Bubble Boy
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Dec 17 2008, 11:13 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.
12th place finish at harrahs
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Dec 12 2008, 09:23 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
sunday poker and football
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Dec 8 2008, 01:23 AM 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, 10:35 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...
Poker Weekend Recap
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Nov 12 2008, 12:43 PM 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.
Borgata Deepstack Sunday
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Nov 6 2008, 03:38 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, 03:28 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.
Flopped a straight flush
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Oct 24 2008, 11:43 AM in Poker
I cannot even begin to estimate how many poker hands Ive played in my lifetime, but I do know one thing..I've never flopped a straight flush.
I have made straight flushes, royal flushes and have even seen a flopped royal flush at a final tournament in a major tournament (the one Z won 18 months ago in Atlantic City) but never have I flopped anything resembling five consecutive cards of the same suit...
until this morning..
Read em and weap boyz n girlz..now i just have to win the tournament..
the good news is this particular tourney is a bounty event so i get a few bucks for knocking out ppl..like in the hand below.
Full Tilt Poker Game #8637223588: $14,500 KO Guarantee (65774886), Table 11 - 40/80 - No Limit Hold'em - 11:50:07 ET - 2008/10/24
Seat 1: almoei (3,263)
Seat 2: djidee (4,475)
Seat 3: BULEX NO TEX (7,449)
Seat 4: himah (4,720)
Seat 5: Olycrawford (6,378)
Seat 6: Jymaster11 (5,840)
Seat 7: droddy7 (2,880)
Seat 8: Pili Speis (5,305)
Seat 9: larrygold (11,522)
almoei posts the small blind of 40
djidee posts the big blind of 80
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to larrygold [4s 5s]
BULEX NO TEX folds
himah folds
Olycrawford folds
Jymaster11 folds
droddy7 calls 80
Pili Speis folds
larrygold calls 80
almoei calls 40
djidee checks
*** FLOP *** [6s 7s 8s]
almoei checks
djidee checks
droddy7 bets 320
larrygold calls 320
almoei folds
djidee folds
*** TURN *** [6s 7s 8s] [Kh]
droddy7 checks
larrygold bets 300
droddy7 raises to 600
larrygold raises to 900
droddy7 raises to 2,400
larrygold raises to 11,122, and is all in
droddy7 calls 80, and is all in
larrygold shows [4s 5s]
droddy7 shows [3s Ks]
Uncalled bet of 8,642 returned to larrygold
*** RIVER *** [6s 7s 8s Kh] [5c]
larrygold shows a straight flush, Eight high
droddy7 shows a flush, King high
larrygold wins the pot (5,920) with a straight flush, Eight high
droddy7 stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 5,920 | Rake 0
Board: [6s 7s 8s Kh 5c]
Seat 1: almoei (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 2: djidee (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 3: BULEX NO TEX didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: himah didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: Olycrawford didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: Jymaster11 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: droddy7 showed [3s Ks] and lost with a flush, King high
Seat 8: Pili Speis didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: larrygold (button) showed [4s 5s] and won (5,920) with a straight flush, Eight high
Deep in the Borgata 250k...Oh that dreaded AQ suited
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Oct 21 2008, 03:35 PM in Poker
Well the good news is I received $2850 to play poker for 13 hours sunday and watch football. The bad news is I was in reasonable position to make a run at the $160k 1st place prize in the Borgata 250k.
For the four days, I played a heavy dose of tournaments and cash..Nearly bubbled in the friday 75k guaranteed busting in the 40s with 27 spots paying..more than made up for it by doing well at cash.
Saturday, played a $250 satellite into the sunday deepstack tourney..im usually not a big fan of satelliting due to the poor structure that doesnt really suit better players..still with a weak field, and an opp of getting into an $1100 event for $250, I took a shot. bankroll management is such a concern now that i really need to be careful about tourney buyins of 500+...just need to watch the funds closely.. with only 6k chips and short levels, its essential to try and build a stack early on moreso than in better tourneys..2nd hand, I pick up KK in the big blind and smooth call when one mid position raiser makes it $200..i really wanted to play a big pot right here and now and re-raising pre flop isnt always the best way to accomplish that, so i smooth called to disguise my hand..no way opponent can put me on big pair...flop was a very pretty Q 5 3 rainbow..i checked and when he bet out the pot, it was time to put the pressure on popping to 1200..he instantly shoved all in..and at this point he most likely had...AQ, AA, KQ, (33 55 less likely but possible).....AQ&KQ made the most sense but regardless, if he's got better, i tip my hat...he flips AQ..and is crushed----that is until an ace hit the river and i head to the cash tables lol...
which turned out to be a blessing as i had a great session...lost a big pot in a set vs set vs set on the flop scenario but still a nice winning day.
Sunday was a grind...lots of football games on and a big tourney to concentrate on..40 minute levels and 15k starting stack..550 players---i ranged between 14k and 30k between the start and dinner break..built up fairly quickly to near 30k but then after the 2nd break i ran my 30k down to 14k after a series of missed bluffs..i had been playing tight and then opened it up at a few inopportune times..still i was able to get back to 25k at the dinner break..
1st hand after the break, i raised pre flop in early position with rags and got one caller from the button (more or less the only person i didnt want to call)--i had raised because of the tight BB...long story short..I C bet the flop when i missed and check folded the turn..severely crippling my stack..was down to 10k...
1 orbit later after folding a few hands i have 74dd in the SB and in a 4 way limped pot, i called...the flop was all diamonds and i shoved all in for my remaining 7k or so. got one caller who had a pair and big flush draw...i held and proceeded to build the stack back to 250k over the next four hours...
i flopped a few sets and won some nice pots on the flop...one potential error i made was after moving tables...i raised pre flop with 44..got one caller and the flop came 499...i led out very weakly and had hoped to get repopped..villian missed. had i checked the flop he could of tried to steal later in the hand..baby mistake tho..
had a chance to get to 375k...i raised with KQ and a short stack went all in for 50k..he had QJ but got there..
we eventually got down to 25players..there was talk of chopping 30 ways for 13k each or so but it didnt happen..i was personally against it even tho i had an average stack..had my eyes on 1st-3rd!!!
with 25 plyrs left and the blinds at 10k-20k..i woke up with AQ suited under the gun..with only 180k left, i felt i needed to shove and take down the 60k in the pot..a girl in mid position woke up with KK and that was the end of me..no ace spiked..she went on to win the event..
all in all, a successful tourney for me but it always burns a bit when you get into position for the 6figure score and cant close the deal...
larry gold
Big tourney this sunday @ Borgata
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Oct 16 2008, 04:35 PM in Poker
Yes I said Sunday. I'm trying to shake up my fantasy teams this weekend and neglect watching the games as religiously as I normally do..Nah, I'm not superstitious. Lol
Since turning pro in September, I haven't played much poker other than an extended trip to Aruba which was a vacation more than anything else.
I'm moving into my house in Atlantic City Nov 1, where the real grind will start but this week I head down for a decent 250K guaranteed Holdem Tourney..I'll probably play a few smaller tourneys (the 250K is a $1100 buyin) and a large dose of cash.
Should be an eventful weekend on the felt and I'll report back next week with the good and bad.
-Gold
Aruba Classic
Posted by AndreJohnsonsCalfFanClub, Oct 11 2008, 12:59 AM in Poker
When December rolls around and I reflect upon why I did not win the 3 million dollar grand prize for 1st overall in the WCOFF Main Event and Online Championship, I will for sure know the answer.
Those close to me will surely give a different answer than I. They'll tell you that I over valued Selvin Young Chris Perry and Vernon Davis. This much is true, but everyone gets some players wrong.
Instead I will tell you the lack of success is derived from my annual poker trip to Aruba. It always occurs during weeks four and five of the football season, right when the bye weeks start. These are often the two most important weeks of the year in terms of waiver wire management.
What went wrong?
The internet connection in Aruba sucks.
The beach is too nice and the drinks are always in hand.
The girls of Senor Frogs, Oranjestad and St. Nicholas are way too distracting thus...
Waiver wire management becomes low priority.
Factor in the reason for the trip, playing the Aruba Poker Classic Main Event and what was a weekly 10-15 hour chore of maximzing waiver wire usage becomes an idle pain in the butt that gets squeezed into a one hour window.
Why you may ask do I still go?
...the girls of Senor Frogs, Oranjestad and St. Nicholas.
Business and pleasure just don't mix.
On a happy note, a friend of Rob Zarzycki and mine won the main event.
For us, there's always next year.
http://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/artic...a-poker-classic
on Poker Monday- A Hand In Ethics plus another Final Table