Would YOU Throw away a WSOP Bracelet to make a point?!?!

Since the WSOP wrapped,  the question at the tip of every ones tongue is, “Would YOU throw away a WSOP bracelet to make a point?  That is exactly what Jeff Shulman, CEO and President of CardPlayer Magazine is expected to do if he wins the main event final table in November.  Going in with fourth place chips, Jeff certainly has the stack and talent to achieve his goal.  But to what end?  To only throw the bracelet into the trash?  SAY IT AINT SO JEFF!!

Jeff isnt alone in his plight.  Some of Jeff’s statements are ringing truer than the general poker playing public realize.  It’s all about money.  Since Harrahs purchased the WSOP brand some years ago, they have worked, parlayed and squeezed every single possible dollar out of the players, sponsors, media and employees.  How exactly?  let me enlighten you…..

First, most people would say Jeff is singing an injustice was done to CardPlayer because Harrahs took away media rights to report on live results at the WSOP.  Its really not sour grapes, Harrahs saw another opportunity to make money on the WSOP brand by putting “exclusive” rights to reporting the WSOP up for auction.  A feeding frenzy happened on the first year of this bidding war for the rights to report.  After going to PokerNews.com for a reported bid of hundreds of thousands of dollars, CardPlayer bowed out and every year there after.   Reporters from ANY poker publication can get media credentials and be present everyday of the WSOP, they are very limited to access, and numbers of reporters.  Those privileges are reserved for the exclusive reporting site.

Second, which I believe is one of the most important points Jeff makes, is the amount of “juice” Harrahs takes from the players.  The main event juice alone this year was over $3 Million.  There were 57 events, you do the math.  Harrahs doesnt stop there when is comes to juicing out the bucks.  Surely you’ve noticed the SPONSORS with their banners hanging in the poker halls, hallways and vendor hall.  Lets also not forget the year we had to stare at VIAGRA on every single poker table we sat at a few years ago!  All these monies are gained at the expense of the players, yet none of it ever hits the prize pools or benefits the players.

Third point, benefits of the players?  No consideration has ever been given to the benefits that players could be receiving thru the WSOP.  How about royalties for the hundreds of times ESPN shows you at the feature table, final table, featured big hand at a table with a pro, or an attention grabbing event that inevitably scrambles the ESPN camera crew to your table?  Actors have SAG cards that enables them to receive royalties for the use of their image, yet poker players MUST sign off the use of their image or NOT play?  Fair is fair, Harrahs makes money for having ESPN there to film and televise the events, why isnt there some trickle down of monies to players?

While we’re on the subject of player benefits, lets look at fair treatment between players.  It appears if your name is Phil Ivey, Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth or Scotty Nyguen you can ask for any perk and it magicly appears in a relatively short period of time.   One year I saw a full steak dinner on a rolling cart taken straight up to Doyle Brunson sitting at a table playing.  Another instance, Phil Ivey has a flat screen TV installed beside his table so that he can watch the Lakers play.  We are painfully aware of the penalties Phil Hellmuth incurres then magically disappear the next day.  How about Scotty’s infamous meltdown at the $50K HORSE event, where we watched him drop insult after insult, F-Bombs and commit collusion by soft play, only to NEVER get a warning or penalty from the staff?  I’ll take bets right now, if that was Joe Blow poker player, he would be greeted with blank stars from staff and raging laughs for making such out landish requests!  I dont even want to think of  how long of a sit out I would get for acting out like Scotty did.  I’d probably never be permitted to return to the table to finish the tournament!  Equal treatment is all any player expects and deserves!  Harrahs has fallen miserably in this catagory!!

Now ask yourself if you would throw away a bracelet on national TV for the benefit of making the WSOP a better poker superbowl event for ALL players?  It would be the hardest single thing for ANY poker player to do, wouldnt it?  I’m not sure I could.  But the threat alone has brought out the critics against Jeff’s comments that this is his intention.  Maybe if everyone fell in behind Jeff’s efforts to bring attention to these desirable changes, he wouldnt have to go as far as throwing away the MOST coveted bracelet of the poker world, and we could ALL bring about change………….

2009 WSOP

My worst fears for this WSOPbeset me from the start.  Never have I ever run so unlucky in so many ways.  My game was about the best I’ve ever played, which only made the beats I took along the way worse.  Since I begun working witha pro coach to make my game tighter withless mistakes, I found that I had not made allowances for bad players.  Taking advantage of these players was the easy part, stepping over the potential bad beats was an oversight on my part.  When I knew what my opponent had, whether it was a monster draw or I was drawing to less than 30%, I wasnt letting go of those hands in many instances….to add bleeding to these wounds, I took the bad beats and let them tilt me.  NOT GOOD. 

The first mega I played, there were over 300 players, I went out 16thfor 12 seats.  Secondmega, there were over 400 players giving around19 seats, I went out somewhere around 42nd.  The last mega was over 400 players and around 37 seats, I went out 61st.  These megas were different buy-ins, $300+, $550 and $1060.  I was so sick.  Most of these megas was paid for thru my successes at the STS.

The general feeling at the WSOP was to play and get out.  I was surprised at the attitudes of most of the players.  Hardly anyone was running good, the murmur of voices in the halls were undecipherable because of the different languages flooding the loud chatter.  This is the first WSOP I’ve ever played at that I was constantly saying, “What did you say?” and “English only please!”  The foreign players totally ignored this rule the WHOLE WSOP!

On the positive side of poker during this summer run, I did take a 14th cash in the Binions Classic Open, chopped up another final table at Binions, and took a 16th(I think) in the ladies event at the Golden Nugget Series.  My summer was about brake even.

I’m continuing my coaching, and heading to the Bike next week for the first deep stack event of the WPT Legends of Poker.  I’m hoping to do well at this event, and plugging up those leaks I seem to be spurting from.

Venetian Deep Stack, Tuesday

The deep stack really went deep!  There were over 700 players sitting down to 12K starting chips and a BIG bluffing sessions.  I must have drawn the tuffest table of all in the tournament.  The player on my right was a professional player from Vegas, whom I’ve played with many times.  He commented several times that this table was rough!  Boy did I know it!  The opposite end of the table, bluffed so much, I could have played better using a Magic 8 Ball…lol.  Just when you thought you had them, the guy would turn over PP K’s or AA…brutal…

To further hinder my progress, I was cold decked most of the tournament.  To make a 5 hour tournament seem even shorter, my second table had 6 youngsters who thought they were all “Gus” clones.  Raising from early-mid position with 7/9d and utg with PP 3’s…..duh……I couldnt wait to go out….lol

Wednesday is a shot at Binions NL event.  Hopefully better cards and less clones…..

Sunday poker on PokerStars

I’m looking for the best value on Stars to play, not really feeling like wading thru the Millions, but looking for a cash possibility.  I missed my seat for the third time into the $650 qualifer for the WSOP ME, so that reduces me to cash tournaments for choices.  I decided on the $55 $200K GTD which had 6462 players, for a really nice prize pool.    I was card dead for the longest time then got a boat when I called allin with pocket Jacks against two stacks of dead money that jumped me to 13K.  Easy come easy go, I lost 2/3 of my stack to a riverd boat against my turnd flush, and squeek into the money to make about $70 profit. 

I didnt play anything else Sunday, I took it easy and flopped in the pool with Steve and we chilled the rest of the evening.  Monday will be a satellite day at the WSOP, to see if I can get into the Tuesday $1500, if not, I play $330 deep stack at Venetian……

WSOP DonkFest, stepping over land mines….

I’ve never been more prepared for a big event than I was for this one!  Lots of rest, snacks, Ipod etc in the bag, confidence high and arrived early enough to get my car into the valet to boot!

My first table 144 seat 2, happen to be in the Amazon room and right beside the final three tables of the 40K, which was caotic.  I’ve seen lots of bad players in my day, but my table had 7…lol.  AA limping in utg and getting busted by 33/set, another guy pushed in for an open ender with one card to come, and hit his miracle card, which sent the other player into a departing rant.  Over and over I saw rediculous bad play, and players that might as well gone out to Las Vegas Blvd and threw their money up in the air.

I had several mini goals to make thru-out the day, once being to double my stack to 6K by 6pm.  I accomplished that by 3pm.  Chipping up is a difficult feat in a field such as this, but I managed to do so at a great pace. 

My second table didnt seem as bad as the first, these guys were a mixed bag.   There were three small stacks, two big stacks of which one was a young go-getter that I labeled thief quickly on.  The others were very tight players.  I established myself right away with this hand:

I limp early with 88, mid-position limps and so does the button.  Flop is 8d/Ah/Jh…I check my set, mid bets 600, button folds, I raise to 1600 and he calls.  Turn is Tc…I push allin and he calls, turning over AJ for two pair.  I put him out and clear my stack to around 9300.

I lose a couple small all ins that I called with AK and PP J’s and have a stack back to 7K when this hand happens:

New player raises to 600, folds to me in cutoff, I call with AKd, headsup, flop comes XKX, I have top pair, he bets the pot 1200 with 1800 behind, I put him allin and he calls turning over QQ vs my pair of Kings…turn is a brick and the river….Q for a set.  He leaves me with about 2800 or so.

There’s an orbit and the blinds pass me before i play my last hand.  The thief raises to 600 and I look at KQs on the button, I call and and SB calls.  Flop is As/X/6s, SB checks, thief bets 400 into a 1900 pot, I put him on a weak Ace, so I push with my nut flush draw for another 2100, thinking he cant call with a weak Ace.  The SB goes into the tank, and finally folds, the thief then goes into the tank then CALLS!  He turns over A4 off, my flush tanks and I’m out.  A donk call, but I played it correctly putting the pressure on the thief.

I loved the game I played, it was spot on!  I needed some luck from the spade GOD but he had foresaken me in my time of need.

Next up, I play some satellites to go into the $1500 Tuesday, or I playa the deep stack at Venetian.

PS Friday Qualifier

I’m still playing on Stars for a ME seat qualifier, I fell a little short again in the 1:30pm $3 rebuy….156 players, money at 9th and 2 seats in the $650 which is my target.  I went out 5th…sigh…another failure…I’ve won this qualifier twice, I have T$ but not enough to buy into the $650.  Maybe I’ll go into the Millions on Sunday, not really the one I want to play, but thats a decision for tomorrow.

I’m very stoked for the tournament today, I’ll try to text my progress to someone today to post….

Sunday Poker 11-9

The Sunday Millions was a total waste for me.  My computer started acting up, freezing, going off line, I was ready to toss it out the door and into the pool.  But instead, I called Janice and Gyla for direction to fix the dam thing, since rebooting was NO help!

I went out of the millions as a result of freezing up, went out of the $100G short of the money, and lost $140 on the 1/2 NL game when KK got busted on the river.  KK was my doom all day.  All in all, a VERY bad poker day, but if I only get one a month, I can hack it.  It’s comparable to being shot in a battle and surviving the wound.

Today, we’re going to look at a new house.  I dont know if it’s really in the cards for us to make such a move in Las Vegas, but we’re interested in this area, and are taking a look see.  Hopefully I will get some live poker in at the Venetian this week.

PokerStars Sunday Millions 11-2-08

What a CARD DEAD tournament!!  This week was nothing compared to last weeks, when I got hit with the deck and was for the most part, kickin it!!  This will be a short overview of my tourney, as I dont like to write much about failures to complete…lol.

There were 7836 players, I finished 382nd for $863.60.  I had six table changes in this tournament which slows down my game because note taking is a very important part of my strategy.   To prove how card dead I was take a look at these figures:

AK-1  AQ-1 AJ-1 A/10-3 AA-never KK-2  QQ-1  JJ-1, hit set  small pairs-5 times, several KJ and KQ that played or threw away.  I played several suited connectors in position in order to keep myself afloat, I couldnt wait for great cards since it was very evident they werent coming.  My notes allowed me to identify the players I could push and know they would fold against any aggression.  My highest chip total this tournament was 87K.  It saddens me that I didnt even break 100K. 

Luck and cards certainly play a big part of my game.  I watched he final 25 play last night until I went to sleep.  I guess I may never make it that far, as I watched the chip leader go to the river with K9d and win on the river with a 9.  Unbelievble, I put the other player on a small pair, tho he didnt show.

Once again, I will throw myself into the BIG mix next week and hope for better cards.  I’m paying live today in the Venetian Deep Stack, hopefully I will have a better report from there!!

Sunday Millions on PokerStars 10-26-08

First, Thanks to everyone who railed me!  I dont watch the chat very much once we hit the money simply because I have to watch my notes on players, as well as the ladder of money and where I am.

I kept some notes, but wont bore you too much with details.  I changed tables four times early in the tournament which has it’s advantages and disadvantages.  It worked for me this time!  Early on I was catching some pretty good hands, big pairs, sometimes with no action but lucky enough in others.

Early on I played K-10 suited, and turned a straight that paid off.  At the first break I had doubled up to 20,650.  My next increase didnt come until the second break during which time I had AK five times, KK, JJ and 77 that took me to 32,900.  Some of these hands only raked the blinds, 2772 players left.

I lost only three hands that I initiated the hand, PP5’s, AJ vs.77, and my departing hand.  That is about as good a ratio as I could hope for.  My next increase came when I call a all-in with two players that resulted in a 9K increase with PP Jacks, stack is now 45,195.

In total I played AK 12 times, AQ only once, AJ 3 times, never had AA!!, KK 4 times, QQ 3 times and a variety of small pairs that NEVER hit a set!  I did manage to hit two pair and a few flushes with suited connectors that boosted my stack.  My strategy was to be the initiator in all the hands I played, and to keep good notes on my opponents in order to “out play” when I felt I could.  I folded some hands I no doubt could have gone in with, but I felt strongly in not being the caller but being the raiser in this tournament.  I played by two pieces of advice, “if your hand is good enough to call, its good enough to raise with” and “never be afraid to go broke”.  It served me well in this tournament!

My departing hand wasnt  what I wanted to play, but I went card dead at a critical time in the tournament when I had 139K and the blinds were 12,500/25,000/2500.  It took no time at all it eat away my stack with players pushing all-in or raising every hand.  I pushed on my SB with 67os and was called by the BB with PP5’s…the flop came 435, giving me the straight and him the set, the poker gods ended my celebration by sending runner runner Jacks to give him a boat.  I finished in 135th place out of 7415 players for $1800.  My best finish in the Sunday Millions thus far.

Next Sunday, I give it another try!!

Caesar’s Classic Bubble

I’m not going to write much about this tournament, except to say, I played near as perfect as I possibly could.  374 players, paid 36.  We sat at 40 players for 2 hours!  I went out just before the bubble at 38 on pocket Jacks in my BB that ran into a raised pocket pair of Aces.  It’s a terrible long time to play and go out without a cent, 10 1/2 hours.  If I play this well on Tuesday’s main event, I will certainly make the money!!

Wish me luck!!