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Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Maybe I should think about playing a little on Poker.com after all
Haley's got a great bit of info up from the folks at poker.com about a bail-out of the poor schlubs who got screwed out of their WSOP seats by ChecknRaise poker. Go give it a look, there may actually be nice guys in the world after all.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Monday, June 19, 2006
They're Everywhere
My wife went to Florida this weekend and met a Party Poker Low-Limit NLHE player. Fuckers are inescapable.
PokerSavvy Update
This one’s for the bonus chasers out there – from the Pokersavvy forum today. If you go for this, please sign up with Pokersavvy through the link on my page. I’ll get a few savvypoints kicked back my way, and you’ll get a chance at this apparently super-easy bonus. For those who aren’t familiar with PokerSavvy, 900 points is only 100 points away from a $100 Party Poker Gift Certificate that you can then withdraw for CASH! So it’s a lot like a $100 bonus.
And Mansion Poker is the home of the Poker Dome Challenge, you can enter 1 Cent MTTs to win a seat at the weekly Poker Dome TV taping in Vegas, including airfare and accommodations. 1 Little Penny could get you $25K in return!
Just when you thought you'd seen it all... OK, so I sound like a used car dealer. But I wanted to let you know that we just brought on another new partner that we're super-excited about: MANSION. You may have seen some of their sponsored tourneys on TV as well as their new Poker Dome in Vegas. For a limited time we're giving away 900 SavvyPoints when you open a new account, deposit $50 and wager only $50 in the poker room, casino or sportsbook at MANSION. Only $50! MANSION is very new and they're looking to acquire a lot of new players so they're making this a very sweet deal for PokerSavvy users. Take 'em up on it! To get the software, login to MyPokerSavvy or use the link below. (NOTE: YOU MUST USE PROMO CODE "SAVVY" WHEN YOU REGISTER). Visit MANSION Have fun and good luck! (image placeholder)
And Mansion Poker is the home of the Poker Dome Challenge, you can enter 1 Cent MTTs to win a seat at the weekly Poker Dome TV taping in Vegas, including airfare and accommodations. 1 Little Penny could get you $25K in return!
Just when you thought you'd seen it all... OK, so I sound like a used car dealer. But I wanted to let you know that we just brought on another new partner that we're super-excited about: MANSION. You may have seen some of their sponsored tourneys on TV as well as their new Poker Dome in Vegas. For a limited time we're giving away 900 SavvyPoints when you open a new account, deposit $50 and wager only $50 in the poker room, casino or sportsbook at MANSION. Only $50! MANSION is very new and they're looking to acquire a lot of new players so they're making this a very sweet deal for PokerSavvy users. Take 'em up on it! To get the software, login to MyPokerSavvy or use the link below. (NOTE: YOU MUST USE PROMO CODE "SAVVY" WHEN YOU REGISTER). Visit MANSION Have fun and good luck! (image placeholder)
Friday, June 16, 2006
Blogger Commandments (suggestions really)
There have been a lot of posts about what makes a good poker blog, some posts about what sucks about poker blogs, and a lot of posts about what to do and not to do at your first blogger gathering. With just a few weeks until our next gathering, I thought I’d put together a few commandments (in no particular order of importance) for how to be a truly successful poker blogger and member of the poker blogger community, such as it is.
So I’ve got 20 commandments, but I’m funnier than Moses, so fuck off. Although that whole burning bush thing? Now that’s comedy.
I’m so going to hell for that.
- Thou shalt not stare at Iggy. Midget Pocahontasi do not approve of being stared at.
- Thou shalt not fuck with Mr. Subliminal’s shopping cart. Degenerate homeless gamblers are not people to be trifled with.
- Thou shalt not talk about going to Vegas anywhere around The Luckbox. We’ll be in Milwaulkee soon.
- Thou shalt not bet against BadBlood in a contest of pushups. That was one of the few mistakes I’ve seen STB make in a poker room.
- Thou shalt not pick the same color as G-Rob on wheel spin prop bets. It’s –EV.
- Thou shalt not confuse your Geek with your Nerd or your Proud Geek with your JustaGeek. Fucking that one up could lead to bad holodeck jokes, rampant l33tspeak, frighteningly deep discussions on 10-tabling SNGs, or terrifyingly good Gollum impressions.
- Thou shalt tell Chilly how much St. Louis sucks. If you’re lucky you’ll get a Fuck ________ blog post of your very own.
- Thou shalt not take Felicia’s ranting personally. It’s not you, she just doesn’t like very many people. Like maybe three. On a good day.
- Thou shalt not play big hole cards in multi-way pots against Waffles, it’s just going to piss you off and amuse the Waffle when he cracks them with some retarded holding that hits the board like Grubby hitting a strip bar with a prime rib buffet.
- Thou shalt not push all in preflop with QQ against Gracie’s AK. It will not end well for you. I promise.
- Thou shalt not try to go drink for drink with Pauly. Or fall for fall with Otis. These people are professionals.
- Thou shalt not check-raise the junkkicker. She will beat you down and rip out your heart.
- Thou shalt not be superstitious around Special K. He thinks it’s bad luck.
- Thou shalt not look up my kilt. Unless you’re a cute travel writer chick.
- Thou shalt not play against DonkeyPuncher if there are Jacks on the board. He keeps a couple stuffed up his ass for emergencies. Right next to the horseshoe.
- Thou shalt not turn down a late-night call from a fellow blogger asking for bail money.
- Thou shalt not let Bill Rini play blackjack. When he’s sober. Drunk, he’s golden.
- Thou shalt not hit Maudie in the head with a chair. That’s Blood’s schtick.
- Thou shalt not remind Easycure that he’s now a felon. And we thought Otis lived in a backwoods state.
- And finally, thou shalt Never, ever, EVER, limp with the hammer.
So I’ve got 20 commandments, but I’m funnier than Moses, so fuck off. Although that whole burning bush thing? Now that’s comedy.
I’m so going to hell for that.
Reload and Stars and Redecorating at FTP
A few new things in the world of online poker – and they’re all good!
First – Pokerstars is offering one of their rare deposit & reload bonuses, so if you’re not already playing on Stars, this is a great time to download the software and sign up! It’s a 20% reload bonus or a 100% signup bonus ($50 max) through this weekend. Please click on the banner over to the right to sign up, I’d love the kickback.
Secondly – Full Tilt has completely revamped the look of their interface, with easier to navigate cashier buttons, more filters for games and tourneys, and a slicker, more futuristic look. I much prefer this to the slightly cartoony look the front pages had been sporting. If you’re not playing on Full Tilt, how can you be like my main man Hoyazo, who just won a seat into a $1500 WSOP event? Same, deal, click on the link on the side of the page, and use bonus code FALSTAFF when you sign up.
These aren’t just sites I pimp because I’m an affiliate and I get a little bit of money whenever someone signs up using my code (although I sure as hell appreciate it!). These are places that I play. Pokerstars is the first site I ever played, and remains the site of my only decent tourney cash. It’s where I’d rather play tournaments, hands down over any other site. Their structures, software and support kick so much ass! Full Tilt is where I started learning to like limit poker, where I was able to start my positive bankroll growth, and where I’ve made the highest percentage of tourney cashes. So these aren’t just random sites, I love playing at both of them and think they are the shit, so check ‘em out!
First – Pokerstars is offering one of their rare deposit & reload bonuses, so if you’re not already playing on Stars, this is a great time to download the software and sign up! It’s a 20% reload bonus or a 100% signup bonus ($50 max) through this weekend. Please click on the banner over to the right to sign up, I’d love the kickback.
Secondly – Full Tilt has completely revamped the look of their interface, with easier to navigate cashier buttons, more filters for games and tourneys, and a slicker, more futuristic look. I much prefer this to the slightly cartoony look the front pages had been sporting. If you’re not playing on Full Tilt, how can you be like my main man Hoyazo, who just won a seat into a $1500 WSOP event? Same, deal, click on the link on the side of the page, and use bonus code FALSTAFF when you sign up.
These aren’t just sites I pimp because I’m an affiliate and I get a little bit of money whenever someone signs up using my code (although I sure as hell appreciate it!). These are places that I play. Pokerstars is the first site I ever played, and remains the site of my only decent tourney cash. It’s where I’d rather play tournaments, hands down over any other site. Their structures, software and support kick so much ass! Full Tilt is where I started learning to like limit poker, where I was able to start my positive bankroll growth, and where I’ve made the highest percentage of tourney cashes. So these aren’t just random sites, I love playing at both of them and think they are the shit, so check ‘em out!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Stacked - up and down
I find myself stuck a lot lately. I seem to sit down at a table, ready to play, and for the first fifteen minutes, misplay everything that I’m dealt. Even as the action approaches my seat, I look at my cards and think “yes, 79s is playable in late position, but NOT to an UTG raise, wait for a better hand.” Then, like Thing, or some other possessed body part, my hand treacherously clicks the “Call” button. And I’m stuck for two bets with a marginal hand and nothing but position to back me up.
Now occasionally, I can pick off the heehaws who find it morally repugnant to lay down AKo on a 6-high flop by firing bullets on every street, but usually I end up down three small bets right off the bat, and find myself quickly down 5-8BB and struggling to make up the difference. Last night was a prime example. I signed up for Interpoker (Scurvy, if you get the signup bonus, buy me a beer, I did hit it through your link), fired up a $2/4 table with $100, and found myself down to $30 within 40 minutes. That’s a retarded >15BB loss in less than an hour. I ratcheted down, played my premium hands, caught a set or two and finished up 20BB by the time I was done, but that’s not the point. I’m not playing optimal poker when I first sit down, and the same thing has translated into my live play as well.
I wonder if I’m getting stuck on purpose, subconsciously, to make myself work harder to win money. Silly, huh? But that’s what seems to be happening. So my plan tonight is to start off very slowly, only opening one table at first, then adding one or two more as I get my game on, rather than rushing into things with 2-3 tables of 2/4 open immediately. Maybe that will help me keep my idiocy in check. I’m still profitable for the month, but I feel like my bad play early in my sessions is costing me serious EV.
On another note, I got my preview copy of STACKED the other day and fired it up yesterday. The graphics and audio are smoking, and the ability to customize your character is pretty badass. I don’t have Xbox Live, so I won’t be able to comment on those aspects of the game, but so far it’s pretty cool. If I were going to play poker for no money, I’d be much more likely to play this shit than the play money games online, even though I’m playing against the computer instead of real live donkeys. I’ll put in some more time on it this weekend and give more info next week.
Now occasionally, I can pick off the heehaws who find it morally repugnant to lay down AKo on a 6-high flop by firing bullets on every street, but usually I end up down three small bets right off the bat, and find myself quickly down 5-8BB and struggling to make up the difference. Last night was a prime example. I signed up for Interpoker (Scurvy, if you get the signup bonus, buy me a beer, I did hit it through your link), fired up a $2/4 table with $100, and found myself down to $30 within 40 minutes. That’s a retarded >15BB loss in less than an hour. I ratcheted down, played my premium hands, caught a set or two and finished up 20BB by the time I was done, but that’s not the point. I’m not playing optimal poker when I first sit down, and the same thing has translated into my live play as well.
I wonder if I’m getting stuck on purpose, subconsciously, to make myself work harder to win money. Silly, huh? But that’s what seems to be happening. So my plan tonight is to start off very slowly, only opening one table at first, then adding one or two more as I get my game on, rather than rushing into things with 2-3 tables of 2/4 open immediately. Maybe that will help me keep my idiocy in check. I’m still profitable for the month, but I feel like my bad play early in my sessions is costing me serious EV.
On another note, I got my preview copy of STACKED the other day and fired it up yesterday. The graphics and audio are smoking, and the ability to customize your character is pretty badass. I don’t have Xbox Live, so I won’t be able to comment on those aspects of the game, but so far it’s pretty cool. If I were going to play poker for no money, I’d be much more likely to play this shit than the play money games online, even though I’m playing against the computer instead of real live donkeys. I’ll put in some more time on it this weekend and give more info next week.
No, Really, write your CongressPeople! Today!
This email landed in my Inbox this morning, so I'm passing it along. Please take a minute to write your congress-folks and please copy this into your blogs. It's important. If this bill passes, more of us than Easycure will become felons (sorry you live in the land of Cromwell, Easy). This is a ridiculous law, I agree, but that makes it no less dangerous. Please spread the word!
Dear PPA Member:
The federal effort to
ban online gambling has cleared another hurdle and within the next 10
days the House of Representatives will be voting on H.R. 4777, The
Internet Gaming Prohibition Act. It is essential that your member of
Congress know that you oppose this legislation. We have posted an
updated letter that you can send TODAY by going to http://capwiz.com/pokerplayersa
It is critical that Congress hears from you before this vote!
Additionally,
the Poker Players Alliance is seeking members who would be willing to
lend their name to a letter that would be published in their local
newspaper. These letters would let fellow citizens know that Congress
is seeking ban online poker and open the door to greater government
involvement in our personal affairs. If you would be willing to put
your name on a letter contact us immediately at email@pokerplayersalliance.org
Finally, we wanted to make you aware of an excellent editorial
published on June 9th in the Los Angeles Times. I encourage each of you
to read this enlightened and thoughtful look at the current
Congressional debate surrounding online gambling. The complete
editorial can be found by going to http://www.latimes.com/news
Thank you for all you do to support the Poker Players Alliance. And rest assured that we are working tirelessly on your behalf.
Sincerely,
Michael Bolcerek, president
Poker Players Alliance
Monday, June 12, 2006
Bonus Cleared, Marketing Advice, Heads-Up and Old Men
There is luck in poker. There simply has to be, otherwise my buddy Charles would never have made 3 nut Full Houses and 1 set of Quads in the first 90 minutes of our home game this weekend. But the fact that luck is not the only factor in being a winning poker player is held up by the fact that all that money was redistributed pretty evenly around the table by the end of the night. Dad managed to get himself into the game $100 deep at one point, finally cashing out around ten bucks down. Between the wife and myself, we buried ourselves for $110, but cashed out down a whopping $6. So short term luck does not necessarily equal long-term success. Charles did finish the night up a bit, but nowhere near where he had been.
Played a little more over the weekend, knocked out my Party bonus for $100, and I think I was about even for the ride, so it actually was a bonus. But I’m starting to doubt the usefulness of chasing $100 4-tabling NLHE when I can make more than $100 in a couple of hours playing two tables of $2/4 or $50 max NLHE. I guess that’s the contradiction inherent in bonuses – if you’re playing levels that the bonus is a serious bump to your roll, the bonus is difficult or impossible to clear, and if you’re playing levels that make the bonus easier to clear, it’s hardly worth chasing. Not that I’m going to stop chasing them, but I’m not sure how many new rooms I’m going to sign up for just to chase them.
Still donking around on World Poker Exchange, currently hanging out there because the rakeback is covering my losses. That place is playing seriously tight, so it’s not going to get a ton of my playing time right now. The tightness of that site is easily attributed to their marketing plan. Promoting a site with 100% rakeback is not going to appeal to the fishies that are getting into poker on the internet because it looks neat and fun, it’s going to appeal to serious players who understand how much they are paying out to websites for the privilege of playing. And those are typically going to be tougher players.
It’s very similar to a conversation I had with Lou from PokerTek when I was over there last week. They have endorsements from Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson and Antonio Esfandiari about how great it is to not have to tip a dealer, and how many more hands you get in per hour, and how much more money a grinder will make over the course of a year just in tips and extra hands. That’s all well and good, but grinders aren’t your bread and butter market. Your leather-assed road dogs who sit for 14 hours a day in a casino are a part of the market, but they’re a niche market. Right now, to market things to the poker player, market to the casual player. Market something about how you don’t have to be able to chip tricks to sit at our table. Something about how it’s casino poker, but as simple to learn as a computer game. Something that is appealing to newbies.
Because we want newbies to come into casinos, feel comfortable and have fun. We want them to get bitten by the bug of raking a pot, of pushing all in, of winning a coin flip on the river. We want them to feel that excitement and energy. But we have to reach them. If I’m marketing a new poker site or a new poker product, I’m going the Bodog route or the Party route, shooting for either “cool” or “fun,” not “rakefree” or “tokefree.” So that’s my marketing suggestion of the day, for what it’s worth (nothing unless anyone uses it, then send me free toys!).
I played a couple of heads-up SNGs yesterday, after reading Harrington’s heads-up chapter in HOH:II. Out of a ridiculously small sample size, I’m ahead, 3-1. In these things, you pretty much have to win 75% of them to be profitable, because of the juice. I’m enjoying them, so I may add them into my rotation of games. I’m not in any hurry to take on the Yoyo or Waffles, I just wanna play random donkeys for a bit.
I’ll be back eventually with a post about teaching my 77-year old father Texas Hold Em yesterday, and goal of turning my poker-illiterate sister into a profitable internet Limit Hold Em player.
Played a little more over the weekend, knocked out my Party bonus for $100, and I think I was about even for the ride, so it actually was a bonus. But I’m starting to doubt the usefulness of chasing $100 4-tabling NLHE when I can make more than $100 in a couple of hours playing two tables of $2/4 or $50 max NLHE. I guess that’s the contradiction inherent in bonuses – if you’re playing levels that the bonus is a serious bump to your roll, the bonus is difficult or impossible to clear, and if you’re playing levels that make the bonus easier to clear, it’s hardly worth chasing. Not that I’m going to stop chasing them, but I’m not sure how many new rooms I’m going to sign up for just to chase them.
Still donking around on World Poker Exchange, currently hanging out there because the rakeback is covering my losses. That place is playing seriously tight, so it’s not going to get a ton of my playing time right now. The tightness of that site is easily attributed to their marketing plan. Promoting a site with 100% rakeback is not going to appeal to the fishies that are getting into poker on the internet because it looks neat and fun, it’s going to appeal to serious players who understand how much they are paying out to websites for the privilege of playing. And those are typically going to be tougher players.
It’s very similar to a conversation I had with Lou from PokerTek when I was over there last week. They have endorsements from Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson and Antonio Esfandiari about how great it is to not have to tip a dealer, and how many more hands you get in per hour, and how much more money a grinder will make over the course of a year just in tips and extra hands. That’s all well and good, but grinders aren’t your bread and butter market. Your leather-assed road dogs who sit for 14 hours a day in a casino are a part of the market, but they’re a niche market. Right now, to market things to the poker player, market to the casual player. Market something about how you don’t have to be able to chip tricks to sit at our table. Something about how it’s casino poker, but as simple to learn as a computer game. Something that is appealing to newbies.
Because we want newbies to come into casinos, feel comfortable and have fun. We want them to get bitten by the bug of raking a pot, of pushing all in, of winning a coin flip on the river. We want them to feel that excitement and energy. But we have to reach them. If I’m marketing a new poker site or a new poker product, I’m going the Bodog route or the Party route, shooting for either “cool” or “fun,” not “rakefree” or “tokefree.” So that’s my marketing suggestion of the day, for what it’s worth (nothing unless anyone uses it, then send me free toys!).
I played a couple of heads-up SNGs yesterday, after reading Harrington’s heads-up chapter in HOH:II. Out of a ridiculously small sample size, I’m ahead, 3-1. In these things, you pretty much have to win 75% of them to be profitable, because of the juice. I’m enjoying them, so I may add them into my rotation of games. I’m not in any hurry to take on the Yoyo or Waffles, I just wanna play random donkeys for a bit.
I’ll be back eventually with a post about teaching my 77-year old father Texas Hold Em yesterday, and goal of turning my poker-illiterate sister into a profitable internet Limit Hold Em player.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Odd Poker Spam
I get something like this every week or two, and not even in the mailbox that’s linked to this blog – how are these people finding me? I’d really like to know who’s selling that particular email address. I’m sure I’m not alone in keeping several email addresses. One is for my day job, and it is given out ONLY to people that I know from work, and the few people that I happened to have emailed from work at some point. One is my widespread personal email, poker blog email, the one I have here on my contact page, all that jazz. But the address that this came to is one that I pretty much only use for personal stuff, communicating with family, shit like that. So since I’m sure I’m not the only one getting this email, who do you guys think sold our email addresses?
Hello, my name is XXXXXXXXX, I am with XXXXXX magazine and I would like the opportunity to discuss with you the possibility of earning your business.
XXXXXXX is bi-monthly magazine that covers all aspects revolving around the gaming lifestyle. We provide our readers with the most informative, knowledge-based content in regards to casinos, poker rooms, restaurants/dining and show reviews, land based and internet gaming, poker, sports/horse betting strategy, interviews with celebrities, athletes and business executives, along the hottest events, and the world’s leading real estate, fashion, sports and nightclub trends.
We are distributed worldwide, with a concentration in Casinos and gaming establishments of every level including poker rooms, high limit table-slot areas, VIP lounges, race tracks and sports book locations. With over 400 major newsstands distributing XXXXXXX, including Borders, Barnes and Nobles, Amazon.com, Anderson News and Hudson News Stands, we are also strategically placed in high end retail stores, shopping malls and airports nationwide.
Our readers appreciate, deserve and most importantly desire the fine things in life. XXXXXXXXXX join us in spreading “la buona vita” the good life to our readers.
If you are interested in possibly advertising in XXXXXXX magazine don’t hesitate to contact me either by email or by phone.
Have a great weekend!
BTW, I did reply and told the nice man that he was a little misguided in his sales pitch, but if he needed writers for his magazine, we could talk. May as well take any opportunity out there, right?
Hello, my name is XXXXXXXXX, I am with XXXXXX magazine and I would like the opportunity to discuss with you the possibility of earning your business.
XXXXXXX is bi-monthly magazine that covers all aspects revolving around the gaming lifestyle. We provide our readers with the most informative, knowledge-based content in regards to casinos, poker rooms, restaurants/dining and show reviews, land based and internet gaming, poker, sports/horse betting strategy, interviews with celebrities, athletes and business executives, along the hottest events, and the world’s leading real estate, fashion, sports and nightclub trends.
We are distributed worldwide, with a concentration in Casinos and gaming establishments of every level including poker rooms, high limit table-slot areas, VIP lounges, race tracks and sports book locations. With over 400 major newsstands distributing XXXXXXX, including Borders, Barnes and Nobles, Amazon.com, Anderson News and Hudson News Stands, we are also strategically placed in high end retail stores, shopping malls and airports nationwide.
Our readers appreciate, deserve and most importantly desire the fine things in life. XXXXXXXXXX join us in spreading “la buona vita” the good life to our readers.
If you are interested in possibly advertising in XXXXXXX magazine don’t hesitate to contact me either by email or by phone.
Have a great weekend!
BTW, I did reply and told the nice man that he was a little misguided in his sales pitch, but if he needed writers for his magazine, we could talk. May as well take any opportunity out there, right?
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