A Sure Sign of Spring

Standing on my back patio this morning, I heard a series of blasts, which reminded me of, say, a blowtorch. Turns out it was this, just behind my house:



Of course, those who know me over at the Purple Row know this balloon was probably filled with San Francisco Gints fans. Or not, since it actually arrived upright.

Congrats to the winners of Main Event seats in the BBT5 Tournament of Champions last night, especially NYRambler and JJ, whose blogs I've read on occasion.

Here's to hoping you actually play the ME with your ultimate token, for the once-in-a-lifetime experience, instead of taking the cash. And let's hope your journey to the Main Event ends up more like this picture, and less like the landings over those over at McCovey Chronicles.

Last Chance at the BBT5

Piffle. Bubbled the Mookie in 11th. So meh. I think I made a bad play play with about 15 left. I raised a suited A (hearts) UTG. Folded to the BB who called. Flop came ten high, I believe, but gave me the nut frush draw. Checked to me, and I thought hard about c-betting to protect my hand, but I was about 8th in chips at the time, and if I had to fold to a shove (maybe I call off there with the frush draw), then I'm hurt bad.

Check/check turn.

Blank river, so I didn't hit my flush. Check/check, BB had AT, so he won the pot. I think I could have taken it down on the turn, maybe. But I played it so weak tight.

Of course, I ended up 12th of 14, and never got any kind of hand again. Ended up shoving KJo UTG, and got overshoved by 88. AQx on flop, giving me 10 outs, but I whiffed, and went out 11th.

I'm pretty certain that's my last shot at TOC glory, for real this time. Only played two events (both Mookies), and took 9th and 11th. Not fucking good enough.

Live Bloggin' the MooDankie

Over halfway through the BBT5, and I'm finally going to donate to the field tonight.

Will be live blogging, at least until I overshove my JJ into KK and AA.

Damn I got a tough starting table:



8:02 - Called a small raise from the BB, flopped trips, and took out The Blue Heron when my trips held against KK.1

8:06 - Pulled down a decent pot after 3-betting the turn against 1Queens Up1.

8:09 - Damn, gave back about a grand betting out on 4th and 5th streets to ShabazzJenkins' TPTK. May be time to slow down a bit. Only played that hand with QJo from BB because of Shabazz' 3x raise and two callers. Felt like good pot odds.

8:11 - First table change:



8:13 - Wussed out of my first opportunity for a Hammer steal attempt.

8:15 - Turned a boat, tried to overbet river, but villian folded. Still took a half decent pot (called flop and turn bets), but may have been a missed opportunity at a couple grand more chips. Maybe I should have shoved turn, but any non K or non AA hand folds there.

8:19 - Can't stop giving chips away to Wheelz78. May have folded to a river bluff.

8:21 - Raised KK 3x, three callers. J87 rainbow flop. My C bet was called and then overshoved. Hmm...did I run into a set? Thought about overshoving, but just called and Wheelz78 folded. PJS JR's JTo couldn't catch up, so I'm back over 6k. 3rd in chips. Been a relative card rack early. Hope it keeps up.

8:24 - 28 hands in, and I've already seen 8 flops, but have taken down 7 pots. More active than usual, but the cards have been coming.

8:30 - Raised 3x preflop from hijack. Riggstad pots it from cutoff. I 4-bet him to 65% of his chips, hoping for a shove. Alas, Riggs folds. Not a terrible pot, though.

8:38 - Damn, some good players (CK, Smokkee, Blinders) already out.

8:40 - Woke up to AA in the big blind. Raise and a call before me, so I reraise and get one caller . J high flop. Thought about check raising, but didn't want to give a free turn. Sadly, got a fold on the flop. Up to 8.1k, but I still feel like I'm missing chances at bigger pots.

8:44 - Damnity Damn Damn - QQ in the BB. Button raises, Shabazz calls from SB. I raise to 640, button shoves. I think and call. Button has 44. 4 on the turn. So sick. Down to 5.9k. If my queens hold, I become chipleader. Damn.

8:50 - In the first 62 hands, I've had AA, KK, QQ, JJ, AK, KQs twice...can't complain about the hands. Just hope it continues, since that QQ debacle dropped me to 11th in chips, whereas I'd been in the Top 3 the whole tourney before that hand.

8:55 - Picked up the blinds to go into the first break 13th in chips:



Some strong players ahead of me on the leaderboard. Lightning36, Hoy, Shabazz, OMGItsPokerFool...

9:10 - ShabazzJenkins knocks out two players when his flopped straight beats TP/straight draw and another straight draw. Both hit their straights, but not as big as Shabazz' on the flop.

9:12 - AKo and AQs in successive hands for smallish pots. The cardrackery continues, but folks aren't staying along for the ride. Still, back up to 8th in chips.

9:25 - 100 hands in, I haven't tossed many chips in over the last orbit or two. Quiet time in the corner, I guess.

9:27 - Pick up a monster the very next hand, and get paid through the turn. Back over 8k. muhctim, current chipleader, moves to the table two seats to my left.

9:34 - Time for another table change, I guess:



9:35 - Not many chips at this table. I'm only 11th in chips, but table chipleader.

9:40 - Irongirl just picked up a really nice pot with a flopped set of 7s. I don't get the call by RNallin on that turn with AJo, but whatev.

9:43 - Wow, awesome hand. Pick up QQ in the BB (3rd QQ this game). UTG shoves his 1700 stack, and there's a call in 2nd position. I raise to 4200, which would commit the caller. He shoves, I call. I'm up against AKo and 88. The A on the flop doesn't hurt when it's followed by a Q. Feels like justice after my first QQ went down. Up to 15k in chips, and 2nd biggest stack.

9:48 - Just noticed I've got BuddyDank, OMGItsPokerFool, and pushmonkey72 at my table. Just gets more difficult, don't it?

9:50 - Flip74 shoves, and I've got KK in mid position. I elect to double his bet, to isolate. Probably a good thing because the A on the board would have hurt me, if he hadn't had KJo. Up to 18k, still 2nd in chips.

9:54 - BuddyDank's out when bigdav1967 hit his dirty set of 9s on the river to take down KK.

9:55 - Going into 2nd break with 19k, 2nd in chips. Blinds to be 200/400/50.

10:02 - My how things change. Five of the top 9 in chips at my table. Current chipleader, but barely.

10:07 - Damn, made a bad fold with TT, villian showed 99 after I check-folded an ace high flop. Thought about a checkraise, but thought better. Or worse, as things would have it. Down to 16k.

10:19 - We've reached that point where a shorty is shoving preflop every single hand. Not the same shorty, but one of 2-3 of them. Up to 18k, but 6th in chips, 21 runners left.

10:26 - Karma is catching up to me for all my cardrackery in the first two hours. Nothing I can play here, especially in the fact of so many all ins, down to 14.5k.

10:30 - Final two tables, coming in 9th in chips:



10:34 - Only 16 left, but my poor cards have helped me slide to 12th in chips, well below average. First time I've been a relative shorty the whole tourney. Need to change gears, perhaps.

10:45 - Just got incredibly lucky against Irongirl, but bet it well. Raised A8hh from cutoff, she called from a blind. KT8 flop. I bet, she check-called. Check check on turn. Beautiful 8 on river. Small value bet called, she showed ATo. Caught from way behind, though when she check-called the flop, I figured her for ATo, or maybe slowplaying a set. Up to 27k, up to 4th in chips of 13 left.

10:51 - Final table bubble, but everyone's got at least like 18BB or so, so game's not really shallow yet. Lots of close-sized stacks.

10:54 - Hoy bubbled, leaving us with this final table:



11:11 - Crap, gonna be another 9th place finish. My c-bet with JJ on a Q high board made me committed to call NewinNov's shove. Yup, he had QJo.

11:15 - Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand out in 9th. My desperate less than 1 BB shove almost won, but Joanne pipped my KJ with AJ. Good luck on the felt, y'all. The mincash kinda hurts and sucks, but it was a fun tourney. Probably was also my one and only shot at a TOC berth, c'est la vie.

It's Baaaaaaaaaaaaaack.............

Just when you think you're out....they drag you back in....



Truth be told, I'm probably going to have to settle for begging my way into the Battle Royale, as weeknight poker is just not really possible for me these days. But damn, I've always loved playing the Mookie in the handful of times I've been able to. Would sure like to start again.

I should be able to make one of the Invitationals, we'll see. Either way, this is yet another great thing FTP is doing to advance the cause of poker bloggery. Now, if they'd just do something about that RNG when I'm holding AA.....

Wha?!?!?! Freerolls?!?!?

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! This PokerStars tournament is a No Limit Texas Hold’em event exclusive to Bloggers, you too can take part by registering on WBCOOP

Registration code: 755148

FML - Part 47

I almost never play the Mookie. Why? Don't have time. It's a bad night of the week. But not tonight, I could play.

Of course, on the rare occasions I do play, I invariably run KK into AA, or QQ into KK, within the first ten hands of the damn tournament. But not tonight, I could play.

Play how? Play tight. Play MiamiDon tight. Survive and thrive. Play tight enough that preflop raises are sometimes respected. Fold when you're beat. Put pressure on when your ahead.

Through 2.5 hours of the tourney, I'd seen 12 flops in 180 hands, but had won 27 pots, and had stacked at least three players.

So what happens on the bubble? FML, part 47, of course.

In the BB with 77, and 7th of 11 remaining in chips, and two relative shorties. Folds to the SB, who raises 3x (to 3,000). It's the effin Mookie, everyone raises from the button or small blind. So I debate, call or shove. If I call, I'm probably folding to most flops. So I shove. Of course. SB had AA.

Of course, I don't hit my 2-outer and I go out 11th, when I could have easily made the $$$, with at least a slight chance at a TOC seat in about my 4th BBT4 tourney. (Though Pauly's running over everyone, and I'll be shocked if he doesn't take it down.)

Of course I made a mistake there...at least I think so. I had 16BB left when that hand started. But it's the fuckin' Mookie and, I repeat, everyone raises when folded to them on the button or small blind in the Mookie. With anything. With everything. Of course, nobody expects...the Spanish Inquisition.



FML. For at least the 47th time.

Bring on the BBT!

Yup, it is that time.



Battle of the Blogger Tournaments, Take Four.

Once again, Alcanthang has managed to somehow coddle, coerce, or otherwise successfully blackmail Full Tilt into ponying up major prizeage, including TWO WSOP Main Event seats, and several prelimin event seats. As such, the competition looks to be fierce -- fierce like a hot tranny mess, even. I'm not sure how Al does it every time, good sir, but you are to be thanked. At least time time, you didn't have to bed down that no-talent poker skank Clonie Gowen to get 'er done.

Any way, there's going to be a ton of events to participate in:

Tournament: Brit Blogger Game
When: Sunday's at 16:00ET
Game: NLHE
Buyin: $5+.50
Password: donkament

Tournament: Riverchasers
When: Monday's at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $24+2 or token
Password: riverchasers

Tournament: Blogger Skillz Game
When: Tuesday's at 21:30ET
Game: rotation of non-NLHE games
Buyin: $10+1
Password: skillz

Tournament: The Mookie
When: Wednesday's at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $10+1
Password: vegas1

I understand MiamiDon's running his Big Game, too, but I don't have details.

If you were to play every event, it would cost something like $600-700. That's not a lot of dosh for those bigballahs, but my Full Tilt roll's about 1/4 of that (and my over online roll down to not much over that). So of course, as for myself, I'll hardly be playing in any events. I just can't play that many nights of the week, and my Full Tilt roll would only withstand two weeks of this, anyway. I run so g00t, of course. I do expect to play in a couple of the Skillz Game events, and probably a Mookie or two.

Besides, given all the snarkiness I read about during the last series...well, poker's just not a big enough part of my life these days to deal with that.

Oooookey FaMoooookie

Ended up actually playing a wee bit of poker last night, and enjoyed it. Only played four tourneys, cashing in one, but had a great time in the Mookie? Did I win? No. Did I cash? Hell no...

But as I said in the chat, my real goal was just to make it past hour #1. I've rarely been able to play the Mookie, which is probably the undisputed champeeeeeen of bloggerments. In fact, last night was only my second entry in it this year. The previous attempt ended five hands into it when lucko's destroyed my KK. Yup, after five hands, I would have been happy to last an hour.

But still, I wanted to play some cards, and being a bloggerment, I was willing to try some plays I probably wouldn't attempt in a large field MTT, such as this one, early in the event (2nd orbit, I believe):

Full Tilt Poker Game #10715882359: The Mookie (79825300), Table 3 - 15/30 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:09:02 ET - 2009/02/18
Seat 1: iaatg6296 (6,150)
Seat 2: DaBag (2,805)
Seat 3: Mondogarage (2,840)
Seat 4: Astin (3,000), is sitting out
Seat 5: JoeSpeaker (2,970)
Seat 6: Blinders (2,955)
Seat 7: Joanne1111 (3,105)
Seat 8: MiamiDon (2,220)
Seat 9: ScottMc (3,220)
DaBag posts the small blind of 15
Mondogarage posts the big blind of 30
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Mondogarage [3h 5h] (eww, but let's see...)
JoeSpeaker folds
Blinders folds
Joanne1111 folds
MiamiDon folds
Mondogarage: I just want to survive 1st hour (see, I wasn't kidding)
ScottMc raises to 115 (the asshat crew's been known to steal from cutoff)
iaatg6296 folds
DaBag folds
Mondogarage calls 85 (hand sucks, but if ScottMc is stealing, I'm probably two live with draws)
*** FLOP *** [2c 3d 4h] (intriguing flop for my hand)
Mondogarage checks (hoping for free card, of course)
ScottMc bets 240 (damn, no freebie; ScottMc bets nearly pot)
Mondogarage raises to 480 (I might actually be ahead here, but represent strength)
ScottMc raises to 3,105, and is all in (D'oH!!!)
Mondogarage calls 2,245, and is all in (if this isn't a bloggerment, I can probably fold here, but as I said, I may actually be ahead, and pretty sure he didn't hit flop)
ScottMc shows [Kh Kc] (double D'oH! Guess I read that one wrong, hit my draw ONE TIME DEALER)
Mondogarage shows [3h 5h]
Uncalled bet of 380 returned to ScottMc
*** TURN *** [2c 3d 4h] [Ah] (YAHTZEE!)
*** RIVER *** [2c 3d 4h Ah] [9c]
ScottMc shows a pair of Kings
Mondogarage shows a straight, Five high
Mondogarage wins the pot (5,695) with a straight, Five high
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 5,695 | Rake 0
Board: [2c 3d 4h Ah 9c]
Seat 1: iaatg6296 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: DaBag (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Mondogarage (big blind) showed [3h 5h] and won (5,695) with a straight, Five high
Seat 4: Astin is sitting out
Seat 5: JoeSpeaker didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: Blinders didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: Joanne1111 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: MiamiDon didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: ScottMc showed [Kh Kc] and lost with a pair of Kings

Anyway, the more I think about this hand, the more I think that if I was committed to my read preflop, raising would have been better, but then I would have folded to Scott's inevitable 4-bet preflop. So this is one time when a bad preflop read led to what I think was the correct play on the flop, with one pair, OESD and backdoor flush draws against a player who either had an overpair or two overs, but was unlikely to have hit that board. But if anyone has better advice, I'm all ears.

That hand set me off on my way, and I spent the first hour plus in the top 2-3 in chips, and the next 30 minutes after that in the top eight or so.

Unfortunately, I went utterly card dead at that point, and when I open raised QJhh to 900, and PokerPeaker shoved his remaining 3k stack, I felt obliged to call, and his AQo held up. This took about 1/2 my chips, and another orbit of strictly trash (with growing blinds/antes). When I was next in the big blind, and the button raised up 3x, I felt compelled to shove my last 3.4k with A5 soooted. The original raiser thought long and hard, but eventually called with AJo. Two spades on the flop, and we were off to the races, but the third spade never fell, and I went out 24th of the original 54 players.

I realize I didn't have to shove, but with an M of about 7, and again, with Mookie button players often raising up trash, I thought the overshove might induce a fold. Still...I did even steal a blind with the hammer. That was rare, but it felt good to show.

So yeah, I donate again, and my 0-fer-forever in the Mookie continues. But I had a blast, and at least I cashed in a $12/180 (again missing final table, though), so I essentially broke even for the night, and enjoyed the play.

Dead Money, But It's Free Dead Money

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This PokerStars tournament is a No Limit Texas Hold’em event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 280409

Bodonkey Bounty Night

Think you have what it takes to knock out a poker superstar?

On Thursday November 13th 2008, poker sensation Evelyn Ng will compete in the Bodog Blogger Tournament Series.



There will be a bounty on her head for T$109 to play in Bodog's $100K Guaranteed Tournament occurring each Sunday at 4 PM. If Evelyn wins this tournament, the T$109 credit to play in Bodog's $100K Guaranteed Tournament will go to the poker blogger that places 1st runner up.

This blogger tournament series is open to poker bloggers worldwide and runs on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 9:05 PM ET.

More details are available at the official blogger series site at http://www.bodogbloggertournament.com

Learn more about professional poker player Evelyn Ng right here

Just what is Bodog's 100K Guaranteed Tournament?
With one of the biggest overlays in the industry, the value of this tournament is literally unbeatable!
Find out more about the 100K right here

Sign up for this tournament at http://www.bodoglife.com/promotions/poker/blogger-tournament/
So what are you waiting for?

Good luck and may the best poker blogger hit the bullseye on Evelyn Ng!

And that's not all! In a sorta extra special, extra bloggerment, in honor of the WSOP Final Table, Bodog will be running a special November Nine tournament:

9:09pm ET: November Nine Special on Bodog
Tournament Name: November 9 Special
Date and Time: November 11th at 9:09 PM ET
Buy-In: $9 + $0.09
Levels: 9 minutes
Starting chips: 1999
Payout: As per standard prize structure
Bonus: Final 9 wins a bonus of T$109

How can you beat that, a $100k buy-in just for being the shortie stack at final table?

(thanks and big props to bloggah bud $mokkee, and his partner in crime Nadia for putting this together)

Of course, since it's Bodog, you already know who the champion bubble boy in both events will be.

Bodonkey II - Revenge of the Bodoggies

Big big thanks to $mokkee for sacking up and ramming this baby home:

The Fall Bodog Blogger Series (Bodonkey II) runs twice a week every Tuesday and Thursday October 28th-December 16th with a TOC scheduled for Thursday, December 18th.

A few improvements have been made to the series. The series tournament structure has been improved to match that of Bodog’s weekly 100k guarantee (2500 starting chips / 15 min levels). Your top 8 scores in the series will be included and the rest thrown out to determine your place on the tournament leaderboard. The top 15% of the total leaderboard will make it to the TOC. So, there’s a possibility there could be more or less than 18 players in the final tournament dependant on the total number of participants. A “Last Chance” tournament will be held on Wednesday, December 17th for Bodog Blogger Series participants who’ve played at least three (3) weekly tournaments. The top 3 finishers in the “Last Chance” tournament will win their seat into the TOC.

Register for the Fall Bodog Blogger Series at BodogBloggerTournament.com

Register early!

And come get my dead money, since it looks like I'll only be playing on Tuesdays. I'll be happy if I can take one of these down and get some of that sweet $T overlay, however.

Thanks again to $mokkee and Bodog, two of the greatest contributors to the online poker blogger community since...well...since cowboys started playing $1-2NL at the MGM during blogger gatherings!

Wafflesday

Man, you have no idea how much I'd like to be able to play in the Mookie tonight...

I pretty much don't care whether or not the world's most break even player wins his prop bet with LJ tonight...it will be worth playing just for the table chatter.

If the Mookie can get 80 runners, Waffles will drop an additional $109 to the winner, which is pretty awesome, pretty manly, and significatly less than break even for him. Good luck, Waffles.

Alas...twice-already-rescheduled band rehearsal's got me by the short and curlies tonight, especially since my recent bad cold caused one of the postponements already...

Barbarians at the Borgata

Or rather, Gates at the Borgata. Congratulations go out to Garry Gates for taking down DrPauly's Tao of Poker 5th anniversary tournament, and the $5k Borgata tournament seat.

Check out Pauly's blog for a cool photo of Garry in his other job -- tournament room drink waiter at Caesar's Palace, it would seem...

As for myself, it was a missed opportunity. I chipped up well early, and was in the top 10 for much of the first half hour of the tournament, when Jordan and I got into a big hand. Jordan had been pretty aggro, pushing me off a couple of pots preflop with 3 bet raises with me two on his left. At the time, he and I had the two biggest stacks at the table.

At any rate, I believe this time, Jordan limped, I raised about 3x in late position with AKo, and Jordan shoved. I knew his range was a lot wider than AA-QQ, AKs, so I called and he showed AQo. I am the Dominator, right? By the turn, there was KQJx on the board, and I was licking my chops, as this pot would have made me tourney chipleader (and 30% bigger than 2nd). Still first hour, but a very good spot. Wellllll...the miracle T the river and we chopped. And the night was all downhill afterwards. First, I got it all in against a short stack with something like 88 losing to 99, and I was out just before the end of the first hour. At least I went out with bloggerment dignity, by open shoving the Hammer. Unfortunately, the Hammer got Nailed by a high-ish pocket pair (may have even been AA).

Obviously, as the tournament was on JokerStars, I couldn't expect anything else.

But thank you, Pauly, for being such a great blogger and tourney host.

Took 2nd in NYRambler's event (congrats, Lightning36, glad to finally get you heads-up, that was fun). Went out well before the $$$ in the Skills game, even though I spent the entire first hour into the 2nd at the top of the leaderboard. Once the blinds/antes got real big, my draws stopped hitting.

Took a horrendous beat in the Bodog $5R. I was in for the minimum, and up in chips, a couple tables from the money with average stack, when I looked down at QQ. I'd been raising a lot of pots preflop, showing lots of aggression, but never had to show down trash. I was simply getting nice hands and there was some weak-tightness at the table. So, I play my standard 3x preflop raise in mid-position, and the button (or small blind, forget which) overshoves for 10k. This pot would put me top 3 in chips less than 20 spots from money.

What did he overshove out of position with? ATo. Why did he overshove? He said, "it was easy with you raising". WTF? Don't you have to see air at least once to put someone on raising light in mid position? Oooookay. Yeah, life was great until I got three-outed fucked by the A on the river, which put me on the morphine drip. Sure, I could have open shoved QQ (with 3rd biggest stack on table and the table CL having already folded), and probably added about 15% to my stack pre-flop when everyone folds, but that would be horrible poker, wouldn't it? You can do that with 88-TT, but QQ?

I was out three hands later when I open shoved ATo from early position against...you guessed it, QQ.

Of course, the donkeyfucker from the previous hand couldn't grasp the difference between open shoving ATo with an M of 2.5, and overshoving ATo with an M of about 9 behind a mid-position raise. Those are the players I love, but also the players who continue to luckbox me out of money just before bubbles. The most frustrating part is this...I haven't been crawling towards bubbles just hoping to cash. In nearly every case lately, I'm chipping up early, knocking players out, often at or near the chiplead, and easily in the top 10-15% of chips approaching the Bodog bubbles, only to get my stack raped by a donk who catches a 2-, 3-, or 4- outer, and then having to make a desperate play just to have a miniscule chance at a cash. I'm going from legitimate tournament-winning opportunities, to not even cashing nearly every single time for the last few weeks.

Also went out of the $6k guaranteed less than 3 tables from a cash, yet again. This time, it was a result of abject card death. Went out in the small blind when I shoved K-high into A-high on a non-threatening flop. BB did not raise preflop

As a result, my Bodog roll is now down to three digits, which is the worst it's been in months. Without going too ranty, I do feel like I'm playing very solid poker for the most part (though I've made a couple bad reads on players new to a table). At this rate, I'll be Bodog-busto by November. And that's the one site I actually have semi-real money on (e.g., above $250....so the question is, is 2008 the final year of online poker for Mondogarage?

Stay tuned.

You Only Turn Five Once

Happy Birthday, Tao of Poker!

Any may you continue to inspire us all, Pauly.

For those three of four donkeys out in the poker blogosphere who may either not be awake, or are computing on Commodore PETs, this is a reminder that tonight is not only the 5th anniversary of Tao of Poker, but also the special 5th birthday tourney over at JokerStars, with an extra special sealed-with-a-kiss overlay of a $5,000 seat at the Borgata Poker Open.



Here's the details, from the horse's mouth (um, er, blog):

$5,000 seat plus two nights in my favorite casino in Atlantic City. All you have to do is win the Tao of Poker birthday tournament. Entry is just $5. Tournament ID is #97513073. Tournament name is Tao Poker 5th B-Day.

Seriously. For $5 you get a chance at winning a $5,000 seat at the Borgata Poker Open plus two nights in the hotel. That tournament is on Friday, September 12th starting at 11am.

Here are the specific details...
1. Tao of Poker birthday tournament is open to all readers.
2. No chops whatsoever for the Borgata Package ($5,000 seat + two nights).
3. The 5K seat is a must play.... meaning you cannot take the cash. You have to play the event on September 12th. The seat is also non-transferable. You win it, you must play it.
4. Package does not include transportation. You have to find your own way to Atlantic City. So if you live in Sweden and win the seat, you are responsible for airfare.
5. Most importantly... have fun.
I should clarify something... there will be normal prize money. The Borgata Package is in addition to the regular prize pool. So the first place winner has a shot at a decent payday in addition to a $5,000 seat and two nights at the Borgata.

The Tao of Poker birthday tournament will feature some of your favorite bloggers and Tao of Poker characters from past, present, and future.

Tonight at 9pm ET. PokerStars. Tao of Poker 5th Birthday Celebration. One faithful Tao of Poker reader will walk away with a $5,000 seat to a Borgata Poker Open tournament plus two nights in the swanky Borgata Hotel & Spa which has the most comfortable beds in the world.

Click here for more information on the Borgata Poker Open starting September 3rd. And yes, I'll be covering the entire tournament series (including the 5K event) for the Borgata poker blog with Friedman and Tropical Steve.


Everybody's who's anybody is going to be there. Except for maybe this guy, the only blogger more busto than I on JokerStars. (John, I'd help ya, but I got like $12.34 on there myself, because I run like ass forever on that site and should be about 6,000:1 to win tonight, even if there's only 350 entrants.)

I'll be there; so should you. Tonight's also cemfrommd's Blogger Skillz Series -- tonight, it's Double Stack HORSE, you better believe I'll be there (passwork = skillz). Also on tap is NYRambler's weekly series, featuring Limit Hold'em (passwork = epicfail). I haven't played that event for a couple of weeks, but will try to play tonight.

More posts during lunch today...I'm falling behind on non-poker content and promised a post on a particular hellishly good vodka from Nantucket...it's coming, even if not yet written. And then, there's all the great stuff from the DPUMS...

All Hail Return of the Skillz

Yup, you read that right. Thanks to Chip for taking over hosting duties, and thanks to every poker blogger's favorite seemingly dittohead for turning us on to Chip's good deed.




Anyway, it's back, and back to how it all began tonight, with a nice lil' round of Omatard8. The only change to the newly-reborn Skillz series is that the only events that will start with doublestacks (for now, at least), will be the pot-limit events. Limit/ante events will start with FTP's old school 1500 chipstacks.

Thank you, Chip.

Also on the Omatard8 tip is another edition of NYRambler's poker series, a $5.50 PLO8 event that starts at 9pm for you foos on the east coast, and 7pm for us mountain men. Password is "EpicFail", which pretty much describes my performance in this event last week, where I was something like 2nd Gigli in the Pot Limit HA event.

I hope to actually play like I can...I love Omaha, but I've been getting junk-kicked by redraws/resucks so often in that game, to the point where I'm seriously considering temporarily bagging my participation in FTP's nightly $5.50 Limit O8 and PLO tournies for a bit. But blogger events? Always...

I see a few bloggers are putting up mid-year looks at their goals...I may have to do the same, we'll see.

Anyway, keep building them massive stacks.

Gaping Holes in the Bloggerment Calendar?

Well, yeah, but not exactly.

The Bodog Blogger Tournament is on hiatus for a wee bit.

The Skillz Series appears to be done.

But never fear, the KORS is here, and I'm not talking about this Kors.



Check it out, you Razz degens. Nightly shots to go from an $8.80 into a $200+16 end of month Razz tourney. I'm lickin' my chops, how about you?

Not sure about about this bloke, though:



He doesn't look like much of a Razz player. Don't. Bore. Nina!

Anyway, the nightly KORS is at 7:45 MDT, so I think I can make it, and it may just be the new hit of the bloggerment summer.

Also, I was clued in on Rambler's ongoing series of tourneys. Tonight's is a $5.50 HA Pot Limit, that sounds like something straight outta the Skillz school. Look for the 21:00 $5.50 HA Pot Limit, password is "epicfail" I learned about it too late to register this morning, so we'll see if I get home from work in time. But if I do, I'm so there.

BTW, a big shout out to our different little yellow BWOP, who's playing in the PLO8 event at the WSOP today. I know her chipstack just took a big hit, but she got a nice early shoutout by the Pokernews crew in the first entry of today's Live Reporting:

"1 hour 52 minutes ago | Posted by Pojo

Notables in the Field
Some of the notable players in the field today include Mark Seif, Humberto Brenes, Barny Boatman, Joe Hachem, and Carol Kline."

Pretty awesome. Let's send her some major chip-up vibes.

BBT3 Post Mortem

In the end, 455 players took part in at least one event of BBT3 - Battle of the Blogger Tournaments, and more chips were slung than a day of hash at the Waffle House.

Congrats to the 45 or so who won their way into the Tournament of Champions, good luck all. I won't be joining, as the best I could pull out was one 2nd place and one 3rd place finish. Special congratulations go to TuscaloosaJohn, who won the overall points title, going away.

The biggest thanks of all go to Al, for putting this thing together (along with the Riverchasers tourneys) and getting such awesome prizes set up, and to Don, Hoy, Chad, and Mookie for making their events part of the series.

As for myself, I only played 13 of the 56 events, all of which were Blogger Skillz games, I believe. I just can't play online pokerz enough nights of the week to make a real go at it. That said, I'm happy with my performance, in relative terms. In my 13 events, I scored points 4 times, final tabled twice, and cashed twice. Overall, I finished 88th of the 455, playing less than 1/4 of the events. In addition, the two cashes were for more than my buy-ins, so it was even a bit profitable.

Maybe next time, maybe next time.

Tantalizingly close to a TOC seat, but with me in Vega$ this weekend, I probably wouldn't be playing, anyway. In fact, I won't be participating in the blogger freeroll portion of the series, either, as I'm pretty sure I'm not taking my laptop to Vega$.

Still, it was fun, and I hope a lot of you do continue to play blogger events with the rest of us.

Tuesday Night's Alright For Pokerin'

Had fun live blogging last night's tourneys, and given that Tooooosday is my biggest online day of the week, may do so again tonight. We'll see. Hard to live blog if I'm more than 3-tabling...

Yup, that time of week again, and it's a good one. Bodog Blogger Tournament Series, and the King of Donks' Skillz Game, over at Full Tilt. Good times, good times.

Tonight's Skillz game is Razz, boy howdy. The only form of stud I actually like, and one in which I think I can beat a few button mashers out of their bounties. Starts at 7:30 pm Rockies time -- check the banner below.



Every bit as fun, and even more important is the Bodog Blogger Tournament Series. We're down to five weeks remaining, and time is getting short for those of us out of the top 18. I'm just hoping I can run as reasonably well as I did last night even if I did come up short of a top 3, and my double cash wasn't the best in the Daily Doubles.

Join up and challenge other Poker Bloggers each Tuesday in our Bodog Poker Room and live to tell about it. Earn points and work your way up the Tournament Leader Board for a spot in the final tournament for your chance to win a $12,000 World Series of Poker* prize package and be a part of Team Bodog 2008.

The winner of the final tournament will receive a once in a lifetime opportunity to win a $12,000 WSOP* prize package and be a part of Team Bodog 2008.

How to Participate
This tournament is open to poker bloggers worldwide. Players must have a Bodog Member Player Account to register.
If you are new to Bodog, please sign up at http://poker.bodoglife.com/

Players are then required to go to http://www.bodoglife.com/promotions/poker/blogger-tournament/ and sign in with their Bodog account information in the upper right hand corner. Once this is completed, they must then click on "REGISTER NOW" to register themselves into the tournament series. Bloggers will each have to do this once in order to play in the series. Once this is done, they then need to find the "Online Poker Blogger Tournament" in the software and register as they normally would each and every week.

Players are encouraged to register early. If you need assistance with signing up for the tournament or with starting a Bodog member player account, please call Bodog's Poker Customer Service at 1-866-909-2237 or contact us prior to start time at http://www.bodogbloggertournament.com/contact

Tournament prizes, leader board and tournament schedule available at http://www.bodoglife.com/promotions/poker/blogger-tournament/

Busted My First Bodog Pro

Every picture tells a story, and this one...



says, ship the bounty, baby.

Oh yeah, Vinnay caught a miracle river three outer (all in PF) to knock me out on the final table bubble. So sick. I ended up spending about 90 minutes as chipleader, and a couple beats sent me home. Picked up a few points, but damn, I was really looking at a top 3 finish until that.

Also bubbled the final table of the Bodog $3k, when K2o < 62o. Fuck, I'm really starting to grow frustrated with Bodog's RNG right now. Two fucking final table bubbles in one night, and almost nothing to show for it. I should be able to win ONE effin' 93% hand on a final table bubble. I'll get over it, of course.

Tuesday Bodog Bloggerment Pimpage

Yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhh Boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyzzzzzzzzzzz!

Does that read more like a really bad rapper, or did I hit the Randy "Macho Man" Savage just right?

It's Tuesday, and you know what that means! Come join us for another edition in the
Bodog Poker Blogger Tournament Series. There's only a few weeks left, but still plenty of time to run deep and jump into the top 18!

The winner of the final tournament will receive a once in a lifetime opportunity to win a $12,000 WSOP* prize package and be a part of Team Bodog 2008.

Join up and challenge other Poker Bloggers each Tuesday in our Bodog Poker Room and live to tell about it. Earn points and work your way up the Tournament Leader Board for a spot in the final tournament for your chance to win a $12,000 World Series of Poker* prize package and be a part of Team Bodog 2008.

How to Participate
This tournament is open to poker bloggers worldwide. Players must have a Bodog Member Player Account to register.
If you are new to Bodog, please sign up at http://poker.bodoglife.com/

Players are then required to go to http://www.bodoglife.com/promotions/poker/blogger-tournament/ and sign in with their Bodog account information in the upper right hand corner. Once this is completed, they must then click on "REGISTER NOW" to register themselves into the tournament series. Bloggers will each have to do this once in order to play in the series. Once this is done, they then need to find the "Online Poker Blogger Tournament" in the software and register as they normally would each and every week.

Players are encouraged to register early. If you need assistance with signing up for the tournament or with starting a Bodog member player account, please call Bodog's Poker Customer Service at 1-866-909-2237 or contact us prior to start time at http://www.bodogbloggertournament.com/contact

Tournament prizes, leader board and tournament schedule available at http://www.bodoglife.com/promotions/poker/blogger-tournament/

Seriously, with an extra T$600 up for grabs every night, how can you go wrong?



While you're at it, Chad's continues with another week of his Blogger Skillz Series -- known to be equally maddening yet entertaining, and probably nutritious, as well. He's hosting Stud 8 tonight. I haven't yet decided whether or not to jump into that particular pool. Stud 8 is pretty much my worst game, yet last time through the rotations, I came rolled up K versus rolled up 9 away from a final table stake, so we'll see...but there's BBT3 points at stake, and you can't let this guy into a club that you're not in too, right?



Besides, he'll be there, I'm sure of it.