Wednesday, October 22, 2008

I’m going to try something for the next few weeks. Binions Hotel Casino is currently running their Binions Poker Open Tournaments. The Binions Classic is a series of poker tournaments for the poker players playing on a small budget. The average buy ins are $150-$200, with a couple of $500 and $1,000 buy ins. The tournaments have outstanding structures and attract a lot of players, it’s well run. So In honor of the Binions Poker Open, I’m going to play online tournaments to coincide with Binion’s tournaments…The Buy in for the online tournaments will be on par with Binions. For Example, the 1st event is a $90 No Limit tournament, so I’ll probably play a $2 or $3 online tournament. I’ll be playing mainly on Pokerstars, but I may squeeze a few FullTilt Tournaments.
I won’t have a set time of when I’ll play these tournaments, only that I’ll be entering them in the same order of The Binions Poker Open, but from time to time I’ll know exactly when I’ll play and I’ll be sure to post it on the bulletin board just in case you want to sweat me.
I’m doing this experiment for 2 reasons: 1) to gauge my poker tournaments skills. I really haven’t been playing too many tournaments. This is a way to get into the mode with little risk, and 2) Just for the hell of it…and to have fun..
My future blog entries, I’ll give you a daily progress…and you’ll see just how well, (or how bad), I’m doing….I hope I’ll have a good run and learn something along the way.


Binions Poker Open FIRST EVENT: NO LIMIT TEXAS HOLD ($90 Buy in)

ONLINE EQUIVELENT: $2 or $3 TOURNAMENT ON POKERSTARS

Friday, October 17, 2008

24 and Other Ramblings....

Just saw the prequel trailer for the new 24 season. It’ll be the bridge connecting Season 6 with Season 7, and it it’s intriguing to say the least. Tony Almeida is coming back…fans of the shows will say, “Didn’t he die during Season 5?” Well, he’s back..this time as the antagonist..it’ll be interesting to see how they explain this how they’ll explain his resurrection. To prepare for Season 7, I’m watching the entire Season 6 to get myself back in the mode before the new season begins. I’m really looking forward to this season as CTU will be no more, and it’ll be interesting to see the relationship dynamics between Jack Bauer and Tony Almeida.
Been playing a lot of online cash games lately, both Hold Em and Omaha Hi Lo…been doing fairly well…it’s a been a grind to get my bankroll up, but slowly but surely it’s going up rather than down. A few days ago, I was talking to my wife about how I had a huge online bankroll 5 years ago..on both Paradise Poker and PokerStars….At one point I had 5K on Paradise and 2K on PokerStars…I was able to build the majority of it through limit cash games..It was easier back then cause of the infancy of online poker attracted a lot of bad players..Today the players are better so it’s a little tougher to win, but online poker is still beatable…you just have to adjust to educated players.
I’m heading out to the UNLV football game tomorrow. They have a big game against Air Force…UNLV hasn’t had a storied football program with only 6 wins the last 3 years, but this year they already have 3 wins in 6 games and the buzz is starting to grow around the city. Hopefully, they’ll have a good showing.

Friday, September 19, 2008

I LOVE 80's GAME SHOWS!!!

As a kid I loved GAME SHOWS…I can remember as a kid watching shows like PRESS YOUR LUCK, CARD SHARKS, TIC TAC DOUGH, and SALE OF THE CENTURY and be absolutely fascinated by them. Back in the 80’s, games shows always came on in the morning, so I would get up, grab me a bowl of cereal and watch all the games shows back to back. I especially loved the trivia game shows and I would try to answer the questions along with the contestants..I think it was the roots for my competitive nature, because I would always try my best to be right.
So it probably won’t surprise you that the GAME SHOW NETWORK is one of my favorite TV Stations. They still show those great 80’s game shows and I’m still very fascinated by them. The game shows of today are too “Over the top” in my view…they have too many big productions to be taken seriously. Today’s game shows are actually reality shows. Back in the heyday of game shows, the concepts was simple…”Answer the question get an X or O” “IS the next card Higher or lower”, “Avoid the Whammy”, “Get to the Top of the Pyramid in 60 seconds” One of the best parts of these games shows are the outdated prizes they give away…like answering machines and “BETA MAX”
Currently, TIC TAC DOUGH is my favorite because they’re running the 46 game winning streak of Thom McKee, a Naval Pilot who held the record for the biggest winnings in history at over $312,000. It’s a record that held for over 20 years until Ken Jennings of Jeopardy game came along to shatter that record. My wife and I have been watching every episode since the beginning and are completely in awe of good Thom Mckee was, and nearly 30 years later…it tough not to respect what this man did.
80’s games shows….just a slice of Americana that should never be forgotten.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Finding Old Friends and Other Random Thoughts

Happy St. Patrick Day!! Lotta "Green" spirits will be consumed today and plenty of pinching.

The best thing about Myspace is you'll able to find buddies you haven't spoken too or seen for a long time. This week I found two guys I worked with during my military days at Charleston AFB, SC. It's great to touch base with them and add them to my friends network. I'm still searching for more of my Charleston buddies, because of the 11 years I was in the Air Force, the time I spent in Charleston were my favorite.

As many of you know I'm getting married July 5th, and the wheels are in motion. My financee and mom are setting everything up. We sent out our invitations and hopefully many of my out of state friends will attend. The biggest dissapointment from my first wedding was that none of my friend attended, probably because it was so haphazardly put together that they had little time to make plans. This time around I gave my friends enough time to make arrangements.

I've been grinding at the lower Omaha Hi Lo limits on Pokerstars, nearly 10,000 hands the past two months After a disasterous February, I reevaluated my Omaha game and made some minor adjustments. The results have been a very profitable March for me. My bankroll has been steadily moving upward. Hopefully, I can keep it up.

March Madness starts this Thursday...and it's the best sporting event in the world. I'll definately have money riding on a few games..I'm looking at UCLA to win the whole thing...Also, I'll be rooting for the local team, UNLV, to go very far.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Last Two Weeks....

It's been a while since I updated my blog, probably cause I really haven't had time to sit and think about what I'm going to write about. Usually, I'd like to have a topic in mind, then expand upon that. So today, I'll just give you a brief description of the past two weeks

For Valentine's Day, Tonya and I decided to take a short get-away weekend to Laughlin, NV. For those who are not familiar with Laughlin, it's a small town about an hour away from Las Vegas near the Arizona Border. it's a smaller scale of Las Vegas. There are a bunch of casinos, but many of them are smaller than anything in Vegas. Now, you may ask "Why would you go to a town with casinos when you live in Las Vegas. Believe me, when to live in Las Vegas, sometimes you need to get away. Plus, Laughlin is very cheap as far as gambling, food, and overall entertain. The first night we played poker at Harrah's Laughlin. I played 2-5 No Limit and manageed a small win. I alsn ran into old co-worker who's now running the Speciality gaming department at Harrahs. He offered to give us a free lunch, if we came back and next day, but I knew we wouldn't have time for it. Maybe he'll give us the same offer when we return... We Stayed at the Aquarius, so most of our gambling was done there and boy did we lose a lot...mostly on Roulette and Blackjack...again why don't I just play poker?? On Saturday, we gambling more..lost more...but managed to win 200 bucks playing the Megabucks slot machine...It was funny watching Tonya beg to the machine to win us $17million, but we'll take the 200 bucks...The last thing we did was watch Juno! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It's about a teenager who becomes pregnant, decided not to keep it, then tries to find the right parents to raise...very funny, provacative, and interesting!

Last Thursday, we took Anastacia to Chuck E Cheese! Although the pizza sucks, they totally remodeled by adding new video games including a very addicting version of "Deal or No Deal" The premise is the same as the game show only it usually tickets...Tonya and I must have spent 10 bucks alone!!! This past Sunday we threw a small party for Anastacia's 2nd birthday...It was just for the family. It was very relaxing...I cannot believe how fast Anastacia is growing...pretty soon she'll be going to kindergarden, I just want her to stay the same...damn, I love Anastacia. Can't imagine what my life would be like without her.

I'll be posting pictures from Anastacia's birthday on my MySpace Page...look for them....

Monday, February 11, 2008

My Relationship With The Boy!

AS I write this, I'm playing a $10 3,100 player online tournament on PokerStars. I really like this tournament before of the huge overlay...if you cards fall right, you could potential win over $4,000. Although it's a difficult field to navigate through it's worth your time if you hit it one time....SO let's see how I do..

This past Saturday, my fiancee's daughter had a slumber party at my house and I didn't feel like hanging around a bunch of pre-adolesence girls, so I decided to take my financee's son to Circus Circus (What a train wreck that place is..kids everywhere!!!). His name is Brayden, and he's a kid with a lot of heart and a kid who is misunderstood at times. First of all, I want to say I absolutely adore the boy (as I like to call him). He can be a little hard-headed, and sometimes doesn't listen, but overall, I believe I have a solid relationship with him. About a year ago, he was diagnosed with Attention Deficient disorder (ADD). Basically, the disorder makes a child hyperactive. When I started dating Tonya (my fiancee), I didn't know How to react to him..he was just out of control at times, but I learned to cope with it by understanding he's a kid and they go through phases. I believe I'm a very positive influence on him because he's I'm the absolute opposite of his mom. I'm the disciplinarian, and I have the enforcer of the rules. Although he gets mad at me when I make him do something he doesn't, I believe he respects me for it...I'm not trying to be his dad, I've told him many times, never call me dad cause he has one..but I believe I can teach stuff his biological parents can't teach him like parts of my Filipino Culture, and it's okay to accept other people. The fact that I'm in his life as a "Filipino" Step Dad will only enhance him as a man when he grows up.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Venetian Deep Stack and MySpace

Well, I didn't win the first event of the Venetian Deep Stack. Although I only lasted 5 hours, I felt I played a good game..the cards just didn't smile on me when I needed to. I don't care what the "so called" experts say about poker tournaments being a game a skill..there is a lot of luck involved, and you have to catch cards and some point. With the starting field of nearly 600 people..everything had to flow in your direction to have a chance to win them. I was able to build my stack to around 10K at one point (we started with 6K), but unable to really get anything going when the blinds increased. Here are 2 hands from the tournament. One I played badly and one I felt I played well:

First hand: Blinds are 100-200 I opened limped on Middle position with 76 spades and (8K behind). The table was playing rather passive so I felt I could sneak in cheap. One played limped behind, and both blinds were in. The Flop came 5 10 5 two spades..Checked to me. I bet 400...trying to manipulate the pot to draw as cheaply as I can. Everyone folds except the big blind who calls..he has around 9K. I immediately put him on a 5..turn in the Jack of spades completing my Flush..He checks again...I bet 800..he calls...here I probably should have bet more to show that I had a made hand...maybe he doesn't call if I bet say...2500 or 3000. River is a 10...Small blind check...I check behind...he shows Q5 to take the pot...I probably should have made a big bet here..I don't think he's calling the 5 with two 10's on the board...knowing I've bet on the flop and turn....oh well

Second hand: Blinds now are 200-400 25 ante..I limp Under the gun with AK..I had raising UTG with this hand...cause if I get raised..I probably have to dump the hand cause I Still have enough chips where I don't need to race, plus it's a tough hand to play out of position. Two more limpers, plus the blinds...Flop comes Q 8 K all diamonds. I don't have a diamond...Everyone checks the flop...turn is an 8. Player with 7K bets 400...The flop screamed weakness..probably J10 with one diamond...Action to me. I decided to see if anyone was slowing playing the flush by raising to 1900...everyone folds the small blinds who goes into the tank. Although this player was solid, he's folded a lot of hands when facing resistance...this time he calls...River is a A Diamond. He checks...I immediately put him on J10 with the 10 of diamonds..I felt he couldn't call a big bet on the river, so I moved in my last 5K, again he goes into the tank before finally folding..

I was really proud of the way I played the hand...I know it was risky, but I had to go with my read and play accordingly. After that I was completely card dead and everytime I tried to make a move to get chips, someone who either raise first or reraise me..I Finally I busted with AK against JJ...Despite the dissapointing finish, I was generally happy with my play...I'll try and playing another event if I can find some time...it was a great time...I'm very confident I'm going to get a big score if I continue to concentrate on my tournament game.


Now, my opinion about MySpace...I use to believe MySpace was for teenagers and a breeding ground for penphilers and creeps, but I found out many of my c0-workers have myspace pages..In fact I added two people from work my page...It's really a good way to keep in touch with all your friends. I'm going to try to get as many of my co-workers added to my friends network..

Monday, February 4, 2008

Super Bowl Thoughts and The Venetian Deep Stack

WOW!! is all I can say about last night's Superbowl. The Giants showed the heart of a champion. If anyone had ever doubts about Eli Manning's ability to lead before last night's games, all those doubts should be erased after that performance. The play in the 4th Quarter when he eluded 5 Patriots and threw it 30 yards to David Tyree will go down as one of the greatest plays in Superbowl history. My hats off to the Giants on their wonderful victory!!

As I write this I'm 3 1/2 hrs from the start of the first event of the Venetian Deep Stack poker Tournament. The buy in is $330, and I feel really good about my No Limit Play. I've cashed in 3 of the 6 online tournaments this year. I just have a focus. LAst year I only lasted 30 minutes, so I'm definately hoping for a better showing! It should be a huge tournament. I'm guessing 1st place will be around 30K.

I admit I've taken a semi-hiatus from poker the past two years with the birth of my daughter, but I've made a conscious effort to play more big live tournaments try to get about to the zone I was in back in 2004-2005. Hopefully, this will be the start of a good 2008 in my poker career.

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Super Bowl Sunday

It's SuperBowl Sunday and unlike many people I won't be attending any parties. I plan on staying home and watching it with Tonya and Anastacia, just the 3 of us. I placed a small bet on the Patriots and made 10 proposition bets ranging from Tom Brady completion percentage to whether the game will go into overtime.

Las Vegas is one of the greatest places to be for the Super Bowl (Next to actually being at the Superbowl). PArties are everywhere. People, who normally don't gamble, will place a wager on the game even if they don't have a favorite. Then there are the stories. Here are a couple of big wagers: someone has a $880,000 bet on the Patriots. ANother person has a whopping $1 Millions bucks on the Giants!! It amazes me how someone with money like that can throw it away on a football game. Now, I consider myself a gambler, but even I have limits. OH well, I guess if you have it....you can lose it too.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Dinner Date with Daughter

It's the first day of February, two days before the Superbowl. I have New England, by the way. I was able to get off work early today because it was slow, so I decided to take my daughter to dinner. My fiancee is playing satellite at Binions, and I just didn't feel like cooking or eating fast food. My daughter and I went to Winchells (Very similar to Applebys) She will be 2 on the 21th of this month, and is usually a handful when we go to eat. I was pleasantly surprised how well-behaved she was tonight. I really enjoy my alone time with my daughter. She's growing up so fast that you treasure moments like this.

Sometimes your life goes by so fast that you don't get a chance to enjoy it. Always take time to take a deep breath and enjoy your life...

I'm going to play the first event of the upcoming Venetian Deep Stack poker tournament this Monday. It's $330 buy in with an estimatated field of around 700 people. First place will be around 50K. Hopefully the cards with be good to me at the right moments.....