Smokin Aces
Tuesday, December 9, 2008 - smokin_aces
I’m looking forward to the holidays for a variety of reasons. Food, family, friends, a break from the fast paced life and lastly some relaxation. If I’m lucky, after the holiday rush slows down I can grab a few days of lethargic living. I plan to survive on little more than leftover turkey, stuffing and lots of beer. This year I’m traveling back to my home town so I’m entitled to take up residence on a few key couches and get down to business. I have a few online tournaments scheduled and i’ll likely play multiple tables at all times. However, on Dec 27th i’m going out with my highschool buddies to witness what may be one of the greatest sporting events of all time. The UFC 92 ‘Ultimate 2008′ has 3 serious fights on the card that might as well be 3 main events. For those that follow the tv show “The Ultimate Fighter”, you’ll spot a few familiar faces. More frequently, fighters who gained their first notoriety from that reality show are proving themselves worthy to claim their spot next to the Chuck Liddles and Royce Gracies of the world. If this match is any indication of what’s to come, that show will continue to be the new found spawning ground for future Ultimate Fighting Championship heros.
In reverse order, these are the fights to watch.
1- Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva vs Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson
Axe Murderer
Rampage
Rampage has beaten ex UFC Champion Chuck Liddell and is no stranger to hype in the ocatagon. In fact, he’s lost twice already to The Axe Murderer but this time promises to crack out a few new tricks. I’m not sure what it is, but I love seeing rematches between two foes each more vocal than the next about their mutual hatred. Silva has been quoted on many occasions saying that he doesn’t like Jackson as a person. Wow. Personal attacks. It makes the fire burn that much hotter.
My pick – The Axe Murderer is going to rip Rampage limb from limb.
2- Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira vs Frank Mir
Minotauro
Mir
These two fighters are arguably the greatest submission fighters of all time. Both are ex Ultimate Fighter coaches, and Frank Mir is the former heavy weight champion. Minotauro’s Brazilian roots are the best credentials any solid ground fighter can have, not to mention his impressive record and incredible stamina. He’s been known to get his ass seemingly handed to him for 3 rounds and then, just before he looks ready to die, he revitalizes, pounces and abruptly ends the fight in a submission. Frank Mir, while at the top of his game, suffered a horrible accident while riding his motorcycle. After being hit by a reckless driver, he was left with a severely broken leg. Because of his tremendous shape, he bounced back physically, but his head didn’t get back in the game. He suffered numerous humiliating defeats, but after his wife called him a “pussy, and an embarrassment to your children” he got serious again. Since being cussed like a schoolboy by his mammy, Mir has mounted a stubborn comeback and looks poised to make a good showing .
My pick – I would have picked the Minotauro, but after hearing about the tongue lashing Mir got from his butch wife, I have to believe he’d stop at nothing to prevent further public emasculation.
3- Forrest Griffin vs ‘Sugar’ Rashad Evans
Griffin
Sugar
First of all, has anyone else noticed how much Rashad ‘Sugar’ Evans looks like Cuba Gooding Jr, especially from Jerry McGuire? This is the fight everyone is waiting for. Is it because the original “Ultimate Fighter” Forrest Griffin is a blood thirsty monster who’s left a trail of spines behind him? No, it’s because Rashad Evans has laid two of the most memorable knockouts in UFC history. One of them was just this past September when he sent Chuck Liddell back in time. That knockout will most certainly grace every highlight real in the first week of 2009. Although Evans was no stranger to UFC glory (he had a Draw with blond bimbo Tito Ortiz in 2007) punching off Liddells jaw instantly shot him to the top of the list. As well, he brings an air of WWF style flamboyance to the octagon that most fighters are too serious to entertain. I’m not saying I like it, but his atypical, non serious nature makes you think one of two things. This guy has got it all figured out because those super intense fighters take it all too seriously and let their nerves become their own demise. OR!…This guy is not taking it seriously enough and has already let his ego go to his soon-to-be-removed head. One thing’s for sure, Rashad WILL start taking it seriously when he sees how much movement Griffin throws at him early in round one. Evans has a very loose, slow style but his desire to wait for calculated missteps will be foiled by Griffins aggressive power and explosiveness. Griffin will not wait for Evans to come to him. All that remains to be seen is what happens when they start connecting. I will say this. Forrest Griffin is pissed off and does not want to loose. Also, Rashad Evans has won a knockout by kick and by punch. He said he wants this win to be by submission. If he seriously abandons his stand up game for the ground and pound, he’s screwed.
My pick – Rashad Evans will scurry around the ring looking for an in, but Forrest won’t let him have it. It will go 3 rounds and end in Forrest’s favour.
For all the action and future Ultimate Fighting Championship events, check the Ultimate 2008 site.
GL
Aces
Tags: UFC
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Monday, December 8, 2008 - smokin_aces
Twitter is a great social networking and micro blogging service that allows people to follow each others updates. It’s an efficient way to keep on the pulse of people or things you’re interested in. The updates (or ‘tweets’ as they’re called within the Twitter community) are limited to 140 characters, just like SMS messaging. This makes receiving and sending updates very quick and easy. The Ultimate Bet Blog now uses to twitter to ‘tweet’ about things we’re up to that you might be interested in. As well, hypothetically speaking there could be future promotions and exclusive tournaments available to people who follow our Twitter updates. But we’re not quite ready to talk about that yet 
If you’re a Twitter user, you can find us either by searching for ‘ultimate_bet’ or heading here.
If you’re not a Twitter user, check it out. You’ll be surprised how many people or things you want to know about regularly ‘tweet’ via Twitter.
Tags: Smokin Aces, Twitter
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Tuesday, December 2, 2008 - smokin_aces
Last week, SQUARE ROOT hit the first Bad Beat Jackpot since the launch of Cereus. Any win in Poker is worth celebrating, but winning a $256,694.01 Jackpot by losing a hand is a monumental event. Let’s have some fun and look at some ridiculous cars within SQUARE ROOT’s new car allowance.
2009 Lamborghini Gallardo – $255, 000
2007 Bentley Arnage T – $257, 765
2008 Porsche 911 GT2 Coupe – $244, 995
2006 Ferrari F430 Spider – $256, 750
2007 Rolls Royce Phantom – $259, 900
2005 Maybach 62 – $249, 995
Sixteen 2009 Toyota Corollas – 16 x $16,000
If you bought any of the above cars (or all 16 Corollas), you would also gain the distinction of having just purchased a more expensive car than the last one George Lucas picked up. A noted car enthusiast, Lucas recently dropped $206, 000 on a Mosler MT900S.
It should be noted that George Lucas didn’t get just any Mosler. He got the first one ever. Even still, a couple of the above cars would give Mr Star Wars a run for his money any day of the week.
SQUARE ROOT, if you’re reading this, which one of these cars would YOU buy with your new found Bad Beat Jackpot riches?
Tags: Bad Beat Jackpot, Poker in the Car, Smokin Aces
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Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - smokin_aces
Yesterday at approximately the same time of day I commented on the Bad Bad Jackpot. At that point it was at $636,006.02. Just one day later it has grown to within a Nissan Altima of 3 QUARTERS OF A MILLION DOLLARS! It sits currently at $714,352.52. Quite obviously the Bad Beat Jackpot is growing just shy of $100,000 per day. The newly launched Cereus network greatly expanded the player base, instantly increasing the speed and magnitude of the Bad Beat Jackpot. Someone is going to own an island soon. Keep your eye on the prize, because this one is rapidly changing!
One lucky table is going to inevitably hit that BBJ in the next little while. Let’s invite them here to let us know how it changed their lives!
See you at the tables!
Tags: Bad Beat Jackpot
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Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - smokin_aces
As you can probably imagine, Phil Hellmuth has travelled extensively and continues to do so in the good name of Poker. He is arguably the most widely recognizable Poker icon and as such has become something millions of people strive to emulate. Phil has produced many resources to aid budding grinders on their quest to perfect their Poker strategies, but now you can get one step closer! Now you can WEAR Phil Hellmuth. Poker Brat Clothing Co. has been in development for some time and has now finally launched. In the design creation stage, Phil worked with talented fashion aficionados from a variety of locations. “I told them to design whatever their hearts desired and, man, did they create some great poker designs!” said Hellmuth. Those familiar with Phil’s usual attire will remember his PH logo hat and more traditional T-shirt designs. While those styles are still available, Phil has stepped up the creativity with elaborate designs akin to the “Affliction” and “Ed Hardy” lines. Phil’s new line is available at www.pokerbrat.com and will soon be available at www.philhellmuth.com. Check out some of these fun designs!
Flame
Poker Brat Orange
Poker Face Blue
Poker Outline Grey
Poker Tree
Tags: Phil Hellmuth, poker brat
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Tuesday, November 25, 2008 - smokin_aces
In case you haven’t noticed, Ultimate Bet and our sister site, Absolute Poker have now joined forces creating one of the largest player bases in online poker. The Cereus poker network is the result of more than 12 months of development with the sole goal being to provide our players with the ultimate online experience. Although this new network has MANY benefits, one that you’ll notice right away is how fast the Bad Beat Jackpot increases in size. What does this mean? It means we’re all going to watch more people’s lives change in VERY significant ways. I can’t think of another reward in the history of rewards that gives you the opportunity to approach millionaire status in return for LOSING at something! For example, at the time of this post the Bad Beat Jackpot is at $636,006.02. http://www.ultimatebet.com/poker-promotion/bad-beat-jackpot Check that page often to witness for yourself the speed at which the Jackpot increases. It’s mind numbing and awe inspiring. But like most things, you can’t win if you don’t ante up!! See you at the tables, and I encourage you to beat me when i have quad 8’s or better!!
Tags: Bad Beat Jackpot
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Sunday, November 23, 2008 - smokin_aces
Why do we play Poker? Apart from the enjoyment of the intense mental battles, the adrenaline rushes and the thrill of the chase, we want to win MONEY. There are a million ways to get cold hard cash, but there is an undeniable allure to using our instincts and wit in a battle infiltrated by fate and destiny. We all believe that at different moments in time we’ve got ‘a feeling’ or that we’re tuned in to something no one else has yet noticed. The idea that we can act on these in a manner defined as gambling has a classic appeal that has been around for centuries. This appeal is no more closely mirrored than in Poker’s unlikely sibling, financial investing.
The close relationship of playing Poker versus playing in the stock market has been documented many times. It’s no secret that Poker’s harrowed champions share many attributes of successful investment gurus. The object of this column is to spend time examining some of the qualities, philosophies and techniques of the historic and present day hero figures from both the world of Poker, and the financial investment community. With ‘luck’ and perseverance, we’ll outline some areas we can all stand to improve, in hopes that collectively we’ll increase our returns on both fronts.
Discipline is not specific to either Poker or investing. Most people’s first connotation of the word is negative, and usually involved ‘being disciplined’ as a result of a childhood wrongdoing. In the present context, we’re interested in learning ways to discipline ourselves to remain true to the strategies and theories we’ve selected away from the table, and before the market opens. (It should be noted that we’re making the assumption your Poker/investing style is not a series of aimless, wanton acts with no preconceived game plan, void of reason or logic) This isn’t the place to discuss actual strategies, but we can discuss the importance of remaining consistent with your chosen one. Mathematically speaking, in order to make gains over time, you’ll have to be comfortable with an average rate of return much lower than what most would consider a large profit. Sure there will be times when you make profits in leaps and bounds, but there will also be other times when you lose big. As long as you’ve got the discipline to consistently bet on the odds in your favour while wagering an amount you can lose without busting out for good, chances are good you’ll profit in the long term.
We want to hear stories of how you’ve used an element of discipline either in Poker or as part of an investment strategy, and how it’s benefitted you. As well, if you’ve suffered a loss because you failed to remain disciplined, tell us about that as well.
Tags: investing, Poker Poker Poker, Poker Strategy
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Sunday, November 23, 2008 - smokin_aces
Or at least he was in ’89. Celebrities can sometimes achieve ‘star’ status in a relatively short period of time. Too often their star fizzles out and they become another flash in the pan one hit wonder, destined to strive desperately for at least ‘c’ list exposure. More often than not, just by surviving the Hollywood School of Hard Knocks they’ve turned their name into a minor commodity. Most probably hope their perceived value can be applied to a smaller stage. It probably goes without saying that no celebrity’s goal is to end up as fodder for some tabloid media outlet’s ‘Where Are They Now’ list. We’ll meet them halfway. Our intent here is not to point, jeer and laugh from the cheap seats while recanting some washed up tv icon’s painful descent into obscurity. Instead, we’ll highlight ex-A listers who picked themselves up after years of tequila sucking and infomercial host auditioning, dusted themselves off and got serious about Poker.
In the late 80’s and early 90’s we waited with baited breath each week to watch Winnie, Paul and Kevin stumble through early adolescence. “The Wonder Years” was our endearing glimpse into the coming-of-age struggles and dysfunctions of a post-war patriarchal America. The main character Kevin (played by Fred Savage) was as American as apple pie.
Soon after the show began airing Fred Savage took the teen-zine covers by storm and was recreated in poster form on the closet doors of young girls everywhere. It was only a matter of time until Fred Savage joined the Hollywood glitterati and claimed his throne as another misbehaving, talented Icon. It turned out his career in the limelight would come to a grinding halt after the show ended in 1993. Although he had appeared in some large grossing movies prior to and during the Wonder Years (The Boy Who Could Fly 1986, The Princess Bride 1987, The Wizard 1989) he didn’t continue his rise in Hollywood as a grown up actor.
Thankfully for all his fans (myself included), he survived many obstacles and was able to take supporting roles in numerous small budget productions. In fact, in recent years Fred has re-established himself as a Hollywood mainstay with his role as Mitch Crumb in the successful TV comedy ‘Crumbs’. However, arguably his highest profile public sightings have been rubbing elbows with the Professional Poker set. That’s right, “Kevin Arnold” is now a calculating poker odds maker trying his hand at the Pro Poker circuit. He appeared as a competitor on Bravo’s ‘Celebrity Poker Showdown’ alongside Jennifer Tilly and Brett Butler. He was even subjected to commentary by the ‘beloved’ Poker icon (and UB’s own) Phil Hellmuth. Fred also made a memorable appearance on the first episode of “World Poker Tour – Hollywood Home Game”, going all in against Aisha Tyler to benefit the Childhelp USA charity. As well, he’s been spotted in Vegas many times recently with fat stacks of chips and hordes of hot models frolicking around him. Ok, that last part isn’t true. But just like Kevin Arnold’s obsession with his sultry classmate and neighbour Winnie Cooper, he can wish.
Tags: Celebrities, Poker Poker Poker
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Saturday, November 22, 2008 - smokin_aces
The latest Bad Beat Jackpot winner at Ultimate Bet took home a cool $200437.89! Our winner hearts13 could do a number of things with that fat bag of cash. If it was me, I’d peel a cool Hundred Grand right off the top and put that in the bank. Then I’d drop 10K on a lavish visit to some friends in Thailand and Australia. Now I’m left with $90,000. As a performance/luxury car enthusiast I’m thinking only one thing. If I was going to drop that wad on a car, what is the best car I could buy with $90 K from that Bad Beat Jackpot? So, our mission is to compare two types of cars that come within 2K of the $90,000.
This week’s theme is Luxury Performance Sedans. We’ll choose one American car and one European. Today’s Euro flavour is the Audi A8.
We added a few key upgrades to push it within a mortgage payment of the Bad Beat Jackpot payout. Our build comes to $88, 600.00.
On the other side of the pond we chose the Cadillac STS-V.
Even with all the options we could only max out the cost of the Caddy at $83,375.00 but threw in a 12 speaker Bose sound system, and the ‘Blaster’ flamethrowing theft deterrent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDrzMGdYWZc These upgrades rounded out the total cost to $89, 700.00. Luckily for the Audi A8, we’re focusing on performance and convenience, and not the ability to deafen children or permanently disfigure would-be carjackers.
It turns out these two models are quite comparable in many respects. Both weigh about the same, with the A8 at 4321 lbs, and the STS-V at 4233 lbs. That’s pretty beefy for a car, but bear in mind these are not compact cars. Although both pack a powerful V8, there are some stark contrasts. The STS-V is catapulted from the line by a 4.4 L Supercharged Northstar V8 with 469 hp and 439 lb-ft of torque. It redlines at 6,700 rpms (a little low) and has a boastful 9.0:1 compression ratio. The A8 is dressed for success as well, albeit with not quite as impressive raw specs. Under the hood the Audi has a 4.1 L Spark Ignition Direct Injection V8 with 350 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. You can wind the Audi up to 7500 rpm before redline and it has a 12.5:1 compression ratio. As the savvy car enthusiast is already aware, horsepower can be misleading. American car manufacturers are famous for conceptualizing a massive engine and then building cars around it. German automakers are known for developing extremely sophisticated, efficient vehicles capable of effectively distributing power while maximizing handling characteristics, resulting in cars with lower specs outperforming many cars classed higher on paper. The true test has been around for over 50 years. What goes from 0 to 60mph in less time? Here’s where it gets interesting. The STS-V hits 60mph in 4.8 seconds while the Audi dragged it’s ass a bit and took more than a whole second longer at 5.9 seconds. Regarding fuel efficiency, based on the speed test and horsepower rating, the results were not surprising. The Caddy gets an estimated 13 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway. The significantly less thirsty A8 gets 16 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. Strangely the Audi also has a larger fuel tank than it’s competitor (23.6 gallons vs 17 gallons). So while the Cadillac wins over short distances, in an endurance race consisting of long distance stages, the Audi would reach the finish line sooner, cheaper and with less stops.
The Audi brand is notorious for their almost exclusive inclusion of their all wheel drive ‘Quattro’ package, present on nearly almost every class and model they make. This feature is much less common on American cars, but in this case the STS-V is outfitted with Cadillac’s AWD drive system.
Where the Audi will shine is the handling department. The Cadillac has a front and rear mix of coil spring, independent suspension with front and rear anti-roll bars. The Audi however is complete with Fully Pneumatic air suspension struts in each wheels, with automatic damping characteristics constantly adjusted by sensors. This means the Audi could outperform the Caddy in race like settings with quick switchbacks and hairpin turnarounds. In fact, that would be a very interesting race to watch. The Audi A8 is more nimble, while the Cadillac STS-V is faster.
Although I’m a long time Audi lover, comparing these two amazing machines has made my impression of the new Cadillac STS-V change significantly. It looks as if GM is no longer competing solely with other American luxury vehicles. This car is entering uncharted territory, where a Cadillac is poised to directly compete with the BMW 5 series, and some Mercedes Benz types, along with our subject, the Audi A8. In this contest, if it was a battle of brawn, I would choose the Cadillac STS-V. (and still have a bit of scratch leftover) However, cars are a very personal thing, and for many intangible reasons, my winner is the Audi A8.
With all these things in mind, put yourself in the same position as hearts13 . Consider you’ve just won the Ultimate Bet Bad Beat Jackpot. What would you buy, and why?
Tags: Bad Beat Jackpot, cars, Poker in the Car, Poker Poker Poker
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Saturday, November 22, 2008 - smokin_aces
Halfway through the third time watching Lady Gaga’s video for her brand new single “Poker Face”, I realized the song is about poker. Sort of……. Lady Gaga, while stunning visually, is not exactly an artist exuding depth and talent. Instead you get the impression she was the face and body matched by record executives to songs that didn’t make a Gwen Stefani album. However, that said, I’ve not recently seen the game of poker made to look so….uhhhhh….screw it, SEXY! The song’s lyrical content is basically a strung together montage of x-rated double entendres made from familiar poker lingo. Granted, with Lady Gaga’s over the top sex appeal oozing from every pore in her taut body, she could make unclogging a toilet sound sexy with the right beat.
From the very first chord progression you’re happy. The brief but obvious ‘nod’ to ‘Sweet Dreams’ is enough for the first time listener to feel welcome. These cheap parlor tricks are par for the musical course these days, so ironically it gets a pass. The first audible line other than the voice that may be Timbaland reciting “Mum mum mum mum” around 20 times, is “I wanna hold em like they do in Texas Plays”. That line must be about her desire for multiple sex partners. As a patriarchal old school man, that frightens me, so I like it. “Fold em let em hit me raise it baby stay with me, I love it” has all the sentiments of a veiled cry for domination. Again, scary but alluring. It starts getting more interesting when she hits the pre-chorus. “OH OH OH, I’ll get him hot, show him what I’ve got, OH OH OH”. At this point in the song I realized that she chose poker as a theme so that she could make references like this without sounding like a complete tramp! It’s brilliant really (I mean if it had actually worked that is). Poker has many phrases that can be twisted to sound sexual, and Lady Gaga has exploited this to the fullest extent.
However, her sultry delivery on phrases like “I’m bluffin with my muffin”, while pointing to her crotch (classy), travel from “ambiguous-land” right into “fucking obvious-ville”. She spends the first half of the song using poker as a way to skeeze up the airways while hiding behind the “perception” curtain, and then blasts right into full blown lyrical porn. However, her (and I say her as if these creative decisions were hers) less-than-subtle re-interpretations of phrases from the poker lexicon actually do make you want to play poker…..covered in baby oil, with a harem of beautiful women, lying on a leopard skin rug.
Tags: music
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