Gambling Addiction

I just finished reading about the Calgary guy who left his 19 month old kid in the car while he was inside the local casino gambling. It just amazes me that people could put their child at risk to feed their gambling addiction. I love to play poker but I guess I don't have an addictive personality as I always know when to quit and I never feel an urge that I have to go play poker. I love playing and play when I can but I also realize that there are lot more important things in life than playing poker. I do have a friend who lost his house when he got addicted to playing the horses and literally spent thousands on it. I sure hope this guy in Calgary gets the help he needs.

Played a couple SNGs at Fulltilt yesterday afternoon and managed to win both. Just played patient and hammered the good hands.

Played a live tournament last night.It was a weird night. Best hand I got was pocket 7's and had pocket 2's twice and all 3 managed to win for me.The pocket 2's I played 2 ways . First time I limped and after the flop when it looked like nobody hit I bet big and everybody folded and in the other I bet big before the flop as the blinds had gotten bigger and also the antis had kicked in and everyone folded. The only other notable hand was when I was deal KdQh in the big blind and the UTG went all in and a lady in middle position called and so did I as I was priced in with the blind anyways. Flop came 843 all diamonds. Check, check, turn was a blank and the river brought the Ad which gave me the nut flush. I checked and unfortunately the lady checked too even though she paired the ace and showed AK. It was a huge pot for me but it could have been larger if I had made a bet on the river and got her to call. Oh well. It was enough to get me to the final table but I was the second smallest stack. Managed to hang in there until there was 5 left when with the increase of blinds I pushed with A7d. Got 1 caller. He flipped over AQ. I managed 2 diamonds on the flop but missed on the turn and river and was out 5th. Still a good night.

Looks like stock market took another big hit yesterday with the automobile giants being told that they need to restructure even more or face bankruptcy and no more bailout money. Hopefully they can cut costs and become more competitive.

Was watching an old repeat of the 2008 NBC Headsup Poker when Phil Ivey was almost eliminated by that lady online qualifier last name Kunze. She had played real well and had him on the ropes when she looked down and had pocket kings. Great hand. I am sure she thought she had it in the bag but Ivey had pocket Aces. That was the turning point as he went all in and of course she called. Nobody caught and Ivey took the pot and the lead in chips. She was eliminated shortly after. Not sure what the odds of in a heads up match of 1 player hitting Aces and the other Kings. She can be proud of the way she played though. Great match to watch. I love headsup Poker.

Top Pros and Deep Fields

I was reading Daniel Negreanu's blog this morning and he mentioned how he had gone down to the Bellagio and played a 400-800 mixed game there. He ended up winning like $30,000. I can't imagine playing for that kind of money. I don't think most people can. You notice a lot of the top pros playing incredibly high stakes cash games now.

What you don't see is a lot of the top pros getting through the deep fields in high level tournaments. You look at the final table of this years WSOP main event and basically most were unknowns with the exception of maybe Chino Rheem and Ivan Demidov and even they weren't well known. The incredibly deep fields makes it a very difficult process to get through. Plus the quality of the fields has increased dramatically. People can play every day online and for hours. When you play that often and that many hands your skill level will increase. In past years you saw winners like Johnny Chan win in consecutive years. I don't for see that ever happening again in the Main event at WSOP.

Poker is one sport/game that the average person can actually play at a world Championship if they buy in or win a satelite. I think that's what has made poker appeal so much to the masses. I know for myself it would be a dream to play in the Main Event and hopefully I will get the chance someday.

I was still feeling pretty crappy yesterday so I played a couple freerolls at Fulltilt and managed in the first to finish 242nd or something out of 2700. Not great but okay. Should have done much better but overplayed my AJ against AK and when I hit my J on the flop thought I was safe but the K on the turn killed me. In the Canada freeroll at night I was basically card dead and didn't even make the top 1000.

Freeroll and sickness

Okay what is with this cold. I just got over one like 3 weeks ago. I eat really well sleep well, don't drink or smoke and I exercise. Yesterday as I was out shopping I got this really dry throat. No biggie. Figured just needed some water. Yea right. Next thing I know I have a sore throat and I ache all over. Geez. gRRRRRRRRRRR.

With feeling like crap I figured I would register for the Canada freeroll tonite at Fulltilt. Well it wouldn't let me again. What is with that? Anyways I email Fulltilt and they did the register thing for me and had me try so technical crap to my laptop. Hopefully it works next time.

Anyways the freeroll went great to a point. I got quad kings at one point and tripled up. Only other memorable hand was my big blind special when I got 4,6 flop came 3,5, J . Got checked around. Turn was the 2 . I checked and player to my left bet like 6000. Everyone folded and I just called. River was a 10. I checked and he went all in. He had me covered by a bit and I called. He had J5. My well disguised straight gave me hope to finish in the money.

With 40 left out of 2700. I got dealt AKh. 2 limpers before me so I bumped it up 3 x big blind. Got one caller. Flop was A,7,3 I checked . Player to my left went all in and had me covered. I thought he might have 2 pair but with 7, 3 on the board I doubted it. I called. He had A, 10. Great for me until the river and he hit his 10. Went out in 40'th. Good finish and as I have said before you need to get lucky or in this case not unlucky.

A bunch of stuff (not all poker)

With the Olympics coming here the city of Vancouver is under a lot of scrutiny and now it appears they have plans to remove the homeless from the so called secure areas around the Olympic sites. Vancouver like most major cities has a lot of homeless people. According to news reports they plan to move the homeless to shelters at least until the games are over. I can see some interesting confrontations arising as some of the homeless have pets (not sure why) and the shelters don't allow dogs. I know I certainly don't have the answer to solving the homeless problem. I wish I did.

Speaking of the Olympics one thing that has always bugged me is the sports that are judged like figure skating. It is always so subjective and generally really biased. Well I admire the skill of the skaters the whole judging thing is a joke. Reputation means more than anything else especially for the ice dancers. Give me sports where the fastest skier, fastest runner or the best team wins. It would be like in poker someone judging how you played those pocket queens. Hey you played them wrong that costs you 500 chips. Yea right.

Played a live tournament last night and generally stunk. I think I finished 24th out of 40. Got bluffed off a huge pot when I made (the right decision percentage wise) to fold my pocket 5's to a scary board but knowing who was also in the hand and the cards he plays I probably should have called . Then in my last hand my trip 2's got got beat by trip 4's. Just wasn't my night and I really didn't play well.

I see in Vegas the MGM/Mirage bunch who are building the massive City Center project are in deep financial problems. I think there have been massive overruns on City Center. Should be interesting to see how it all plays out. I also read yesterday that Cirque DE Soleil is planning a new show with an Elvis theme which is scheduled to open sometime in December at one of the places at the new City Center (if its finished). Well I have to admit I have never seen a Cirque show but being a long time Elvis fan I might just check it out. I kind of wish it was September that it opened as that's when I will be there next.

I sure have been getting the offers from Harrahs lately for cheap rooms. I never get comped rooms because I don't play slots or table games just poker. Makes me wonder how Vegas is really doing during this current recession. One thing that has increased my cost is the current Canadian dollar. When I went to Vegas last August our Canadian dollar was at par with the American . Now its around the 81 cent mark. Be nice to see it go up some.

Fulltilt versus Pokerstars

I had a lot of free time yesterday with so I played a lot online switching between Fulltilt and Pokerstars. I used to play online at Pokerstars a couple years ago then changed to Fulltilt about a year ago. I tried a few smaller sites but seem to have stuck to the 2 big poker powers. I like both sites as they both have features I like and dislike. On Pokerstars I like the fact that people can post their pic and also what city they are from is displayed which makes a more friendly environment. With Fulltilt they have those silly avatars that really need to be dumped. I like the accessibility of the previous hand function on Fulltilt. Pokerstars has it too but FT is much easier to navigate when you are trying to see what your table mates previous hands were.

Pokerstars does have the feature which tells you how often you are seeing the flop etc. I like that and very easy to read. As you can see both sites have some great features.

As I only play online for practice and to sharpen my game I am not sure which site I would play on if I was actually going to put some money on my account (or unless I win a freeroll). I have a lot of friends who do play online for money but I have never done it for the simple reason is that I love to play live. I can certainly understand people who do play online for money if they don't have casinos close by and if you are playing the small stakes you really can't lose too much. I also realize that that the online sites have been the main reason in the overwhelming increase in popularity of the game and for that I am thank full but I live in British Columbia and here we have lots of casinos. In the Greater Vancouver area alone there are 7 casinos that have poker rooms.

I played 3 freerolls yesterday at Full Tilt. One of them which starts at 340 PM EST starts registration 40 minutes prior to the start. That freeroll filled in 4 seconds. 2700 entrants. Too slow on the click and you are out of luck. I also managed to finally get in on the Canada freeroll which until I sent them an email at FT hadn't been able to access. Its great to have that access now.

I never cashed in any of the freerolls as you need a lot of luck just to get far. No matter how well you play there are so many players that go in with anything, don't respect raises that the suck out factor is huge. I will keep trying as I have said that's the only way you will see me on the pay side of these sites. Yesterday I got eliminated in all 3 with the percentage factor in my favour and yet the underdog knocked me out all 3 times.

I was reading the Pokergrump (one of my favourite blogs) and he had a bit about Johnny Chans appearance on Poker After Dark. I managed to catch a few minutes of the show. I like PAD but it always seems to be on at times when its tough for me to watch. Jennifer Tilly looked great and I love her personality. Of course I am a little biased as she grew up in BC. She is very distracting at the table with her low cut tops. Of course that's her intention.

The winter Olympics will be here in 10 months and yesterday they announced that ticket sales have been excellent. All available tickets that have been released so far have been sold. Thats great news in this economy. Most of the venues are finished and things are looking good. Lets hope it continues.

Playing tired

I went and played a live tournament last night even though I was tired from the night before. We only had 33 players which normally would be a great thing if I wasn't so tired (good excuse for my dumb play). I knew everybody at my table except for one older guy who by the way he was acting seemed like he hadn't played much. Anyways a few hands in I got dealt KQ suited in the dealer position and with 3 limpers (including old guy) in front of me I decided to bump it up 3 times the big blind. That got rid of everybody except old guy. He just called. Flop missed me completely with J,8,5. Old guy checked and I fired off another 3xBB bet. He called. Hmm. Turn was A. He checked and so did I as had no idea what he had. River was a blank and he bet and I folded. Played that really bad.

A few hands later I look down and there is KQh. This time there was 4 limpers ahead of me so I just decided to limp in and see what the flop did for my hand. Flop came Kc5h4h. It got checked around to me and I thought long and hard and decided to push with top pair and a 4 card flush draw. Everyone folded except (yea you guessed it) old guy who called my all in with K4. I was a little surprised (no really surprised)that he had limped in out of position with K4 as its a hand I can't see myself playing. Anyways the turn and river didn't help and I was out. I stayed around and the old guy was the chip leader when I left with only 3 left at the final table. I guess my read was wrong as he seemed to be doing great.

I see the inquiry is still going on into that Polish guy who got tasered at the Vancouver airport and died. It was a very tragic event. For some bizarre reason this guy who spoke no English flew from Poland To Vancouver to meet his mom and for some crazy reason got lost in immigration. Anyways I guess he got a little agitated and the police were called and he was tasered when they felt threatened. He died. It was very tragic but the way it was handled by the airport and the police (in my humble opinion)was very flawed. I cant understand why an interpretor wasn't called and why they tasered him when there was 4 RCMP officers and one small guy. I am a big supporter of the police but in this case I thing some errors in judgement led to the use of the taser. I really hope both the airport and the RCMP learn from this and I think they will but its really to bad it took this tragic event to make changes in the way tasers are used. I feel sorry for his mom who by the way was told her son wasn't in immigration when she asked about him.

Racing to a top 8

Played last night in my home league. We had 35 players which was low turnout . We usually run anywhere from 40-55 but it was the first night back after a 3 week hiatus. First hand got 22 and with 3 limpers before me in the dealer position I raised it 3 times big blind. Thought I would play a little aggressively when I might usually limp with this hand. Got 3 callers. Oh Oh. Flop came AJ8. Someone bet and got called and I folded. Yikes could be a long night. From then on not a lot of memorable hands but I managed to get pocket 9's and pocket 6's that both held up against the same players AK and A10 and I doubled up a couple times.It was a weird night last night. I never played any cards to the river all night unless I was calling someones all ins. Not my usual style of play but just didn't get a lot of playable cards and when I did someone was always pushing. Fortunately I always was the favourite going in and my pocket pairs held up. Anyways made it to the final table which was good way to start the season.

Played a bit on Pokerstars yesterday after down loading their system to my new laptop. Its been awhile (probably over a year) since I played there. Took a few hands to get used to their system but Played a SNG which I bombed in and then played a heads up match which I won. I do like those heads up matches and I never played that at fulltilt. I plan on playing a few of their freerolls when time permits and see if I can manage to cash. I played a 4 player SNG this morning and had a really interesting hand when we were down to 2 players. I had J4d and the flop came 10,7,8d. I checked and as I had a flush but wanted to see what I could get out of him. He bet and I just called. The turn was 6d. Not really what I wanted to see so but I bet about half my stack. He raised me all in. I thought for awhile and probably should have folded but I called. He of course had the Kd but lo and behold the river gave us the 9d which put a straight flush on the board but it also gave me a straight flush to the Jack. Since I had him covered that was the match. Talk about a strange hand.

Watched that horrible video from the Fox network yesterday where some so called comedians poked fun at our Canadian military. They obviously thought they were funny but when we have lost 116 Canadian soldiers I along with most Canadians was not amused. We are scheduled to pull out in 2011 and non too soon for my liking. Anyways that video has been picked up by all the network stations and is getting a lot of play in Canada. Anyways there has been so much backlash to the video that the one comedian was supposed to appear in Calgary for a show and it has now been cancelled as their was threats to his safety. They have evidently now apologized and hopefully have learned a lesson.

Freerolls

I got to say I was fairly impressed with the rapid response of the Fulltilt poker staff when I emailed them about a problem I am having registering for the Canada freerolls on their site. I can register for any other freerolls but the country specific ones always gives me the error that I have to contact the fulltilt staff. I am not saying the response was correct but I will certainly try their suggestion. It doesn't make sense that you can register for other freerolls but the ones that are country specific you can't. They have given me few things to follow and if that doesn't work they need my IP address. We will see if that works.


Speaking of those freerolls I played a couple yesterday with less than glamorous results. I think in the one that was awarding tournament dollars I finished in the 200's out of 2700. Okay but no cigar. Made one really dumb play when my son who also plays was watching over my shoulder and said to call this guy who had gone all in. I had KJd. He had A8 and he paired the A on the flop. Even though I had him covered that basically crippled me. Normally I don't call all ins unless I am really sure I am the favourite going in.

I used to play on Pokerstars a lot but haven't for a long time. I think I will go back and play some on there in the next few weeks just for a change. Its always nice to change things around and play on different sites. I really do like the setup of Fulltilt though.

The home poker league starts tonite. Its great to sharpen the game and you can play 5 nights a week. I sure have found the competition great and found it really helped when I played in Vegas and on trips to the casinos here.

Customer Service (not a lot of poker content)

I was out shopping on Friday night and went into several stores with my wife who was looking for a dress to wear to a wedding. So we went into 7 stores in 2 shopping centres or plazas where we live. Most of the stores were almost empty. The amazing thing was that in only 2 stores did a sales clerk even greet us. In fact it was in the last store (which had a going out of business sale) that clerk actually asked if she could help us. I was stunned as she was the first. I thanked her for asking and she seemed surprised. I relayed to her what had transpired over the evening and she said well it only makes sense to greet and ask people if the help. No kidding. Its funny because in the other stores clerks were either looking at flyer's, their cellphones or just rearranging stock. Now I am the type that likes to browse on my own and so does my wife but we also like to be acknowledged. I can't understand store managers and owners who don't instruct staff to greet customers. They don't have to hound them but just make them feel welcome with a smile and a greeting and an offer of help if they need it.

Poker is not my only love. I am also a runner who over the years has ran 12 marathons and probably close to 40 half marathons. While I don't race now I still love to go out in the morning for a run. Its so mind clearing and a great for stress relief. In fact if I know I am going to be playing poker in casino or in a tournament later that day I always run that morning as I find I think clearer and I have a much better frame of mind. I use to run 6 times a week with mileage of anywhere from 40km to 100 km per week depending on what I was training for. Now I run for fitness and just for the joy of it. Hopefully I will always be able to do that. Even when I travel to places like Las Vegas or Where ever I take my running shoes with me and try to get a run in.

I see Treasure Island in Vegas has been sold . It was part of the MGM/Mirage chain but now has been bought privately. Its always been a great hotel. Its poker room has always rated well with a lot of poker regulars. I know the site
www.allvegaspoker.com has many great ratings about it. That's one site I read just about everyday as there are always lots of great trip reports, room reviews etc on it. I have never played at TI but hope to on my next Vegas trip in September.

People watching

I confess I am a habitual people watcher. No matter where I go I love to watch people. Everyday I take my laptop to my favourite coffee shop and in between reading emails and blogs I people watch. I am not sure what the fascination is but I just do it. I admit I tend to watch the female species considerably more than the male but I do both. Having said that I must clarify I am completely heterosexual! How this has helped me at poker is that being someone who watches and notices things when you play with certain people all the time as I do in my home league you pick up things that maybe other people won't. Like the way they look at their chips if they hit their flush draw, how they toss their bet in if they are bluffing. Just little things like that.

Las Vegas I have always said is the best people watching in the world. My routine when I go to Vegas always involves hitting a coffee shop up that has a good window (like the Starbucks near Carnival Court). Great way to start the day. You see everything there no matter the time of day or night. Great entertainment if you need a break from the poker tables.

Speaking of Las Vegas I see Harrahs Inc which owns (Flamingo,Paris, IP, Osheas, Caesars and a few others) now lets you use your poker comps on your room bill. Last time I was there in August when I wanted to use my poker comps I had to go to the poker room and get a paper comp and then it could only be used in their restaurants or shops. Now it will also be right on your Rewards card and you can use it on your bill. I also just read that they are giving you tier points for poker playing which to me who only goes to Vegas twice a year doesn't mean much and I will probably always have just a gold card but if you play slots or tables games a lot (which I don't) you always got these points. My only complaint is I wish the reward points didn't expire every 6 months.

Last night I was playing a 6 person SNG Tournament on Full Tilt at it was down to heads up with another guy and myself. I picked up pocket 3's . Not a crushing hand but heads up usually you will have the best hand with any pair. I was getting a little tired so I pushed my remaining 2500 in chips. He had me covered and called. He had AK. Magically my pocket 3's held up. Very next hand I look down and I have AK. He acts first and he pushes. I think for like a nano second and call. I have him covered now. I flip over my AK and he flips over pocket 3's. What are the odds of this happening on 2 consecutive hands?? Same cards but going to different players and heads up? Anyways flop comes 10,8,6, turn is J and the river brings the magic K. I am sure he was a bit choked but as I said yesterday you need luck in the races to win.

Poker luck

We all know to be a good poker player you have to have skill. You have to know when to play certain cards according to table position and who you are playing. Experts have said that poker is 70% skill and 30% luck. I concur with that estimate. To advance far in tournaments you will still need to win the races and that's where lucks plays a factor.

In the recently concluded NLH 1000 dollar buy in event at Caesars in Atlantic City, Frank Calo(pictured above ) a 21 years old university student won the event but may not have if he hadn't had the poker gods overlooking him. With 8 people still at the final table
when Al Hoffman moved all-win with pocket kings and was called by Frank Calo, holding A-J. The flop came K-5-2, all but ending Calo’s chances of scooping the 400,000 pot. But just as it seemed all hope was gone, a 4 on the turn opened the door for Calo, who suddenly had four outs to make a straight. Kaboom! A 3 fell on the river, completing an ace-to-five straight for Calo. Hoffman, who had flopped top set (kings) was stunned and eliminated. Calo went on to win the tournament and pocket 96,100 dollars. If he hadn't won that race who know what would have happened.
We have all experienced beats like that and we have also won like that. To win and advance in tournaments you do need that luck no matter how well you play.

On a sad note when I play online quite often my dog will be at my feet and my cat on my lap. Yesterday after watching my 15 year old cat's health get worse I made the difficult decision to have him put down. It just won't be the same with out him purring on my lap.

Jennifer Harmon a class act

Jennifer is my favourite female poker player. She has 2 WSOP bracelets and is truly a class act. She plays well, looks incredible and unlike a few top pros is a credit to the game. Everytime I have watched her on tv I have come away more and more impressed with her poker skills.I can see why she is regarded as one of the premier poker players of either gender in the world. A little know fact which I read was that Jennifer had a kidney transplant a few years ago. She is married to fellow poker pro Marco Traniello.

Very sad news about Natascha Richardson the actress. Seems she suffered a head injury while skiing on a beginner run in Quebec. The reports haven't been good, one can only hope that she pulls through.

I see the WSOP in Las Vegas is also having a 40,000 dollar buy in event. This is addition to their annual MAIN EVENT which is a 10,000 dollar buy in. It should be interesting to see the quality and depth of that field. Not sure if any of the sites are running satelites for it but I can only see the sponsored pros and the very wealthy paying that amount. Should be an interesting event.

Handouts from Goverment

Even though it wasn't my tax dollars that AIG got from American tax payers I am totally shocked that even if they say they were contractually obligated to do so they gave out 100 million in bonuses. What a croc. How can these people take this money?? Very sad indeed.

I have never been to Mexico (other than Tijuana) and don't plan on going anytime soon. With all the corruption in their police force,drug gang warfare, and crappy hygenic standards the country has never appealed to me. Great people but the country needs cleaning up. Then what they did at that international poker tournament was just wrong. Personally I know my friends and family won't be going there anytime soon. Even our federal government has issued a warning to be carefull if you have to go there.

Played 4 SNG at Full Tilt and won 2 of them. Nothing remarkeable but just keeping up the game to my home league gets going again next week.

Booked a Vegas trip yesterday. Will be heading there in September for a week of poker and fun. Can't wait . Went twice last year and had such a great time. Counting the weeks already

What recesssion?

I keep hearing the horror stories on the news about job losses and house foreclosures but here in B. C. it seems to not be much of a factor. Whether its because of the Olympics coming here in 11 months and all the construction but in Vancouver you would never know things were on a downturn. The hotel I stayed at on the weekend was full. The River Rock casino was jammed on Saturday night. Busiest I have ever seen it. Poker room which is a great size had every table going. The tournament with its 270 buy in that ran on Saturday noon looked full. Payout to the winner was 13000.00. Paid top 15. So people have money. The band that played in the casino lounge which was a pretty good Neil Diamond tribute band had an over flow crowd up there dancing up a storm. I keep waiting for signs of it here but other than the fact there aren't help wanted signs in every store window which was the norm 6 months ago things appear normal here.

Tons of tourists in Vancouver on the weekend spending money. There was a big event at the new speed skating oval in Richmond. Talked to people from Germany, Norway and the Netherlands who loved Vancouver and loved the new oval. They all said they were coming back for the Olympics as they had such a great time watching this pre Olympic event. I haven't seen the inside of the new oval but talking to people who have they were very impressed. Only negative comment was on the temporary seating which supposedly going to be fixed prior to the Olympics.

The new rapid transit lines appears nearer to completion as its going to run from Richmond to downtown Vancouver. It will be a great way to get to some downtown sites fast.

River Rock casino and Edgewater Casino

Edgewater casino on False creek in Vancouver (On the left)

River Rock casino in Richmond (suburb of Vancouver) on the right

Weekend in Vancouver

Well its nice to be back from Vancouver. What a busy weekend. Managed to get on one of the new ferries that we have here and was suitably impressed . Nice big windows in the dining area and just seemed like a nice ride over.

Saturday morning went down to the Edgewater casino in downtown Vancouver to play their 10 AM early bird tournament and lo and behold I had read the schedule wrong as 2 Saturdays a month they have a noon tournament instead. Decided to not wait around but did check out the casino annd poker room and was impressed of course with the location. Right on the old Expo site and right on False Creek. Incredibly scenic views from the lounge. Fairly busy at 9 AM in the poker room with 3 tables running.

Did some family stuff like going to Granville Island Market which is always a visual and culinary treat.Made plans to go to the River Rock Casino at night. Arrived about 730 PM. Poker room was jammed. Waiting list of 18 for 1-2 and another 25 for 2-4. Signed up for 1-2 and headed downstairs with friends. Played the slots(which I hate) for a bit and then wandered upstairs to see where I was on the list. My name wasn't there as the girl said they had opened up 2 tables and had called my name but you can't hear it downstairs. She said that in the future let them know and they will give me a pager. Lesson learned and the lady was nice enough to put me at the top of the list. Got seated 5 minutes later. Bought in for 125.00 in a 40 min and 200 max.
Table was very tight but thats okay as I play tight usually depending on who and what I am playing. Got pocket snowmen twice in one orbit and my preflop raise of 15 scared the limpers both times and the just after the pocket 8's I got pocket 7's and the same preraise got the same result.
No remarkeable hands for a few orbits but I did get ace queen suited, raised 10, got 2 callers, flop J83 rainbow, I put in another 10 and got one to fold.Turn was a 6. I bet 40 and the caller went into the tank for like 5 minutes and then folded.
A few hands later I was in the big blind got 84 off suit. 2 limpers plus me and the flop comes A25, I checked and it got checked around, turn was a magic 3 and I thought a bit and decided to slowplay my straight and hope somebody bet. No such luck and the river turned a 4. Worst card I could imagine I checked of course as the straight was on the board and villain 1 went all in for 80 dollars. He got called by villain 2 and of couse I folded as I figured one at least had a 6. Well it turns out one had pocket sixes and the other had 67 suited for the nut straight. Glad I got out.

I had told my family I was going to play until 1030 and then spend time with them. So the blinds were coming around so on my last hand I was UTG and I look down pocket kings. I raise to 15. Get 2 callers and the flop comes 444. Interesting flop. First to act as the blinds had folded and it was just me and 2 guys both in middle position. I pushed for 120.00. First guy insta calls me which worried me a bit. Second guy thinks and finally folds. First guy flips his pocket queens over and I breathe a huge sigh. Thought he might have aces. I have him dominated. What happend next is an ace on the turn which at the time seemed insignificant but when the river turned a 4 it meant that that ace gave us a chopped pot. Probably the wierdest hand that I have ever played live.See lots of weird stuff playing on the internet. Quad 4s but it was not to my benefit but the villain was happy saved him 120.00 and he made a bit with the chop. Sure got the table talking. Strange way to end the evening.

Heading over to Vancouver

Well I am typing this I really should be getting ready. I am hoping that I manage to get in more poker this weekend that the one tournament that I have planned but with so many family commitments and only 2 days its going to be tough.

Booked on the noon ferry as it looked liked its going to be a busy weekend on our ferry system. Today is the last day of school for all the kids as its spring break so its going to be a busy weekend. Some kids get 2 weeks off but the majority just get one. I am sure the teachers are happy as they really look forward to spring break.

I am not taking my laptop with me so it will be Sunday night before I get a chance to update on here.

Poker weekend

I will be in Vancouver on the weekend so I thought I would check out the new casino in Burnaby called the Grand Villa Casino. I figured with being a new casino that they would have a modern poker room. So in checking out itheir website I was a little surprised to find that there is no poker room. The reasons they give that with all the other casinos in the Vancouver area that poker is well served and they don't need one. That would be like the Belaggio in Vegas saying just because the Venetian and the Wynn have poker rooms there is no reason to have one. It makes you wonder what goes through the minds of people who designed this casino. If you have a better poker room more people will come. When I play I usually come with people that not all like poker, some play the slots, some play the table games. Knowing that there is no poker room I won't even go there so they lost my business and any business from people who are with me. Hopefully somewhere down the road this will change. Meanwhile in looking for an early bird tournament I will be hitting the casino on the Old Expo site called Edgewater. Its time I checked it out as usually I am only at the River Rock. Hopefully it will be a fun weekend as I have to fit poker in with visiting friends and family.

Played online today at Full Tilt. Played five, 6 person SNG and placed 2nd 4 times and first once. I seem to do well in these as they are fast and you do not get the all in donkeys that you do in other tournaments. A little bit better class of player.

Looking forward to the ferry ride over. The scenery is just incredible.

Poker Boom

In the last 10 years there has been an incredible increase of poker players and poker rooms in casinos around the world. Now some are wondering whether the bubble has burst? Sure there are still dozens of online poker rooms and the major tournaments like the WSOP will always be popular but some are saying the interest has peaked. My thought on this is all things go in a cycle and I certainly haven't noticed a decrease in interest. In fact if anything with the ease of learning holdem more and more people are enjoying the game. You can turn on your computer and play 24 hours a day. I personally love the game of poker and hope that I can continue to play as long as my mind is alert. I only play for money in casinos but use the online rooms to sharpen my game. Many people have asked why I don't play online for money. Simple really,I enjoy the human aspect of poker, being able to interact with my fellow players and if I am putting money at risk I want to see the cards dealt and the chips in front of me. I want to feel the table vibe. I love playing live.

On a different topic. What a day yesterday. A gunman in Germany goes nuts and shoots students and down in The U. S. another gunman shoots several people. Both gunman fortunately took their own lives in the end but the senseless deaths of others is just mind boggling. Its a strange world we live in. Very sad.

Olympics and Casinos

As I had stated earlier we have the winter Olympics coming here in 2010. I am a big fan of sports of all kinds but not as much Olympic fan as I used to be. I still love the athletes (the ones that are clean) but I think some of the Olympic family needs to rethink things. We have a casino that is located close to one of the Olympic sites and they have been told (according to various media outlets) that during the Olympics they will have to close for 4 weeks minimum. The rational behind this is that they are on the same grounds as one of the Olympic venues. The casino is actually located at the race track which is near the Pacific Coliseum where some events will take place. Now these employees will not have a paycheck for a month unless someone or something intervenes. Hopefully saner heads prevail.

Speaking of casinos I see some of our local ones aren't running as many tournaments as in past. Not sure the rational behind this but I checked the River Rock casino site and they said it was due to construction so I hope that's the case. They no longer have the early bird at 10 AM but are running a noon tournament instead. They also were stating that the poker room wasn't opening until noon most days. Hopefully again this is just a temporary thing.

Snow in March

It's snowing like crazy here. Whats up with that? We never get snow and here its March and its coming down like crazy. Better not last

Well I see Huck Seed won the the heads up tournament that NBC is going to televise. He beat Vanessa Rousso 2-0 is a best 2 out of 3. Should make for decent ratings as both players are well known.

Was watching some of team poker championships that was on the Score last night. 8 countries represented but it seemed like a shove fest after awhile. Maybe it was just the tv coverage but a lot of all in plays. I like the idea of a team tournament just like to see a better structure but its good to see a couple pros playing in the event like Greg Raymer and Daniel Negraneau.

Well another soldier killed yesterday. That's 112. Most by roadside bombs. I totally support our troops but I don't support the mission. Why can't we use better vehicles or helicopters to transport troops?

Played 2 online quick tournaments and bombed in both when in the first my 2 pair ace king got river by a flush and the other my kings cracked. Oh well. Now you know why I only play for money in casinos and not online.

Heads up final

Well as I had hoped its Huck Seed against Vanessa Rousso in the finals of the NBC HEADS UP POKER SERIES. The final goes later tonite. I see they have the tv schedule up on the NBC site. They will televise it in several installments over the next few weeks. Even though I will know the result its still fun to watch the strategy. Always looking for ways to improve my game. Played 2 -9 person sitngos and finished 3rd in both. Should have finished higher but my suited ace queen got rivered when the villain hit his 6 on the river. He was calling with jack, six. No comment on that call.

Heads up Poker

Well it looks like Vanessa Rousso knocked off Daniel Negraneau in the quarter finals. This should be good for NBC ratings for this when its televised as Vanessa looks good on tv and is a great player. Hopefully she makes it to the final. Would be nice to see her and Huck Seed go head to head. Saw Vanessa on Poker after Dark and was impressed with her play. The semis and finals are later today.

I can't seem to shake this cold I have got. So sitting home today drinking tons of water. Hopefully be better next weekend. Went out to dinner last night at Moxies and had some yummy yam fries for an appetiser and had a burger for dinner with fries which was just okay. What is with restaurants and pubs serving frozen fries? Fresh taste so much better.

New laptop

Well I finally decided to get my new laptop. I figured with the economy tanking I should spend some money. Really happy with it.Got a Toshiba. One of the first things I did was download full tilt poker so I can play when I am drinking my coffee at Starbucks or wherever. Played a couple tourneys already and finished 3rd in one and the other was a matrix which was a first for me. Really enjoyed it though as you play the same 8 other people in 4 tournaments. Makes for quick thinking and acting.
Finally phoned about that old guy who shouldn't be driving and basically got told that I had to come in and fill out a report and maybe something might be done. Yea right. Well hopefully some family member of his gets the idea that he is too old.
Another shooting in Vancouver last night. The sale of flak jackets must be on the rise

Poker stuff

So I see they have the match ups set for the NBC heads up poker championship. Should be a lot of interesting match ups with one of the first round being Chris Moneymaker and Daniel Negraneau. Its a television friendly event and I look forward to it on NBC. To get the full list of 64 players most of whom are pros go to NBC heads up poker.

I read a lot of other poker blogs but one of my favourite is the Poker Grump. It actually was reading his blog which got me started on mine. Now his is mostly poker while mine will be some poker and some observations on life. Hopefully a good blend.

In the market for a laptop. I figure the amount of time I spend in coffee shops I may as well be on the Internet, answering emails or playing online poker. Checked out Future Shop and Staples. Very similar prices. Just looking for a middle of the road one as long as it has a built in web cam as I do a lot of video emails. Probably looking at a Toshiba but still haven't decided. Haven't played a live poker all week.

Old Age and Driving

I was in a local Starbucks yesterday. Inside was a very nice old guy somewhere between the age of 80-85. He was walking really slowly with his coffee as he also had a cane. I saw him leave. I figured someone in the parking lot had given him a ride or he lived nearby. He was walking incredibly slow carrying his coffee. I got out into the parking lot and watched him get into his vehicle (which took no lie about 5 minutes). I was shocked. There is no way this old guy has the reflexes to operate a motor vehicle. Now comes the dilemma. Should I report this guy or not?Well I took the license plate number down. Will anybody do anything if I do report it? I realize that a car still gives this old guy his independence but the safety of others has to be considered too.

Day 1

March 4, 2009

Never thought I would do this but a daily journal of things that are happening to me and around me and happenings in the poker world.

If your not up on Vancouver we are going to be the host of the 2010 winter olympics. I have very mixed feelings on this as I personally think too much of it has gone commercialized but it will be a way to showcase our city.

Now that could be bad also as we seem to have gang warfare on our streets. The last few weeks there have been at least 10 -15 shootings with 3 last night alone. Maybe they will kill each other off.

Another day and 3 more of our soldiers dead. Lets get our men and women out of there.