Bubble Boy
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Dec 17 2008, 09:33 AM in Poker
The seconds and minutes after busting out of a tournament is a pretty gross feeling. It's obviously worse in big main events but nonetheless it sucks in even a small hundo tourney. I played the three day Borgata Deepstak the started sunday..It was a relatively inexpensive $350 buyin that got 600 players...The structure was great..25k starting chips, but for a 4 day event..50k for first place is a little low...54 spots paid..with 54th paying $550 it wasnt a huge bubble..cashing is nice for multiple days work but still its not like a true deepstak or main event where the lowest cashers still get 4 figures...
Fast forward to yesterday..I came into day 2 with 45k chips..below avg but not short..My first two tables were great..I chipped up to 300k over the first 6 hours...I could do no wrong...Bluffing, squeezing, stop n going, picking up nice hands and getting great value from having the nuts..it got to a point where nobody at my table wanted to play a pot with me...THEN----
I got moved to another table. I knew a few of the ppl at this table and one guy in particular I know well...I got a little aggravated before the dinner break when the one guy reraised me, said he would show his hand to the table..then renegged and only showed one card..very classless but...I should expect this.
The crushing hand after dinner break came with 65 ppl left..I had 220k..Raised the 5k 10k blinds to 28k with red 10s..The big stack who played tough on the other end called the 28k..Then the tilting small blind moved all in for 130k more which was an obvious squeeze play..Fairly certain I had the best hand, I reisolated all in..The big stack folded and it was me and the SB heads up for a 320K pot..I still had 75k behind so if I win..I have 400K and one of the chip leaders in the tourney...I have 10s...he flips over pocket 3s..THE FLOP>>>>>>>> 3 2 2...Ugh.
So that crippled and then with 56 left..I got it all in with AQ suited and the Big Blind woke up with AK..and that was that..
Rough full stop.
Week 15 Sneaky Starter Summary
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Dec 17 2008, 09:24 AMA few hits and a few misses with last weeks crucial week 15 predictions...Jake Delhomme was in sync with Steve Smith and dominated in the first half. But then the Panthers ran the ball the entire 2nd half and in the process limited Jake's numbers. He still ended up with 15 points. Derrick Ward ran the ball well but only caught one pass as the Giants struggled on offense more than any other game all year. MJD on the other hand made the most of Fred Taylor's absence by scoring two TDs. Torry Holt had an acceptable 4/64 1TD 16+ point day which is sadly one of his best games of the year. LJ Smith wasn't as much of a factor as I had expected as the Eagles installed more of a vertical passing game vs. the inept Browns. As far as defenses, the Jets and Eagles exceled with the benefit of defensive TDs while the Colts didn't pounce on the Lions like every other defense has done in recent weeks....
Week 15- Two Weeks Left to Decide Our Champion
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Dec 12 2008, 11:38 PM in WCOFF- Start Em Sit Em's
With two weeks remaining in all fantasy seasons, whether it be the WCOFF formats or local league semi final/final weeks..decisions are for the most part limited..Of course you have the Pierre Thomas/Reggie Bush debate that backfired for many Thursday Night, but at this point, you pretty much need to ride the horses that got you here. The below players are guys that may have been in and out of your lineup this year and could be used as high upside plays in the one in done contest.
QB-Jake Delhomme- The Panthers have been running the ball with tremendous success more or less the whole year but in the last few weeks they've been virtually unstoppable. And the Broncos struggle vs. the run. This may be a week where the Broncos put 8-9 men in the box and allow superman Steve Smith to face 1-1 coverage too often. Delhomme may be able to pass at will to Smith and Mush.
RB- Derrick Ward and MJD--Both of these guys are must starts, and potentially could be two of the higher scoring backs this week. Both will be THE MAN with their RBBC partners out.
WR- Torry Holt- I cannot believe I'm saying anything positive about Holt after the brutal year he had as a late 2nd round pick but I have a feeling he has a huge game this week. In fairness to him, the team has been terrible around him. Against Seattle, the Rams may actually be able to control the game with Jackson and Holt.
TE-LJ Smith-Not sure if I was the only one who noticed this but LJ Smith looked like a man posessed vs. the Giants..He didn't have a huge stat day but when he caught the ball he was looking to run people over. Look for McNabb to reward him with some redzone looks this week.
DF-The Colts Jets and Eagles look to be the best defensive options this week.
12th place finish at harrahs
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Dec 12 2008, 07:43 PM in Poker
not thrilled with how today turned out..on a number of fronts..first thing that hurt me was the lack of a 5k / 10k blind level..this pretty much effected everyone..and as such..everyone was in agreement that it pretty much ruined the tournament because it allows for less poker play..and makes the event more of a shove fest at this level..you play your tail off for 100k for 14hrs on day one --and day two turns into a contest of who gets cards...
i survived the first level..four ppl got knocked out..the tricky part was that i knew many players (and vice versa) at my table so it was tough to do anything sneaky..in the end i made two mistakes..the first was not shoving 90k all in on the button with QJ when it folded to me at 6k 12k...the second was calling all in with K high with about 65k..in the BB vs a player that shoved the SB into me...he had shoved yesterday with a weak K7 hand so it was in his range but i probably shoulda folded and found a better spot...in the end,the structure and my lack of chips left me and most of the players left in marginal situations
WSOP Harrahs $1k Event 7-----16 Left
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Dec 12 2008, 12:11 AMWell the good news is I made it through a rediculuously tough field today and survived 14 hours of poker. From noon-2am we played from 280 players down to the final 16...I am still in albeit as one of the short stacks with about 70k. Everyone started with 10k as the buy in was $1080...At my high point I was at 140k...Blinds will be 4k/8k 1k ante when we resume at 2pm Friday...1st place pays 85k. Well known players like Dave Fox, Lee Childs and Jeremy Mclaughlin are still in....27 spots paid but the big dough is 1st -3rd. I will need to chip up fast to have a shot.
Poker Monday- A Hand In Ethics plus another Final Table
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Dec 9 2008, 08:37 AM
Poker is about a game of information and incomplete information. In yesterdays $530 tourney, I give myself a B+ for solid play but again failed to make the dinner break. (one inopportune bluff gone bad)...In the first 20 hands I raised the 25/50 blinds to 125 12 times (basically everytime the action folded to me) In the process I created quite an image which I couldnt capitalize on since I went severely card dead through levels 2-4. In the end I bluffed the wrong guy at the wrong time...
But with regard to ethics and information one extraordinary situation came up in level 4...A new player was moved to my right..His was foreign but I could tell he was a very aggressive loose player and probably a bit of a degen...He was the BB and I was UTG...When the dealer dealt the cards...my first one flashed and I immediately asked him if he saw it..I was 1000% sure he did but wanted to see what he'd say..He of course said no...It was the 6h. I knew that he knew that I had the 6h..My other card was Ah...I raised the 100/200 to 550. Folded to him and he called..The board ran K 9 8 3 2 no hearts. Now he 'knows' I have a 6 so what are my possible hands raising under the gun (he's new to the tbl so he doesnt know my range is even 6 2 here)...66? A6? maybe just maybe 67 65 of hearts...basically i had nothing. Since he knew i had nodda all the way you would think he'd just win the pot at anytime...Instead the action was check check flop check check turn...when the river came he bet 1500 which was more than the pot...I thought to myself why would he bet so much if I had 66..He has to think Im gonna fold no matter what so why not just bet 800 or something..The more I thought the more I rationalized that he didnt want me to call even knowing I have nothing..making me think that he called preflop out of position with ATC trying to take advantage of what he knew...I called with my A6 and he mucked saying he had Qhigh. The table freaked when i showed just A high no kicker.
After the bust out, I repeated Sundays routine..Headed back and played 8 online tourneys...Went deep in two..In one, had a chance for the 11K first place prize..Was chip leader when the below hand came up...Really blew it here with a brain cramp..Had been raising tons of pots without much resistence..When i saw my hand I had a feeling that I was gonna be repopped and Id have to fold so I wanted to keep the preflop pot small..cause i really wanted to see a flop...so i made the mistake of not raising...as you can see below, not raising pre really really Fd me...Ended up coming into the final table a short while later as the short stack and finished 7th for $1500...in tourneys even one little mistake can cost you everything!!!!
playing the harrahs wsop $340 today
> Full Tilt Poker Game #9398549973: $40,000 Guarantee (71638835),
> Table 48 - 1500/3000 Ante 400 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:41:19 ET -
> 2008/12/08Seat 1: larrygold (160,281)
> Seat 2: turnstille (64,906)
> Seat 3: JWeb777 (60,289)
> Seat 5: winecool (41,619)
> Seat 6: Ricky3106 (123,746)
> Seat 8: rosebay72 (58,667)
> Seat 9: veronca84 (92,442)
> larrygold antes 400
> turnstille antes 400
> JWeb777 antes 400
> winecool antes 400
> Ricky3106 antes 400
> rosebay72 antes 400
> veronca84 antes 400
> Ricky3106 posts the small blind of 1,500
> rosebay72 posts the big blind of 3,000
> The button is in seat #5
> *** HOLE CARDS ***
> Dealt to larrygold [Qd Jd]
> veronca84 folds
> larrygold calls 3,000
> turnstille folds
> JWeb777 folds
> winecool folds
> Ricky3106 folds
> rosebay72 checks
> *** FLOP *** [Qh 6s 4c]
> rosebay72 checks
> larrygold bets 7,395
> rosebay72 raises to 27,000
> larrygold raises to 156,881, and is all in
> rosebay72 calls 28,267, and is all in
> larrygold shows [Qd Jd]
> rosebay72 shows [Qc 6h]
> Uncalled bet of 101,614 returned to larrygold
> *** TURN *** [Qh 6s 4c] [Kd]
> *** RIVER *** [Qh 6s 4c Kd] [7d]
> larrygold shows a pair of Queens
> rosebay72 shows two pair, Queens and Sixes
> rosebay72 wins the pot (120,834) with two pair, Queens and Sixes
> *** SUMMARY ***
> Total pot 120,834 | Rake 0
> Board: [Qh 6s 4c Kd 7d]
> Seat 1: larrygold showed [Qd Jd] and lost with a pair of Queens
> Seat 2: turnstille folded before the Flop
> Seat 3: JWeb777 folded before the Flop
> Seat 5: winecool (button) folded before the Flop
> Seat 6: Ricky3106 (small blind) folded before the Flop
> Seat 8: rosebay72 (big blind) showed [Qc 6h] and won (120,834)
> with two pair, Queens and Sixes
> Seat 9: veronca84 folded before the Flop
>
Week 14 Recap
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Dec 8 2008, 07:44 AM
Some return to normalcy on Sunday. The Jets, no matter what is going right or wrong for them in a given season, struggle on the west coast. Granted the 49ers are much improved with their new coach, but losing to the 49ers and Raiders in what is supposed to be a dream season is just not acceptable. Favre and co. better right the ship soon or this will be just another Jet season finishing in unfulfilled potential.
Romo continues to struggle in December and must play better. He played terribly in Pitt and really let a win slip away. Minnesota is lucky to have not lost to the Lions twice this year. They are always a dangerous team with Peterson and their hungry defense but why do they struggle vs. Detroit? Buffalo and Jax have thrown in the towel....And after all the talk of Aaron Rodgers and the exciting Packers, they are 5-8. The Texans and 49ers look like nice teams going into next year.
Week 14 start em sit em recap. Pretty solid across the board.
Start Em
QB- Both Orton and Big Ben topped 15 points this week in the route to two big wins at home. Orton did all of his damage in the 1st half and didn't pass much after building a big lead. Ben held it together during a tough hard hitting game vs. the Cowboys and played great in the 4th quarter.
Grade-B
Sit Em
QB- Romo, McNabb. Campbell, Manning- 4 for 4 here. Romo was brutally bad and was actually worse than his stats would indicate. Still, all four NFC East QBs failed to top 15 points.
Grade- B+
Start Em
RB- This Pierre Thomas guy is pretty good. Would be very excited about him for next year if he was the feature back on another team. He and Bush are quite a duo. Washington and Ward didn't do much. Hillis was having a nice game before getting injured. The curse of the Broncos RBs continue.
Grade-B
Sit Em
RB- Clinton Portis- Did absolutely nothing. Would of been a ballsy, albeit great bench play.
Grade- A+
Start Em
WR- Bowe, Holmes- 17 and 11 points respectfully. Bowe bounced back from a tough week vs. the Raiders. Holmes made some big plays but was kept out of the endzone.
Grade-B
Sit Em
WR- DeSean Jackson, Santana Moss- Jackson was held catchless and Moss failed to crack 10 points..In a related note, how good would LJ Smith be if he could stay healthy. The guy is a beast.
Grade- A+
Start Em
TE- Heath Miller- Had a quiet day in cold Pittsburgh but came through with a huge TD catch in the 4th quarter.
Grade- B
Sit Em
TE- Cooley 1 catch. Like other Redskins, made for a great bench candidate.
Grade- A+
Start Em
DF- Arizona- 20 points. 2TDs. Great day!
Grade- A+
Sit Em
DF- Dallas- Put lots of pressure on Pitt with 5 sacks. But in the end, gave up two TDs in the 4th quarter.
Grade- B
sunday poker and football
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Dec 7 2008, 11:43 PM in Poker
what a day..looks like it took me 14 weeks but im finally hitting my stride....my start em sitem picks were pretty much dead on..and maybe just maybe i can snag a few bucks in the one in done contests..got a few teams in the running..been a rough yr on the fantasy front so itll be nice to have something to root for,,next weeks semi finals in my home league just doesnt cut it for me...
another long day of poker..played straight through from noon today til about 1/2hr ago...13 hours. busted out of todays $530 on the last hand b4 dinner break..i was short stack and didnt want to hang around an hour...actually had trip aces..on a 10 J 3 A A board but was up against 10s full. played great poker today..got very unlucky in a few spots..was sitting on about double the chip avg when i raised mid position with 2 10 dd and bet the flop when it came 2 8 10 two spades..two callers..the turn was a blank 7..i checked (unorthodox) and the BB went all in..i called..he showed me 4 6ss and of course the 5 hit .....lol.
all was not lost however..came back and played 6 online tourneys..went deep in the sunday mulligan before well known pro thayer rasmussen put a beat on me with KQ vs my AK all in preflop..i got 60th for like $500...1st was $50k...but i did manage to get 2nd out of 250 in a $20 rebuy on fulltilt for $2500...so decent day.....
Poker In Atlantic City
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Dec 6 2008, 08:55 PM in Poker
For the first time in two days, I am not sitting at a poker table in atlantic city..The WSOP Harrahs circuit series is in town so for the next few weeks there will be tourneys around the clock...0 for 2 with the first two tourneys..yesterday i busted out after getting crippled with a set over set on the flop scenario..i was chip leader at the table after doubling up aa vs kk early on when i check raised the flop..later on i raised with 66, got two callers and on a 6 9 J flop i was up against 99 and KJ in a 3 way all in flop..after losing that hand..i went out with 88 vs AJ...
normally i dont like to mix cash play with a heavy dose of tourneys but i found myself putting in a 10hr session last nite..one fun hand occured at about midnight..sitting on about 850 at 2/5, i got involved in a 5 way pot with A 10 diamonds..the game played big with over 15k on the table and a few players were playing very very loose. so it was worth playing speculative hands since a few guys were paying off anything..the flop came 567 with two diamonds..and with about 200 in the pot..one player led out for 90 and got two callers..in position, this was a dream situation..so i flat called and got a great price to draw to my nut flush draw--there was now 600 in the pot..the turn was the perfect 8 of diamonds..1st player checked..the 'short stack' went all in for 500 more..the guy to my right then called the 500..i had about 750 left so i went all in and the other guy had no choice but to call the extra 250....as it turned out..the two guys were drawing dead...one had 89 and the other hand a weaker flush and a baby straight..ended up making enough to fund nearly a half dozen tourneys..not the way i like to look at it but anything to negate the variance of tournament poker is a good thing..plus----a win is a win...
today i played perhaps my best poker but still got knocked out in level 6..with the 8k starting stack, i made it to the 2nd break surviving running into top trips vs full house...flopped flush vs flush, kk and aa...i grinded along making some great folds but the blinds caught up to me...i am particularly proud of the flush vs flush hand...in a 6 way limped pot i had 68cc on a flop of 9 2 3 clubs..i bet out and got 1 caller..i bet nearly the pot on the turn and the bigger stack called..on the river he led a big bet and i folded..he showed kqcc..i find that when im playing my best..i find a way to make the tough folds..
will most likely play the $560 event 3 tomorrow...
Week 14 Start Em Sit Ems- Abridged Version
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Dec 6 2008, 08:06 AM in WCOFF- Start Em Sit Em's
What a week. I had a quicker reminder of what it was like to compete in fantasy football back in the early 90s. On Wednesday, my computer blew up completely eliminating any access to the internet world for two days. When was the last time you solely relied on ESPN for fantasy/football coverage? Wow wow wow!! Fortunately, I am now back online and was able to catch up on all the missed practices and storylines from Wednesday and Thursday. But being blind to the football world for two days really gave me time to reflect on how much the game has changed because of technology. Quite simply, you cannot compete in fantasy football on any level without it.
Other than Rivers, Vincent Jackson, Sproles and Zach Miller, not much happened Thursday Night. If you had Miller, he was a must start given the Chargers issues with stopping opposing TEs. With that said, some start em sit em selections for this week will be in list form, with limited commentary. At this point in the season, weather becomes increasingly more important. If faced with tough decisions, I'll often default to players in domes vs. players potentially dealing with cold, wind and snow. There is snow possible in Chicago and Pittsburgh so keep that in mind when setting your line-ups.
Start Em
QB- A lot of the top tier QBs should have huge weeks, Favre, Cutler, Warner etc but check out Kyle Orton and Roethlislerger this week. Both face defenses that are vulnerable to the pass. The Jags have thrown in the towel and the Cowboys pass D is overrated, so look for big things from Orton and Big Ben.
Sit Em
QB- Romo, McNabb. Campbell, Manning-ALL NFC East QBs. Romo will struggle in Pitt and McNabb will revert back to his former self after lighting up the Cardinals on Thanksgiving.
Start Em
RB- Peterson may go for 300 yards this week. Love the combos of Bush/Thomas, Hillis/Young, Jones/Washington and Jacobs/Ward- I'm still leery of Young since this is his 1st week back but all other three back-ups are nice upside starts this week. Thomas/Washington/Ward
Sit Em
RB- Clinton Portis.
Start Em
WR- Bowe, Holmes
Sit Em
WR- DeSean Jackson, Santana Moss
Start Em
TE- Heath Miller
Sit Em
TE- Cooley. Cooley may catch a half dozen passes but I think they will be short routes vs. the Ravens..I think 10 pts is his ceiling this week.
Start Em
DF- Arizona
Sit Em
DF- Dallas
Week 13 Recap
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Dec 2 2008, 11:17 AM in Fantasy Football
What an interesting week 13 it was...on and off the field.
First off, should any of us be surprised that Plaxico's season has gone down the drain. Something hasn't been right with him since the first few weeks of the season. He has a history of insubordination but yet shot up the draft boards this fantasy season due to his outstanding week 1 performance and for impressively playing through pain during the Giants Super Bowl run last year. True colors finally won out I suppose.
On the field, McNabb and Westbrook showed some life. DeAngelo Williams is continuing to reward those that believed in
him after a few disappointing years. The Lions may not win a game all year. The Jets did what the Jets do best and break their fans hearts. And America got to see just how great Andre Johnson is with the Texans appearing on Monday Night football.
Here's a recap of this past weeks start em sit ems..More or less all the suggested sit ems turned out to be great suggestions..For the most past, the start ems struggled.
QB
Start Ems-
Trent Edwards- Edwards has been hot and cold all year and was very mediocre before leaving with a groin injury.
Grade- D
Sit Ems-
Matt Cassel- Cassel had a terrible day vs. the Steelers. Here's another case of a very hot and cold player but with Cassel, people were really starting to believe the hype. To be fair, Moss let him down with some key drops.
Grade- A
RB
Start Ems-
Warrick Dunn- Dunn had a decent game on the ground but failed to crossed the goal line. Additionally, he didn't catch a pass making him a poor start on the week. Even with Caddy in the mix, Dunn should be started weekly down the stretch.
Grade- C
Sit Ems-
Tim Hightower- Hightower, Portis and Turner all struggled. Turner did get 12 points without a TD but Hightower and Portis were well below 10.
Grade- A+
WR
Start Ems-
Michael Jenkins/Ted Ginn- Jenkins had a quiet game as the Falcons ran the ball 40x. Ginn had a decent game with 10 points but still the breakout day didn't materialize.
Grade-C
Sit Ems-
Dwayne Bowe- And the Raiders continue to shut down top WR. Gonzalez had a nice game but Bowe was held under 5 fantasy points for the first time all year.
Grade- A+
TE
Start Ems-
Antonio Gates- Witten or Gonzalez woulda been a pick here. Gates continued his relatively poor year. The Falcons controlled the game on the ground and kept Rivers/Gates and Co off the field.
Grade- D
Sit Ems-
Kellen Winslow- Winslow and Browns are a damaged bunch. Winslow struggled before leaving with an injury.
Grade- A
Def-
Start Ems-
Tennessee- As expected Tennessee was one of the best D starts of the week. You can more or less pencil anyone in vs. the Lions.
Grade- A
Sit Ems-
Tampa- Tampa did pick off Brees three times but only had 1 sack. A decent week but nothing like the prior week vs. the Lions.
Grade- B
Thanksgiving Week Start Em Sit Ems (Week 13)
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Nov 27 2008, 12:14 AM in WCOFF- Start Em Sit Em's
Week 13 is here which means two things....It's Thanksgiving Week meaning early week prep is needed and it also means the Fantasy playoffs are here. Thursday kicks off with three games. Tennessee visits winless Detroit. Tennessee should have their way with the Lions but look for Calvin Johnson to show the world just how great he is. In his 2nd year, he's proven to be one of the top performers in the league. Dallas should blow out Seattle and keep TO happy. The late game and best match-up of the day has Arizona (led by the fantasy bunch of Warner Fitz and my year to date fantasy MVP Boldin) facing an Eagle team that's struggled of late. The Eagles should be fired up at home but if they put up a clunker, it's gonna get ugly out there.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone and with that said, here's an early week look at start em sit ems for week 13.
QB
Start Ems-
Trent Edwards- Edwards is still on many peoples 'you know what' list after not targeting Lee Evans once a few monday's ago. But the Bills put up a 50 spot last week and face a 49er team that cannot stop the pass. In a must win game, Edwards should put up a 20 spot.
Sit Ems-
Matt Cassel- With two 400 yard games in a row and Moss/Welker at his disposal, people are starting to buy the hype. Even as a Jet fan, I'm impressed with the Pats fight this year but Cassel is not good enough to face a tough defense like the Steelers and excel. He will struggle this week, even at home.
RB
Start Ems-
Warrick Dunn- Going to ride Dunn two straight weeks here. He looked great last week and perhaps his freshness can be attributed to his light load the first half of the year. The Bucs will need to score points to keep up with the high flying Saints so look for Dunn to catch a lot of passes again this week.
Sit Ems-
Tim Hightower- Even though Hightower continues to find the endzone (2 last week) he hasn't been able to get much traction between the 20s. On the road in a hostile environment spells trouble for the Zona running game. Honorable mention...Turner and Portis--nobody in their right mind would bench these guys but this could be the week they both struggle, so neither is a strong One And Done option.
WR
Start Ems-
Michael Jenkins/Ted Ginn- Both are interesting WR3/4 options this week. I continue to like matchups that face the Chargers weak secondary. With White getting the attention of Antonio Cromartie, Jenkins may get some increased looks. Haven't been high on Ginn Jr but with Camarillo shut down for the year, and facing the Rams, Ginn could have a nice game.
Sit Ems-
Dwayne Bowe- Say what you want about the Raiders but they do a nice job vs. their opponents #1 WR threat. They still need to rid themselves of Al Davis before they can compete again but they occasionally put up a big game.
TE
Start Ems-
Antonio Gates- Again, as alluded to last week, very tough to think outside the box at TE but Gates may have more upside this week than some of the other big TE's like Cooley and Witten. Gates had only 4 targets last week may be the focus of the Chargers passing game this week. Plus the Falcs struggle against TEs.
Sit Ems-
Kellen Winslow- I guess start him if you have no other reliable option but he's been such a disappointment this year other than a few big games. I wouldn't expect him to do much with Anderson back running the show.
Def-
Start Ems-
Tennessee- They play the Lions on national TV. Turkey and fantasy points...what more can you ask for? Just be prepared to see Calvin Johnson light you up a few times.
Sit Ems-
Tampa- They are not playing the Lions, like they did last week. Brees is in great form and it's hard to see him making too many mistakes.
Week 12 Recap
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Nov 24 2008, 11:06 AM in Fantasy Football
With one very big MNF game ahead of us, we have many fantasy teams with league championship verdicts pending. Green Bay visits New Orleans in what figures to be a shootout. Drew Brees, Lance Moore, Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings are all key players across many teams competing for their LCG but it's guys like Pierre Thomas that many be the deciding factor for some. Players like Gore, Burress, McNabb and Wayne performed well below expectations while Michael Turner and Terrell Owens lit up the scoreboard..Here's a recap of my week 12 picks..
QB
Start Ems-
Eli Manning- Without the aid of Plaxico and Jacobs, Manning played a great fantasy game, totaling 3tds and 240yds for 24pts in leading the Giants to another impressive win.
Grade- A
Sit Ems-
Donovan McNabb- The Ravens completely shut down McNabb, forcing Andy Reid to bench him for much of the game. Owners that were counting on McNabb were surely disappointed.
Grade- A+
RB
Start Ems-
Warrick Dunn- Dunn was a fine RB2 for owners yesterday as he was asked to carry the load vs. the Lions...Dunn had nearly 130 total yards, 5 receptions and 1TD.
Grade- A+
Sit Ems-
LenDale White- White received exactly 1 touch in the Titans loss to the Jets. White has had a knack for finding the endzone often this year but has been coming up empty as of late.
Grade- A+
WR
Start Ems-
Anthony Gonzalez- Gonzalez really stepped up as Manning's favorite target vs. the Chargers. The Chargers continue to struggle vs. WR3 and TEs. Gonzalez ended the night with nearly 22 fantasy points.
Grade- A+
Sit Ems-
Laveranues Coles- This sit em was retracted in the msg boards sunday morning given the Titans injuries in their secondary. Coles ended up having a great day with 22 fantasy points as the Jets crushed the Titans.
Grade- F
TE
Start Ems-
Sit Ems-
No real sleepers or surprise bench candidates at TE at this point in the season.
Def-
Start Ems-
TB, Cleveland and KC- Tampa had a stellar day vs. the lowly Lions..The Browns had two INTs but along with the Chiefs, really didn't do much.
Grade- A+ Tampa
Grade- D- Clev & KC
Sit Ems-
Carolina- Turner, Ryan and the Falcons ran up 45 points on the Panthers. The Panthers D was only able to total 3 points.
Grade- A
LCG Week 12- Start Em Sit Ems
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Nov 20 2008, 11:52 AM in WCOFF- Start Em Sit Em's
For many a fantasy fan, this is the most exciting week of the year. Eleven stressful yet fun-filled weeks culminate with a chance at winning a WCOFF League Championship and moving on for a shot at 300k. It doesn't get any better than that. Of the four LCGs I've been in, I won the two I thought I'd lose and lost the two I thought I'd win. So with that said..anything can and will happen this week. For those of us out of contention in the Main Event, we have our WCOOFF leagues to focus on as well as week 1of 5 in the One and Done Contest. So while there is no more waiver wire activity, there is lots of work to do in terms of setting optimal line-ups in the various WCOFF games.
Good luck to everyone in their LCGs this weekend. The general rule of thumb in these games is to go with what got you here. Don't try to over think various match-ups and bench your stronger players for risky players. But for those of you that lack a line-up of studs, or have some tough decisions, here are a few players that could surprise on the upside/downside this week.
QB
Start Ems-
Eli Manning- Eli has been a frequent sit em candidate of mine throughout the year however this week he may find himself in a shootout vs. Arizona. With Jacobs hobbled, Derrick Ward may be on the field more often, which will lead to more passing sets. Burress has also been quiet as of late so look for Manning to spread the ball around all day in this expected track meet.
Sit Ems-
Donovan McNabb- By now McNabb knows that he will not get a 6th quarter to pass the ball if it comes to that. You may as well give him 10 quarters. It wont matter this week. This should be a very low scoring game with relatively low fantasy stats. Tough to bench a player with impressive year to date stats but if you have other QB options in your LCG, look elsewhere.
RB
Start Ems-
Warrick Dunn- If Dunn was 100% and didn't have a nagging back injury, he would be a slam dunk must start. He is the #1 option and is facing the lowly Lions that cannot stop the run. Look for Dunn to be a very nice start and potentially have 20+ points if he can last the game.
Sit Ems-
LenDale White- I'm going to leave LenDale here another week. The Jets are tough between the tackles so the Titans may look to Chris Johnson moreso than White this week.
WR
Start Ems-
Anthony Gonzalez- Gonzalez has had two quiet weeks in a row but look for him to get healthy vs. the Chargers this week. Even with a bit of a nagging hamstring, he should find holes in the Chargers secondary that struggles vs. their opponents 3rd and 4th options.
Sit Ems-
Laveranues Coles- Coles has seen a decreased role in recent weeks as Keller, Jones and Cotchery have been the focus. The Titans are strong vs. the pass so expect Coles to be contained.
TE
Start Ems-
Sit Ems-
No real sleepers or surprise bench candidates at TE at this point in the season.
Def-
Start Ems-
TB, Cleveland and KC are all non-obvious intriguing options this week given their opponents tendency to make mistakes-
Sit Ems-
Carolina- Last week's start is this week's bench candidate. Atlanta continues to play mistake free football and should limit Carolina's opportunities for defensive points.
Week 11 Recap
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Nov 18 2008, 08:19 AM in Fantasy Football
What a crazy week in the NFL. Donovan McNabb didn't know the rules regarding regular season overtime in the NFL. For the first time ever, there was a final score of 11-10. In the same game sports bettors are up in arms about a last second touchdown that didn't count. The 'Wide Right' nightmare was revisited again in Buffalo and in the same game, top WR Lee Evans was held pointless much to the dismay of fantasy owners who needed just a few points to make their LCG. Before we look at LCG Week 12 later in the week, here's a recap last weeks selections.
QB
Start Ems-
Trent Edwards- Edwards scraped together a decent fantasy nite with 2TDs (1 rushing) but had less than 200 yards and 3INTs and was for the most part, pretty bad.
Grade- C
Sit Ems-
Brett Favre- Favre played a perfect mistake free game and is making the Jets a serious contender this year. What terrific balance with Jones/Washington complimenting the Favre led passing game.
Grade- D
RB
Start Ems-
Kevin Faulk- As expected, Faulk got the most of the touches out of the backfield, even outrushing the combined efforts of Green-Ellis, Morris and Evans. With 90 total yards and four receptions, Faulk turned out to be a nice sneaky start.
Grade- B
Sit Ems-
LenDale White- The Titans really caught fire in the 2nd half thwarting the Jags attempt of giving the Titans their 1st loss. However, White ended up with just 5 points---the exact prediction that was made here.
Grade- A
WR
Start Ems-
Mark Bradley- It's amazing to watch the Chiefs become a passing team. With Bowe, Bradley and Gonzalez, they actually have some decent weapons..Bradley went 3/54, which isn't terrible, but you'd like to get a little more from your WR4.
Grade- B-
Issac Bruce- Oh, when a pick goes bad. Bruce did nothing, just catching one ball. The 49ers took a lead and then ran Gore and Foster all day long. The 49ers are surely a team to watch closely down the stretch. Coach Singletary really has them fired up.
Grade- D-
Sit Ems-
Plaxico Burress- The Giants continue to win but Burress has not been an active part of the offense. 3/47 just does not cut it for your WR1 or WR2.
Grade- A
TE
Start Ems-
Keller,Olson- At this point, I think Keller and Olson are must starts every week. Keller in the matter of three weeks has become one of the best fantasy TEs in the league. Look for Favre and Keller to keep working well together.
Grade- A
Sit Ems-
Kevin Boss- Boss put up a goose egg vs. the Ravens. With his recent successes, many owners may have started him this week. As it turns out, he should have been riding the pine.
Grade- A
Def-
Start Ems-
Carolina, TB- The Panthers and Bucs scored 11 and 9 points respectively without the aid of a TD, making them both successful starts this week.
Grade-A-
Sit Ems-
Tennessee- The Titans did chase Garrard around all day but still only totaled 6 fantasy points, making them a very mediocre fantasy start.
Grade- A-
Week 11 Start Em Sit Ems
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Nov 13 2008, 02:22 PM in WCOFF- Start Em Sit Em's
Last Chance week. With the first non-bye week upon us in nearly two months, teams are looking to make that last move towards a LCG berth, looking to hold onto a LCG berth, or just looking towards next year. This week looks like rivalry week with match-ups like Jets vs. Pats, Bears vs. GB and 'Boys vs. Skins on tap.
Fantasy wise, teams needing big weeks should swing for the fences with high upside potential players. Teams with ~50pt leads in their leagues should take a safer approach and not try to make decisions more difficult than they need to be. This week's start em sit ems will include only 1 start and sit at each position (unless indicated) given the limited number of true sleepers at each position at this point in the season.
QB
Start Ems-
Trent Edwards- Edwards has struggled in recent weeks but could get healthy with a huge game vs. the Browns. The Bills struggle when defenses blitz then but the O Line should hold off the Browns and give Edwards time to attack deep.
Sit Ems-
Brett Favre- As a huge Jet fan on the eve of a big game, I'm hoping to be wrong with this prediction. But given the forecast for a wet, dreary evening, both teams may be forced to grind it out and cut back on the big plays. This may favor the Jets given how tough they've been vs. the run but makes Favre a start if both teams try to focus on the run.
RB
Start Ems-
Kevin Faulk- Edited to reflect the fact that Zman made a prediction on Faulks upside as I was working on my projections. Look for Cassell to be limited given the weather conditions and be forced into checking down to Faulk who will be on the field in all passing situations rather than Green-Ellis. The Jets also stuff the run between the tackles making Green-Ellis less likely to be effective.
Sit Ems-
LenDale White- I believe this is the week the Titans finally lose a game. White and Chris Johnson have been quite an tandem thus far but White was held in check by the Jags in their 1st meeting. If kept out of the endzone, White will struggle to get 5pts.
WR
Start Ems-
Mark Bradley- Shame on me for picking him up last week and NOT starting him. Wow, he looked good against the Chargers. Formerly a highly touted receiver for the Bears, Bradley disappeared after numerous injuries. But he looks healthy now and is a nice compliment to Dwayne Bowe.
Issac Bruce- With Morgan out and the 49ers on the improve thanks to a hungry coach, Bruce could get a decent number of looks this week. He is surely fired up playing his former team. And since the Rams cannot stop anybody, Bruce could be a sneaky play.
Sit Ems-
Plaxico Burress- Yes he is finding a way to get an occasional TD but Burress has done nothing substantial since pre suspension. The Giants continue to find various ways to win but they should struggle a bit on offense vs. the Ravens.
TE
Start Ems-
Keller,Olson- Sticking with old reliable here..Not much in the way of TE surprises at this point in the season.
Sit Ems-
Kevin Boss- Still a borderline starter but should be limited (like Burress) vs. the Ravens.
Def-
Start Ems-
Carolina, TB- Carolina is a non-brainer vs. the Lions. Tampa plays Minnesota which has been assaulted by Chicago and Green Bay in recent weeks.
Sit Ems-
Tennessee- Look for the Jags to play smart and safe vs. the Titans limited their potential for a big defensive day.
Poker Weekend Recap
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Nov 12 2008, 11:03 AM in Poker
While our own Dennis Phillips was raking in millions for his tremendous performance in the WSOP main event..little ole me was grinding it on the east coast circuit. To be completely frank, I have not played as much as Ive liked the past few months but when I have played Ive done well..I have bricked out on recent big events, going back to July, so I've eaten into some of my May winnings when I won nearly 90k over three events. But I have netted a profit in 18 of my last 21 days playing so I'm definitely happy with my game, current poker mindset etc..
This past friday, I played the weekly friday $340 50k guar at borgata..this is the same event i chopped two way back in may for 20K+. Fields are smaller given the the current economy, so only 270 entrants were present. For nearly 10 hours, i grinded through the field, seeing absolutely no cards..My best hand for the first 6 hours was pocket 10s and i folded those preflop..some how some way, i found myself in the money and dodged and weaved through the field to make it to the final 9..the friday fields are generally weak so im able to bluff and manipulate players much easier than a bigger buyin tourney..I did win a smallish pot with 25ppl left with AA but other than that and the 10s, i had nodda all day. with about 220k and one of the bigger stacks and 15 ppl left i had AQ and called a shove from a guy with 75k..he had Q10 and of course hit the 10 to cripple me a bit..so when we got to 9 players i had one of the avg stacks...maybe 3rd largest..the large chip ldr started a discussion about chopping 9 ways..normally id never agree to it but i was the only one who had issue with the deal..a 9 way chop amounted to 6500 per man and basically 4th place money. we each had to give the chip ldr 100 each..finally, not wanting to be the one to fight it, i agreed..we all went to the window to receive our winnings and returned to the table to split the money..except there was a problem..the $ didnt add up..either the house paid someone wrong, or someone skimmed $500. we spent about 45 minutes trying to figure it all out but it was clear to me that someone stole the $500. in the end..we all got cheated a bit but what can you do..at the time i was pretty furious. all in all, a decent day.
Sunday-Wednesday(today) was the $2150 deepstack borgata tourney that features 30k stacks and long blind levels..my favorite tourney that borgata seems to run quarterly..
we ended up with 391 players and this was undoubtedly the toughest field top to bottom that ive played in..my day 1 table included joe udine joe brooks jeremy/robert mclaughlin and others that i dont know the exact name of..definitely a huge challenge to survive and thrive in day 1 but i did just that ending the day with 148k. i took a different approach than what i did in the may deepstack that i final tabled in..i got involved in tons of pots early..i didnt have much more than the starting stack at the dinner break but was very active. i created a loose image that resulted in me getting paid off when i made big hands after dinner..i knocked out mclaughlin kk vs qq with a few hrs left in the nite.
so i came into day2 with 148k. i had one large stack three to my left and thayer rasmussen to my right who is a top internet player..two key hands that got me rolling to 270k. i raised from the cutoff to K8 and the big stack called..flop was 9 10 Q with two clubs...check check. turn was an 8 of clubs putting three clubs on the board and anyone with a jack made a straight. the big stack bet 4k into a 12k pot..i thought if he had the jack hed bet it heavier to protect on the scary board..so i discounted a jack from his likely holdings..i also held the king of clubs so i was drawing to the 2nd nuts..the river was an offsuit king and he bet huge...i had K8 for two pair but basically only beat a bluff....i called and was good. --- later on i raised a weak player from the button with A6..he called..flop was 10 J 4..i bet he called..turn was an 8, check check..river was a queen, meaning if i had AK i got there..he bet..i reraised to 40k about the pot size...he folded believing my repped AK..i showed the bluff...
so i got as high as 270k..started day with 150k-- and then ran into a few hands to knock me down to 200k..i then called a semi-small stack shove (there was an original raiser)..i had just moved to this table, this was the last hand b4 a break, and the shover was someone ive played countless times with and knew he easily did not have to have a big hand..i looked down at jacks and made a fairly quick reshove all in for about half my stack..1st raiser folded and the guy showed me KQ off...he hit a king on the flop to knock me down to 100k..normally id find a fold here but i figured the jacks were good vs. this opponent(and they were ahead) and i was looking to chip up as the cash bubble approached. the other factor was the table i moved to was loaded with good players like joe udine (had played with all day monday) and had to take a shot against a player i had a decisive edge against...so that knocked me down to 100k..a few hands after the break, i found AK and ran into AA of the same opponent..wasnt meant to be.
coming in 43rd out of 391 vs. a tough field is rough when you have nothing to show for it..but very pleased with my play and lookin forward to my next big tourney...
tmrw i will be playing the ftops razz event that i love so much..my next big live event will be all the harrahs events in december.
Week 10- Start Em Sit Em Summary
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Nov 12 2008, 08:32 AM in Fantasy Football
Hey all..Back from Borgata after playing five days of tournament poker. Will recap in my next blog..Given that it's Wednesday already and the guys did a great job of grading my picks in the message boards, I will keep my week 10 post analysis to just grades...with no recap.
QB-
Start Em-
Matt Ryan- A+
Gus Frerotte- C-
Sit Em-
Eli Manning/Peyton Manning- C...Peyton had a great game..Eli was servicable.
RB-
Start Em-
DeAngelo Williams- A
Jamaal Charles- F-Incomplete. Injury bug bites again.
Sit Em-
Any Ram running-back- A
WR-
Start Em-
Vincent Jackson- B. Again Rivers missed Jax on a potential TD.
Sidney Rice - B-. Even though he had one catch, it was for a TD. For a huge flier...not so terrible. Still better off on the bench though.
Sit Em-
Marvin Harrison- A.
TE-
Start Em-
Dustin Keller- A+. Love this guy!
Sit Em-
LJ Smith-- B. Didn't do much but was the focus rather than Celek.
Defense-
Start Em-
Arizona- B-...Could of had a TD or two had a few plays not been called back..Shoulda went with the Jets again. But vs. the Rams, that was a no-brainer.
Sit Em-
Green Bay- F.
Borgata Deepstack Sunday
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Nov 6 2008, 01:58 PM in Poker
While it's not the WSOP, the Borgata deepstack event beginning sunday is a must play event for me. The buyin is $2150 and features 1 hour levels and 30k in starting chips..As many of you know, back in May, I came in 9th in this same event. At the final table, I was 2nd in chips and got it all in pre flop vs. the chip leader with AA vs his QQ. I was unlucky to lose to his set of queens. That event was as close as I've ever come to winning 500k. 1st place was over 400K. Now I'm back to hopefully finish what I couldnt in May.
I expect the field to be around 700 and can only hope that I last til Wednesday when the final table will take place.
Updates to follow!
WSOP Final Table
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Nov 6 2008, 01:48 PM in Poker
At 10am pacific time sunday, something is kicking off besides many of this weeks NFL games. The World Series of Poker's final table will commence. The chip leader coming in will be WCOFF's own Dennis Phillips. Many of us got the chance to meet with Dennis at the Main Event Draft. I was fortunate enough to meet and draft against Phillips in the celebrity draft. He is a terrific guy and extremely humble. As a professional poker player myself, and participant in the main event, I can only imagine what he is feeling with the big day only 48 hours away. Phillips has less tournament experience than everyone left in the field, given that nearly every player claims to be a poker professional. Phillips has been working with Roy Winston and has his sites set on maintaining his chip lead and winning it all.
The chip stacks coming into the final table are:
Dennis Phillips 26,295,000
Ivan Demidov 24,400,000
Scott Montgomery 19,690,000
Peter Eastgate 18,375,000
Ylon Schwartz 12,525,000
Darus Suharto 12,520,000
David 'Chino' Rheem 10,230,000
Craig Marquis 10,210,000
Kelly Kim 2,620,000
Besides Phillips, I am also rooting for Ylon Schwartz who I've played with many times on the circuit. My picks for the final four are Phillips, Scott Montgomery, Ylon Schwartz and David Rheem.
on Poker Monday- A Hand In Ethics plus another Final Table