2014 SUMMER POKER SERIES -- PART I (2014 WSOP EMPLOYEE EVENT)

During this 3 part series, I'll delve into my Summer Poker Series giving you insight to my journey through the Las Vegas tournament scene which becomes the center of the poker universe from May to July. Poker players, Pro and amateurs alike flock in numbers dreaming of gold bracelets and winning life changing prize money...Of course, I'm one of those people.

I decided early in the year I was going to play some of these Summer Poker Series Tournaments (As much as I can play). In the past, I've done pretty well. Back in 2010, I chopped a Caesars Mega Stack for over $3,000, and last year I chopped the first Binions Classic Tournament for over $2,000, I've had a couple of small scores earlier this year, nothing to brag about but still profit. More importantly, my confidence in my tournament poker game was sky-high

Part I, I'm going to give my experience in the EVENT #1 of the World Series of Poker -- The Casino Employee Event...

I've played the WSOP Employee Event twice before, but I haven't had much luck. I took a 7 year hiatus, but this year I decided to give it a shot. The Buy in is $500, 60 minute levels, and 3000 Chips. My strategy going in was to try to build my stack to 7,000 by the time the antes kick in - Therefore, I'll have enough to chips to be able to maneuver and be creative going forward. So my strategy was to see a lot of flops and hopefully I'll be able to hit some hands and wins some good pots.

The World Series of Poker is the center of the poker universe, it's the mecca of poker players -- a little like heaven with a lot more baseball caps. As soon as you enter the World Series of Poker area the energy is so palpable -- the buzz is incredible. The click of ships rattling in the hands, the smell of the money floating in the air, and you hear every bad beat story ever told as you walk down the halls: I had AK, is always how it begins.....

I enter the hallway and instantly feel the energy. I spot one of my co-workers and wish him good luck before I enter the Amazon room. I find my table, observing two people already sitting down. I don't go right away. I'm very superstitious when it comes to tournament, and I always wait until a minute before the cards are scheduled to be dealt before I sit down. So I walk around, and you can feel the buzz of anticipation around the room. Players, Floors, dealers, and cocktail waitresses are mingling around this enormous Amazon room, dodging each other like some maze. You can feel and see the excitement hovering over the entire room....it's spectacular to be at the center of it.

As game time approaches,  I finally grab my seat (a minute before noon) and get myself situated. I don't recognized anyone at my table until a female dealer who temps for our poker room occasionally sits in a Seat #6. We're not close, and I'm not going to pretend we're buddies so we don't acknowledge each other. Finally, WSOP tournament director, Jack Eiffel approaches the podiums and welcomes everyone to the start of WSOP 2014. Then after the typical introductory salutations are done. He says these words, "Do you guys like money?? Then we hear a huge explosion and all of a sudden money starts falling the ceiling. I didn't realize what was going on at first until the first $1 bill fell on the poker table and people starting grabbing the money raining down on us! I thought, "Shit!" Then I began rummaging, grabbing as many $1 dollar bills as I can. It was an amazing site as 800 people were on their hand and knees grabbing all this money. In the end, I ended up with only $28:

Other than the obvious, the money grab was a well-timed stress reliever for not only me but for a lot of players in this tournament. I know there was a lot of laughter and good natured conversation about what just happened and it was definitely what was needed. Moments later, the moment of truth arrived as they told the dealers to shuffle up and deal. I took a deep breath, fired up about the journey I was about to take.

I knew it would be a tough hill to climb. As evident by the "Seat Open" i heard a couple of minutes into the tournament. I knew I had to get lucky, play well, but more importantly run incredibly hot for a long time. 

Unfortunately, I could never get anything going. For the first 2 levels, I was playing a ton of hands, but couldn't connect with any flops nor could I find any spots to get my chips where I feel I had the best of it. It was frustrating, but I kept the faith hoping I could get a hand. Right before the first break I managed to get my stack to above starting when I hit top pair with 98 off suit and got someone to commit her entire stack with a flush draw. So at first break I had 3400. So despite not getting any hands, or any good spots to put my chips I felt pretty good.

After the break, things starting falling apart.  Two hands in particular was my down fall:

HAND ONE -- At this point, my blinds went through once and I played a couple of hands so I was down to 3100. Everyone folds to me on the button and I hold AJ offsuit. Very strong hand. I raise to 450. Small blind whose been going all in frequently after losing half his stack early and rebuilding since then goes all in for 2500. After tanking for a minuted, I folded my AJ. After the hands hit the muck, I knew I made a critical error. After my raise I was left with 12 BB with the blinds 100-200. There was no way I should have folded that hand with my stack at a critical stage. Even if I knew all-in range included AK AQ, JJ, AA, KK, I had to take a chance. If I win the hand my stack would grow to around 5000 which would be give more breathing room and give my extra ammunition to try to get to my target stack of 7500! Even if I busted there, at least I gave my opportunity to chip up with a very good hand in an excellent spot.

HAND TWO -- With my stack decimated to 2200. I was in the Big Blind (BB) Action is folded to an aggressive Asian lady who raises to 500. Small blind goes all in for 1600. I look down and see 55. I hesitated for a moment then moved in over the top for the rest of my chips. Asian lady folds. Small blind turns over 88, flops a set, and rivers quads, and my stack neutralized to 900 chips. My thought process behind going all in. I have a chance to get my stack to about 4400. What I didn't take into account was my raise was the 4th raise in a spot where my 55 wasn't the best hand. Even if the small blind was moving in with a hand like 66-99, I was still way behind, and in if the initial raise called, I'd have to beat two players with a marginal hand. If I wanted to make that play with 55, I should have been the first one in rather than the 3rd player in. Despite the results this was definitely the wrong move in the wrong spot. Even if had somehow won the pot, the play was a -EV and should never been done. My wife and I had an argument about this hand, and of course I was stubborn and felt I made the right move, but thinking about more and giving myself a few days to think about I know now it was the wrong move. 

A few hands later, I stuck my last 900 over an initial raise with AQ, the big bling had AA and the initial raiser called with 99 and nailed a 9 to knock us both out. Thus, ending my dreams of winning the coveted WSOP bracelet. 

Despite the sickening thud of being eliminated and how badly I played towards the end, I have no regrets about playing this tournament. I told myself as long as I'm a casino employee I'll play this tournament every year. I know I'll learn from my mistakes and hopefully I won't make these same mistakes in future tournaments. 

15 Years Ago I wrote Blackjack Book...Today, I Finally Got it Published!

15 years in the making....Back in 1998-1999, I wrote a blackjack book, and sold it on eBay, and actually did quite well. I was able to make a decent chunk of change selling this book. I hate to blow my own horn, but I got rave reviews from those who purchased it. But a funny thing happened, I stopped selling the book because I got into poker and played less blackjack. For the next 15 years, this blackjack book was put in storage never to be heard from again.

Flash forward to January 2014, On a cold Saturday afternoon, I was cleaning the garage and came a copy of my blackjack book, as it turned out....its the only copy I had left:

 

 

 

 

For next 2 months, I decided to re-write and edit this book. Then I heard about a self publishing program on Amazon, and decided to look into it. After much research, I saw that it was absolutely free to self publish on Amazon, and decided to get it done. Well, after 3 weeks, I finally got my book published on Amazon. Hopefully, it'll be as successful as it was 15 years ago. Check out the link to my book...Very proud of this

 

 

 

 



"WHAT A CALL!" -- ANOTHER LONG LINE OF POKER HERO CALLS

I really hate the term "hero" call. The word "hero"should be reserved for people like the military, police, and firemen who actually who's mission is the serve and protect the freedoms we American enjoy. Someone who calls with a Queen High in a $1-$2 game in a $20 pot for $5 should use the term "hero".

A while back I wrote about my poker night at the Luxor with fellow bloggers Lightning , Lucki Ducki, and robvegaspoker , if you need to refresh your memory check it out here. (Sorry if it brings a sore spot for you, Lightning :))

Anyway i wanted to talk about another hand I played that didn't involved any of the poker bloggers. There was another gentlemen playing with us, probably in his mid-40ish, probably the worst player at the table, was into his 4 buy in, and probably his last $100. The other bloggers each took their shots at this guy and managed to chip away at him. Everyone but me, then this hand came:

After this 4th rebuy, he moved from the 8 seat to the 1 seat. I was sitting in the 10 seat. It's folded around to me and see Pocket 6's...I make a standard raise of $8 (As I tossed my $8 in, Lucki Ducki had just racked up and was saying his goodbyes to everyone. I returned the salutations. Lucki Ducki was small talking with Lightning and RobVegaspoker)...mid 40ist guy calls from the button, SB calls, BB folds so we take the flop 3-handed:

Flop comes 7 4 3 rainbow, Small Blind check to me. I bet $12....called by the button, Small blinds Folds. We're now heads up going to the turn. At this point, I'm assigning him to a range of a pair, a suited connector, or maybe something like A-5 or A 6 suited, but being the worst player at the table, I couldn't entirely takeout broadways cards like QJ or KQ out of his range.

Turn brings a King. Although I do think KQ is in his range -- I believe it's in the bottom of his range. I want to bet again here just in case he's playing a hand like A-5 or A-6, cause I'm know he's probably calling. I didn't want to bet too much to drive him away, but at the same time, I want to get value from my hand...I settle on a bet of $20. Instant call from my opponent.

River is a 9. I think this card is a total blank. I thought about the best way to play this hand..I thought betting out again, but I don't think I'm going to get a call from a worst hand. Also, if I get raised, I'm going to be faced with a tough decision even against a titled opponent with a wide range...Checking is probably the best play here, hoping I get a showdown, but be willing to call a modest bet...I tap the felt, and before I could blink...my opponent shoves the rest of his chips in..

WOW!! Didn't expect that. I asked for a count...it was $80. With around $70 in the pot, my first instinct was to fold, not because I thought I was beaten but it was something else very tangible, and probably the wrong reason....You see at the time, I was up around $200, and I was nearing the end of my session. I wanted to make sure I booked a win and at the time this hand came up. This, of course, is the wrong way to play poker. If you're playing "scared money", you probably shouldn't be gambling.

As I thought about what to do, the thought crossed my mind, "You can't play scared, you gotta to with your gut. If you're wrong at least you were true to yourself" I began ruffling the chips faster and faster as time inched by..felt like forever..then I did something I've never done.

"Can I show my hand?" I asked the dealer. Most poker rooms, the ruling is always if it's heads up you can show your hand, but occasionally you come across a room who rules the  hand is dead even if it's heads up, so I wanted to get clarification from the dealer.

"Yes you can." The dealer started.

I flipped over my pocket 6's, immediately placing a chip on it to indicate that I wasn't folding. At the corner of my eye, I could see my opponent leaning on his open mouth, covering his mouth, and he kept his eyes squarely on the flop. As I was I riffling my chips I looked over to my right, where another $1-$2 game was running -- that one was a wild game where I could honestly say there had to have been 3K-4K chips on the table. At that moment, I wish I was at that game.....I looked back at my opponent and saw him glance at me, then back at the flop, then at me....His eyes darting back and forth like one of those cat-eyes clocks which rotates with every passing second.

Then I saw something my opponent did which helped me make a decision -- it was subtle move, something I probably wouldn't have if I wasn't paying attention: in the midst of darting his eyes back and forth...He quickly looked his chips, then looked down....It's a pattern I've seen many times when I'm dealing usually indicating a bluff....A second later, I pushed my chip towards the pot and announced call....My opponent mucked his hand instantly and stormed out of the poker room, talking to no one in particular, "I can't believe he made that call!!!!!"

As I raked the pot, I got congrats from Lightning and Robvegaspoker, "Great call" Coming from those guys, it meant a lot...LuckiDucki said goodbye once again, and left....Soon after, Robvegaspoker and I left....What a great night of poker playing with my poker blogger friend and having a winning session.

Poker with the Bloggers -- LIGHTNING36, PLEASE FOLD!!!

Poker is a social game. Poker is a people game. More importantly, poker is a "take as much money from your opponent as possible" game. However, there are times where you play people you don't want to take money from, but the circumstances drive you too....

Few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of playing $1-$2 No Limit at the Luxor with 3 bloggers, who I have the absolute respect, admiration, and huge fans of their particular blogs: Lucki Duck, Robvegaspoker , and Lightning36. The 3 bloggers arrived at the Luxor about 20 minutes after I was there. I was sitting in a very very very extremely extremely tight tight table!! (Did I mention the table was very, extremely, tight??) Lightning said they had enough to start a new game. At first I was apprehensive about joining the game because I have this thing about playing people I like cause I really don't want to take their money, and in the case of Robvegaspoker and Lightning36, they've been very generous tippers to me whenever I've dealt then, even tipping in small pots when they didn't have too. It was a definite quandary, it's the reason I don't playing where I work, and if I do, I NEVER play at the table if I've dealt it already. It's my belief you shouldn't play at poker room if you work there...it's a "conflict of interest" rule. Yeah, I know it might be a little paranoid, cause in 99% of cases, your regular players really don't care if you play with them, but I usually am uncomfortable if I'm check-raising a guy who tipped 15 bucks the week before...lol

The only reason I decided to join the new table was the table I was at was very very extremely extremely tight tight table!! (I have mention how tight my table was??). The first hours, the table really played tight, but I was enjoying the conversations with my fellow bloggers. We talked about an array of interesting topics, one of which was the whereabouts of "Backpack" Steve, a leech who used to hang around poker room begging for money. When I told them what happened to him, the bloggers, particularly Robvegaspoker was shocked yet not too surprised. It was definitely a delightful time, to the point where I sometimes forgot were in a card game..it was like we were sipping a cold one and shooting the breeze in a bar. But alas, the game of no limit Texas Hold em took hold of two of the us...one of which was me...the other was Lightning36.

Like many no limit poker hands, the hand started out nonchalantly, A player opened for $12 from a $90 or so stack....I'm sitting two seats later with Pocket 10's and call. My stack was a little over $200. Two more callers behind me, and Lightning in the Small blind calls. So we take the flop five-handed...The flop comes A A 10 A. I actually did a double take...did I just flop a boat?? Lightning, first to act checks, the initial raiser bets $20. Quickly, I raised to $40. I acted quickly because I'm a believer if you flop a monster you act the opposite of what you'd normally do. I see it too much as a poker dealer, when someone flops a monster, they put on the "Hollywood" Act as if they a tough decision to make. I can pretty much tell they have a monster by this act, and I'm almost always right. It's actually helped in my poker playing in identifying big hands and being able to either get away from them or lose the minimum. The 2nd part of this hand is why did I raise on the flop with a full house. My goal to extract maximum value for my hand and with 5 players in a raised pot, there had to be an Ace somewhere with my 4 other opponents, and I wanted to get that Ace to commit this stack to the point as early in the hand as possible where he is forced to put the rest of his chips in the next two streets.

Two players behind me folded quickly, the action was now on Lightning, who tanked. At that point, I knew he had an Ace, and I thought, "Dammit, this is not what I wanted." I wanted one of the other guys sitting with an Ace and Lightning would insta-fold his hand. Lightning hemmed and hawed for a long time, starting at me, playing nervously with his chips before sliding the $40 towards the pot. the initial raiser were all in for another 18 bucks or so. Since it wasn't a full-raise I could only call as did Lightning. The Turn was a 3...Lightning check, I instantly go all-in for around $140. I actually was hoping Lightning would see this as a sign that I had the goods and he would fold, but when he asked how much I had...I knew there was no way he was folding his hand. AFter another minute, Lightning calls....River was a 9....I announce "Full House" and turn over my Pocket 10's...Lightning shows AJ and the other player mucks claiming he had an Ace too.

I had mixed emotions scooping that pot. On one hand I was happy for winning such a monster pot, but felt bad that it had to come in the expense of Lightning. But I don't blame him, he played the hand very well. I probably would have played the hand the same way.  It was just a "cooler" hand that comes up from time to time where hands kind of play themselves. Lightning took the beat very well, and I  was happy when he texted me the next day saying he won his money back at Ballys.

Next time, Lightning comes to town, and stiffs me, believe me I will not be angry about it. I'll shoot him a sly smile and wonder what would have happened if he paired his Jack on the river :)

"DEALER, I'VE PLAYED IN ALOT OF CASINOS, INCLUDING NEW ZEALAND, AND NEVER HEARD THAT RULE!"

I've always tell people, the best part about being a poker dealer is no 2 days are alike -- the good and the bad...then you come across the third category -- The Ridiculous! This third category comes once in a blue moon, but when it comes across, as a poker dealer, you either laugh or shake your head...On this day, I had a little of both.

I'm dealing a standard No limit game, three players in the pot...First guy tosses out an 100 dollar bill and says, "$50, indicating he was betting $50 of the $100. I announce the bet to the table immediately. As a poker dealer, it's my obligation to quickly announce the bettor's intentions so the players involved know immediately what the bet is. The next player to act was an older gentleman from New Zealand, I know this for a fact cause I dealt to him earlier in the day and I overheard him telling someone he was from New Zealand, "Here in Vegas on Holiday". This native New Zealander looks at the bet puzzledly, then looks up at me,

"Is he allowed to do that?" He says.

"Yes, his bet is $50" I answer.

"No,  I mean, can he bet with the money?" He replies.

At first, I'm thinking, maybe the guy didn't see the $100 bill beneath his chips, which is an understandable objection, it's happen before when as player doesn't see the bills and objects that's it's "in Play", So I answer, "Yes sir, $100 bills play."

I saw this New Zealander's eyes bulge from it's socket, I could tell he was getting a little upset, "I never heard of any rule like that, why didn't he get chips?"

I hesitated, thinking, "Is this guy serious?" Finally, I answered, "I'm not sure, maybe he likes to play bills."

The New Zealander wasn't having any of that, "I never heard of a fucking rule like that. I've played in casinos all over the world, and never of a fucking rule like that!!

At this point, I wanted to nip in the bud before it escalated, the gentlemen sitting next to him, who was the third player in the hand intervene, "He's allowed to play $100...he had it on the table before the hand started."

The New Zealander finally folded his hand and the hand played out with the third player winning the pot. As he was dragging the pot with the $100 bill amongst the money, he showed it to the New Zealander, and said, "I can't take it off the table now, it's in play!"

The New Zealander wasn't finished, he directed his venomous tired at me, "I think that the fucking worst rules I've ever heard. You shouldn't be able to have Goddamn money on the table like that..."

I tried to explain the $100 bill rule to him again, simultaneously, telling him he need to the cool it with the language, but the New Zealander was still angry beyond belief. Then one by one, every other player on the table was trying to explain the rule to him, but it was to no avail. He truly believed that having $100 bills on the table was against the rules and continued his tirade for another 5 minutes -- a lot of it directed at me.

At the point, I tried to ignore him and continue on with the next hand. I actually called the floor over cause he was cursing up a storm and I wanted to the Floorman to explain the rule to him. If this New Zealander wasn't going to believe in the poker dealer (Dressed in all-black), maybe he'll believe floorman (With the nice suit).

The entire table spent the rest of my down, the players continued explaining the $100 bill rule to this guy to e point that it became comical. I wasn't really upset or angry with his guy, I was more shocked his bullheadedness not to listen to the poker players....

Yes people, that's

THE GOOD
THE BAD
THE RIDICULOUS

UPDATING MY BLOG!!!! NOW!!!

Been telling myself to update my blog, update my blog, update blog. Met a couple of bloggers at a Luxor on Thursday, and it made me realize, I need to continue this. Well today, I'll do just that. I'm not going to talk about one specific topic, I'll let my fingers to the walking and let the words flow...

I've been increasing my cash game poker play the past few months and other than a blimp at Harrahs about a month ago, I've done very well. I don't play as much as I would like mainly because of my family obligation and that fact that I work in a casino for 8 hrs, and I don't feel like spending my free time in a casino. Lately though, I've been consciously trying to play more. Rust is definitely a factor in my early sessions, but the past 3 of 4 sessions, I've found my groove and a comfort zone similar to the one I had when I was playing a lot a few years ago. More importantly, I've been self-analyzing a lot of the hands I've been playing seeing if I could have played them better, both winning and losing hands alike.

My tournament play has been very scarce which is completely by design. I hate playing long sessions but tournament poker you have to dedicate a lot of your time and concentration to thrive in them. I actually playedthe FIRST EVENT of the Binions Open (Where I sat next @Robvegaspoker for most of the day) and chopped up the final table for 2K,  but it came at a price...The tournament started on Saturday 2PM and we completed the deal at 6AM...Too top it off, I had to work at 11AM!! Needless to say, I was a complete zombie and it took me 2 days to completely recover physically. Poker tournaments are taxing, tough, and rough on the body/mind. Although it's the probably the most lucrative time to play tournament poker (WSOP time!!!), I'll probably only play 1 or 2 more tournament this summer.

Another aspect of my life which I've been giving a lot of my concentration as been betting Major League Baseball. I've been fascinated by the game cause it's the only sports where you can beat the game cause you can isolate certain statistics to correctly predict the outcomes of the game...The term is called sabremetrics, and I've been a student of this statistically science since the end of last year. This year, I've had some incredible winnings streaks and some tough losing streaks, but overall I am ahead. But with each passing game, I'm learning what statistics are more important than others -- (EXAMPLE, RBIs and ERA are not true measures of a baseball player.)

Well, that's a start...Once again, just wanted to get this blog updated and maybe it'll give me momentum to write and write and write...

I HAVE MILLIONS AND MILLIONS....WHAT A ____!!!

I absolutely believe that there's more good than bad in people....

In the industry I work in, you see a lot of bad in the people. Most of the time, I believe people who get angry at the poker table are not showing the true barometer of character they really are. One-outers, bad calls by their opponents, and horrible river cards leads to "out of character" reaction like snapping at the player or worst, at their dealer. I usually shrug it off and give them the benefit of the doubt and in most cases, you ultimately see the good in people....

But sometimes, you meet someone who's just a bad person...and you can tell...

So, I'm dealing the typical $1-$2 game, full of tourists, locals, funny-loving people who don't care whether they win or lose. But there was this one guy who brought a lot of tension to the table...Forget the fact, he was playing and raising every-hand, and losing every hand....dumping about $1,000 bucks in the 30 minutes I dealt, but it was the way he interacted with the players that showed he had a deep character flaw. Here's some examples:

After losing yet another gigantic pot, he pulled out his load of hundreds, peeled off yet another buy in and said to everyone at the table, "I have millions and millions, so this doesn't mean anything." First of all, when you tell people, unsolicited, that you have money, if shows the true character of a man. I believe it shows insecurities because you're trying to make yourself look good, but making others look bad...Not a charater train that I, or any sane person really wants.

Again, after losing another pot, whenever someone tries to make small talk, he's responses was always, "I don't care what you think! You hear me, I don't care what you think" I just hate it when people put up their nose at you like your high-and mighty....

I felt very uncomfortable dealing to his guy because I had absolutely no respect for this person as a man, and you could feel the absolutely uneasiness hovering over the table

But on the flip slide, like I said, he dumped a lot of money in this game, so no one wanted to leave which leaves me with this saying...

 That folks, in a nutshell, is how it works....

LADIES LIPS CHAMPIONSHIPS: INTERVIEW WITH TONYA BALTAZAR (MY WIFE)

On July 1, 388 Ladies competed in the 2012 LADIES LIPS CHAMPIONSHIP! After nearly 24 straight hours of play, Tonya Baltazar (My wife) went got through a tough final table including professional poker player, Karina Jett, and got heads up with Tamara Cruz of Arizona...After tough heads up battle, Tonya came up short to finish in 2nd place...I took some time to interview my wife about battling through a VERY tough field:

Q: What was your initial strategy going into this tournament??

   

My strategy in an all women poker tournament is very different than when I play an open event with men.  I find women are harder to bluff.  I always maximize the value of my good hands and flops that I hit because women will tend to call you down if they hit any part of the board.    

Q: Was there a hand or hands you played that indicated that you were in for a long run??

I just moved to a table and I had about 35,000 chips, I just played the blinds and then on the button I had J 10os everyone folded to me so I made a standard 3 times raise, the lady in the SB reraises me but only doubles my initial raise so I call.  The flop was  A K Q, I flopped the nut straight, lady in SB bets out so I go ALL-IN and she instant calls me and she turns over pocket 5’s and I double up.  I’m not even done stacking my chips and a lady UTG raises, everyone folds to me and I look down at  pocket Aces so I announce ALL-IN and she instantly calls me with pocket Queens and I double up again.  A few hands later, I get A J hearts and this lady raised and I call, and I think the BB called too, the flop is K 10 Q, BB checks the initial raises makes a continuation bet and I announce ALL-IN BB folds and she instant calls and she has K 10 for two pair and I take her out.  I went from 35,000  chips to over 200,000 at that one table.  

Q: You had a mountain of chips with two tables left, but lost a big pot to eventual winner, Tamara Cruz, how did you overcome when you got to the final table:

Well I am a Short Stack Ninja Specialist, I know how to play a short stack well. 

Q: Talk about your double up against Karina Jett early at the final table.

Well I have played with Karina before and have taken a WSOP boot camp that she taught with Annie Duke, so I know her style of play and what her hand ranges would be.  She was one of the chip leaders going into the final table , but she did double me up twice, which was nice. 

Q: I know there were issues with the tournament playing out the tournament in one day, I heard not just yourself but other players had an issue with it, please explain your stand on this issue?

 Yes, it was complete craziness, they changed a lot of things this year with the Lips Championship than the years before.  It was the Golden Nugget’s decision to make it a 1 day event this year even though in the past years it was a 2 day event, and this year was the biggest turnout that Lips had a record of 388 women.  It definitely should have been a 2 day event. 

Q: Fatigue played a major part in not just you but your opponent, how did you maintain your compusure in the end?

I drank a lot of starbucks coffee! 

Q: Finishing 2nd is a great accomplishment, can you put into perspective how important this tournament was for you??

First of all, I have played the Lips Championship for the last straight 5 years and was always close to the money or bubble girl, so to actually get this far and finish 2^nd was just one of the greatest accomplishments that I had in poker besides my two cashes in the World Series of Poker in 2010 and 2011.  

Q: How was your support able to get through this tough tournaments such as your friends and family??

I truly have the most amazing husband who not only taught me this great game, but always supports me and encourages me to be a better player, he is my ROCK!  I also have the most amazing friends that I have met because of poker, who will be long life friends, and who are always my cheerleaders not only in poker, but in life!  Poker is just not a game to play for money, but it’s a great way to bond and have fun with the people you love.   I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful husband, kids and friends who support my passion for poker. 

Q: What poker goals do you have left to accomplish??

  

My next goal is to play in the Main Event at the World Series of Poker and to make it the final table, but if I cash in the Main Event, I will be just as happy…I will be working on that goal this coming year in my 10K league. 

Thank you for the interview.....

THAT'S A $35 TIP!

There is more good than bad in being a poker dealer. Unfortunately all you hear is the bad things a poker dealer does.

"Her burn and turn cost me 300 bucks"

"His river card cost me 1000 bucks."

Today I wanted to give you a short, and funny anecdote about a young man and his tip:

So I'm dealing a typical Ballys $1-$2 game when this hand came up...Young man, looking a young Leonardo DiCaprio, accented with a fedora similar to the one Michael Jackson wore in his "Smooth Criminal" video (Google it is you want to know what it looks like), goes all in for his last 85 bucks or so and gets called and wins the pot...I think he flopped a set of 9's. After tossing me a few bucks from the pot we had this dialogue,

"Thanks Dealer, I needed that. Do you smoke cigars?" The young man says.

"Not really, but I know a few people that due" I said.

"Here," the young man digs into his backpack and pull out this...

"Is that your business" I ask.

"Yeah, I sell Cigars and cigarettes in Florida..been doing it for a couple of years. Hey,  it's a $35 tip!" He smirks."

I laugh, take the cigar, "Thanks buddy."

Anyway, just something interesting that happens, which is cool since most of the time as a poker dealer and same thing and routine happen everyday!!

I'm really appreciative of this cigar, even though I don't smoke. I've never been tip anything other than chips before...I'm not sure what I'll do with it (I'm sure I have friends who wouldn't mind having it." I might just keep it as a souvenir as the most unique tip I ever got.

IF any of you smoke cigar and are interesting and checking out his guy's line of cigars and cigarettes, drop him a e-mail. I don't get a dime for advertising for him...just wanted to do it out of the goodness of my heart :)

RANDOM POKER THOUGHTS

The week that was....

Poker is funny game. One day, you're on top of the world. The next day your scrapping the bottom of the barrel.

This is what I felt like last week.

Had a late-night session at the Aliante Casino $1-$2 game and ran so bad and disgusting it was beyond words. I lost two buy ins basically on two hands SET OVER SET both times!!! If you've played enough poker you know the worst feeling in the world is being on the negative end of a set of set. I don't think I played either hand wrong, it's just so disgusting that it happened to me twice in one night and for my entire stack twice!! Oh well..

The next day I decided to play $4-$8 Limit at Orleans

I got a great set of cards!! AA, KK, QQ JJ, 10'S!! One a few occasions I got them two of three times, but after 2 hrs, I lost my entire buy in of $140!! Of all those premium hands I think I only won 2 of them!! And to put salt in the wound..I had this old fart, slow roll me for a big pot, which really pissed me off. I had it out with this guy! I was very angry, almost to the point where I wanted to fight, but what would that solve? All I know is the Orleans crew is a group of the most misarable people I've ever been around. It reminded me of my trip to The Bicycle Club in Los Angeles a few years ago, where almost every hand, people were yelling at each other, the dealers, the floors, the chip runners, the porters, anyone who would go in their way. I really don't like playing at the Orleans, but the games especially the limit games are extremely juicy, so I tolerate, but that day, I couldn't get anything going with none of my hands holding up...Again..oh well...

The day after that, I decided to play the Binions 2PM Deepstack, and despite being card dead, I managed to make a mid-cash. I played extremely well throughout the tournament, making minimal mistakes (Although I made a horrible all-in call with J8 suited). One of the highlights of the day was meeting Rob of http://robvegaspoker.blogspot.com/  He has one of the most entertaining poker blogs in the blog-sphere, feel free to read it, you'll definitely enjoy it.

Now it's time to brag...Probably the best hand I played in a long time. It also cemented the fact that despite my bad run of poker lately, I still believe I'm a good poker player:

Forgot what the blinds were, but player opened limp from middle position out of a 40kish stack and it's folded to me in the BB and I tap the table holding 10-4 offsuit. I have around 74K...The flop comes 5 5 4 with two hearts...With one player who just limps, I wanted to see where I was so I lead for 2K...He calls. The assigned him a range of small pairs and suited connectors...The Turn is a Q diamonds...I didn't think this card fit my opponents range, so I decided to bet again..this time 5K...He calls again...At this point, I eliminate pairs from his range and sqaurely on a draw heart flush or straight draw...The River is a A of hearts, completing the flush..I check...My opponent quickly shoots out 12K. This was a little bit over a pot-sized bet....I thought about a flush, but I just didn't believe my opponent would continue with a flush draw especially with the paired board. From the hands I've seen him played, he seemed like a solid player who wouldn't chase too much, but then again...what possible holdings could I possibly beat...7 6 was the only hand I could beat giving the betting action. I really didn't believe he had an ace cause he just didn't make sense that he's calling the entire was with an Ace in his hand unless he had some hand like A2 and got lucky, but then again it was possible to have that hand....I decided 7-6 was his holding..I took a deep breath, cutout 12K from my stack and relunctly shoved it towards the pot.

"Nice Call" he said, as he turns over 7 6!! My 4 wins a pretty good-sized pot.

After the tournament, My confidence in my poker ability was sky-high...sometimes I can't let the awful results of my cash games affect my thinking on a poker level.  I know I'm a good player...just got to continue chugging along and believe in myself...yeah, from time to time, you'll have doubts but if you believe in your ability the results will come.


This Friday, I'll be playing the first event of the BINIONS CLASSIC...the $110 Employee Event, I'm looking to play well and run well...wish me luck!!

POKER HANDS FOR CRITIQUE Part 2

Want opinions on a slew of poker hands I played the past two weeks. I'm always seeking advice to improve my game:

HAND #1 PLANET HOLLYWOOD ($1-$2)

I think I played this horribly wrong. This was a early Wednesday morning game, so it was 5-handed with two extremely aggressive European players with a lot of chips. Euro dude straddles...Open limp from the weak button, I'm on the Big Blind with KK and $175 behind. The trend for the Aggressive Euro guy was to raise his straddle if the table showed any type of weakness. My plan show weakness by just calling the straddle and hoping the Euro would continue his trend of raising, where I can play a big pot with him. Only drawback was he would have position on me the entire hand. So I completed the straddle, and on cue, the Aggro Euro raises to $16..button limper calls...I thought about re-raising at this point, but with only 3 players in, I figured I could be deceptive with my KK, and hopefully undervalue my hand. Also, I've been playing fairly tight up to this point, so if I re-raised, I would define my hand and probably wouldn't get the action I wanted. The flop comes K62 rainbow. I thought about leading, but with this dry board, I felt the Aggro Euro would bet his entire range, then depending on what the button does, I would find the best course of action. I checked the flop, Aggro Euro bets $25, Button folds. I decided to just call because, as I said, the guy is probably betting his entire range, and with this dry board, if I raised, he's probably probably not calling with anything but AK or a set...The one aspect about this Aggro Euro is he many be aggressive, but he wasn't stupid, he knew when to shut down when the action got heavy and he didn't have the goods. So I called the $25, Turn is a Ace.. I check again. Aggro Euro fires $30 to the pot....I decide a raise was in order. I raise $50 more to $80 total, Aggro Euro folds rather quickly. After analyzing the hand, I think the more optimal play was to call the $30, then lead the river for about $75-$80...The board was so dry, My Set of Kings was probably way ahead of the Aggro Euro's range, so maybe I could have let the river peeled off and maybe he'd make two pair..something to pay me off. So maybe I didn't get maximum value for my hand...

HAND #2 -- MIRAGE ($1-$2)

On contrast, I think I played this hand really well. This was a typical Mirage $1-$2...mix of solid and loose weekend players during Kentucky Derby weekend. Started with $225..Five limpers to me in the small blind, I complete with 10 2 spades...Big Blind check, and we take the flop 7 handed...Flop comes Q J 9 with Two spades...With 7 players in the pot, and playing out of position the entire hand, I took a passive approach...If I bet here and get raised, I may be forced to play for my entire stack. With a straight and flush draw, this could be the optimal play, but I only have a 10 High flush draw, I could be facing an Ace or King-high flush draw. I wanted to see how the action developed before I made my decision to play forward with this hand. I check..BB bets $20...called by one other player, I decided to call again.....Another factor is both players have me covered .. BB had $340 and the caller had over $400 in front....Turn is 4 spades, completing my flush. Again, I take the passive approach, Since it was a limp pot, bigger flushes could have been out there...so I check...BB bets $40...Limper calls again...I call....River is a 10 diamonds..I check again...BB Bets $50....Limper folds. The BB has now bet on 3 streets, and was representing strength, but I had gone this far and since I was drawing to the flush I had to call the river bet and hope I didn't run into a bigger flush....I called, BB turns over K7 off suit for a meaningless straight. I rake the pot after showing my 10-high flush. Yeah, I probably played the hand too cautiously, but I just felt not committing too much of my stack with an inferior flush. I think I would have to fold my draw if I bet the flop and get raised.

HAND #3 -- HARRAHS ($1-$2)

This is a simple one...This game was fairly tight, usually is someone raised and got a caller, a continuation bet on the flop would do the trick, hands rarely went to the river. I was able to build my stack playing positional poker. Checked to me, I always bet and won 90% of my hands uncontested. Anyway, folded to the a straight-forward Asian Local who raises to $10 from a $240 stack. I call from the button with 99...BB calls. We take the flop 3-handed... Flop comes 3 8 2 Rainbow....BB check..Asian Local bets $40...I insta-fold, BB Folds as well. The Asian Local proudly shows KK.  The key to this hand what was the reason to play 99 and fold when the flop comes with a a bunch of small cards. I played this hand for one reason -- TO GET THE ASIAN LOCAL'S ENTIRE STACK!! I immediately put him on a big pair, cause this guy played a bland "ABC" type poker. I seen him limp with AK or AQ suited, so I knew his raising range was very tight...JJ and above! I felt if I flop a set against this range, he would overplay his hand and give me his entire stack. I guarantee you if the flop came 9 -3 -2...He could have given me all his chips with his pocket Kings. Another reason I folded was he made a slightly over bet the pot on the flop...If I called his bet and another plank fell on the turn, I may be facing a bigger bet on the turn, then I wouldn't know what to do...probably fold...Why waste $40, if you're not sure where you are?? Tight Locals always overbet their over pairs because they're always afraid of getting outdrawn. Against these type of players if you flop two pair or better against their over pair, they usually will shove the rest of their chips in the middle. They're an excellent source for a timely double up!!

Opinions anyone?? Do I play bad?? Do I play good? Do I run good??

INSERT COINS -- Personal Review

Last Friday, my wife and I had a double date with some friends and headed to downtown Vegas (Old Strip) for a night on the town....After dinner at Hash House A Go Go -- That place where they serve an abnormally amount of food that is better off sharing...we headed to a bar called INSERT COINS across from Fitzgeralds:

IINSERT COINS LAS VEGAS is one of the most unique bars in Las Vegas, which is saying something for a city that littered with outstanding bars/nightlife spots. The bar itself is a 10 Flat-Screen TVS where you can have a drink while playing X360/PS3 Games. They also seating areas where (for $30 worth of drinks), you can play all sorts of videos games while drinking the night away. It's definitely something different than the usually meat-markets bars typically are.  But the center attraction is the video games encompassing the entire floor, but not just any games...it's "old school" video games from the 80's like Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and Galaga along with obscure games like TRON, Joust, and Tapper!! Here's a pic of my one my favorites:

When I was kid I spent any quarter I earned on this...I mean, how insane of a concept is Burgertime..Your a chef, armed with a salt/pepper shaker...running up and down ladders trying to make a complete hamburger, at the same time, avoiding creepy and evil looking Mr. Hotdog, Mr. Pickle, and Mr. Eggs!!

The only downsides to this place is some of joysticks don't work so I wasted a few coins on Mortal Kombat II and Galaga, and the drinks were a little pricey ($5 for beer, $3 for fancy water) but the good points outweigh the bad points. If you're looking to do something different in the Vegas experience I highly recommend trying this place out..

INSERT COINS LAS VEGAS has a nostalgia feel for 30-something year old guy like me..it's takes me back to my youth at the time when everything was simple. As soon as you get off school, everyone rides their bikes, walk to their favorite arcade hangout, share a slice of pizza while wasting their afternoons on video games...then we do it all over the next day.

My wife and our friends definately had a awesome time playing "Old School" Video games and reliving our youth. So if you find yourself in Downtown Las Vegas, I highly recommend giving INSERT COINS LAS VEGAS a try.

Ranking the Vegas Shows!! (My Personal Opinion Only)

The glitz and glamour sparkle throughout the Las Vegas Strip, and nothing shines brighter than the Las Vegas shows. Living in Las Vegas affords me the opportunity to see all these shows whenever I please without being pressured like the typical tourist to see all the shows within 3 days. Also, as a local, they run plenty of deals such as 2 for 1...Now it's time to rank every Vegas show I've seen..some are spectacular, some are average, and some are just plain awful...

So here's how I rank every Las Vegas Show I've seen.....(Drum Roll Please)....

1) MICHAEL JACKSON'S IMMORTAL (Mandalay Bay) -- By far, the best show on the strip. Absolutely flawless interpretation of the King of Pop

2) DAVID COPPERFIELD (MGM Grand) -- The greatest illusionist of all time. I watched all his CBS Specials back in the 90's. Seeing it live and having front row seats was a memorable experience

3) BEATLES LOVE (MIRAGE) -- Love the music! Love that there wasn't a bad seat in the house...

4) BLUE MAN GROUP (VENETIAN) -- They never said a word...lots of drum beating, but spectacular! Very Innovative

5) LANCE BURTON (MONTE CARLO - Show Closed) -- The first Vegas Show I've seen...It was the Vegas Show without the glamour...Just heart-pounding, eye popping magic. Its the only Vegas show I've seen twice!

6) PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (VENETIAN) -- The ultimate Theater experience. Love how visual the show is!!  

7) LION KING (MANDALAY BAY) -- Probably the most elaborate set design. Stuck very close to the movie...The scene where King Mustafa dies, is the probably the single greatest scene I've ever seen.. Absolutely awesome how they pulled it off.

8) BETTE MILDER (CEASARS -- Show closed) Pleasantly surprising show...Bette Milder had a lot of energy.

9) KA (MGM Grand) Typical Cirque Du Soleil show...I'm the not the biggest fan of their type of entertainment, but it had it's good parts.

10) MOMMA MIA (MANDALAY BAY -- Show closed) -- Cute Show, more for the women...

11) PENN AND TELLER (RIO) Probably the most disappointing show. The show was a little boring, and seemed to drag on too much! Only silver lining, the magic was pretty good and they took pictures after the show.

12) MYSTERE (TREASURE ISLAND) Another Cirque Du Soliel show...It was okay...Bad part was I had bad seats...didnt get a good view of alot of the acts...

13) WE WILL ROCK YOU (PARIS -- Show closed) Set to the Music of Queen....Music was awesome, but the acting was very bland..didn't seem like the actors weren't into it...crowd didn't respond as a result.

14) PRICE IS RIGHT ( BALLYS) This was not a bad show, just not what I expected...Probably the fact that I didn't get called contributed to my disappointment. 

15) JUBILEE (BALLYS) Didn't really like it...Yeah it was topless women walking dancing in sequence outfits, but it was bland

16) SPLASH (RIVIERA) ABSOLUTELY THE WORST SHOW IN VEGAS!!!! The choreography and music was horrible!! Felt like a third-rate show that belonged in some carnival some Midwest Fair next to the Funnel Cake Stand...

David Copperfield - Tickets

See Blue Man Group at Monte Carlo!

The Beatles "Love" by Cirque du Soleil - Save Over $35 & Free Upgrade!