the racism surrounding NBA All Star Weekend. I was in Vegas while Mandalay Bay was hosting the NBA All Star game, in fact I was staying just next door at … Read full post