Tuesday, August 25, 2009 - Scott Ian
I can’t believe summer is over. Granted, I live in LA so it’s never really over, it’s more the idea of summer being over. You know that horrible “back to school” feeling? Not that I’m going back to school and if anything I worked harder this summer than I have in years so, don’t listen to me. I think the insanity of my summer may have done permanent damage!
Going into the WSOP main event I knew what I was in for and I committed to it. Last year I didn’t get to play the main event and this year it literally took an act by the scheduling Gods and the planets aligning just right for me to play. I had this insane window where I would be arriving in Vegas from Anthrax’s European tour hours before the start of day 1D, flying to Tulsa OK to play a show the day after day 2B and flying right back the morning of day 3. If I were to make it to the final nine, I would be on a plane as soon as it ended back to Sweden to play a show the next day. How this all worked out is beyond me and I wasn’t sure if I could mentally and physically do it. Of course I could bust on day 1 and everything would be so much easier but the whole thing had this “meant to be” vibe about it so I committed to getting through the week and playing my game no matter what.
Amazingly, everything went according to plan. After finishing day 2B at 1:30AM I was at the airport by 4:30AM for my flight (through Dallas) to Tulsa. That all worked and I played the show, kicked some OK ass and was back at the airport at 4:30AM for my flight (through Denver) to Vegas. Not only were my flights on time, they were early and I got back to Vegas hours before the noon start of day 3. My nightmare of sitting in Denver airport as my stack blinded off didn’t come true.
Now I was about to play day 3 of the main event having not slept in almost 48 hours. The mind is an amazing thing because I stayed focused and locked in all day and at the end of the marathon I had 152K going into day 4. I had no trouble sleeping that night.
Bubble day was a mix of anxiety and excitement for me. Of course I was excited to make the money but I had this feeling gnawing at me that I didn’t have much left. When it got to hand for hand it killed me. The slow pace for over an hour knocked me on my ass and my focus was gone. I could feel the last three weeks catching up to me like a locomotive and I was going down. I think making the money in a way was bad for my game because I lost the tension I needed to remain locked in.
I busted out shortly after when I ran my J7 into AA. I was in the BB (6K). The SB limped and I checked. Flop comes 10 7 2 rainbow. He bets 6500 and I think he’s lying so I re-raise to 17,500 with 59K behind. He shoves. I should’ve folded but like I said, I’d lost my focus and I called. He turns over AA! A 9 came on the turn increasing my outs but the 4 on the river sunk me and that was that. 637th out of 6484. I was stoked. A sense of relief washed over me as I left the Rio and a huge feeling of accomplishment. I cashed in my first main event. I set my mind to making it through the week and I did. Would I have liked to have gone deeper? Of course. Next year it’s on. Thanks to everyone at UB for making my life easier all week as well. Your support was invaluable!!
Last week UB hosted my second “Home Game” and it was a blast!! Vinnie Paul was first out for the second time in a row I believe. And that’s no knock on Vinnie’s game. Just bad luck. Guy rivered a flush against him. Kirk Hammett was tearing it up most of the game, taking down pot after pot and was the chipleader for a while. He lost a big pot, KK vs AA if I remember correctly and then got whittled away. I thought he was a lock for top 3. I had a crazy hand against Phil. I’ll let the picture do the talking!!! Greg Tribbett and I made the final table and finished 4th and 5th . Adam “Roothlus” Levy finished third, getting knocked out by the same guy that busted me and both of us against a set of 5’s!! BeantownBoy77 finished 2nd and won $1000 TD’s. Congrats to SMGKAG for taking it down and winning the Aruba package.
We’re planning Home Game #3 for the end of October. There will be some new faces there this time as well. Hope to see you there!!!
Cheers,
Scott
Tags: Adam "Roothlus" Levy, Aruba, Aruba Package, Aruba Poker Classic, Greg Tribbett, Kirk Hammett, Phil Hellmuth, Rio, summer, ub, Vegas, Vinnie Paul, WSOP
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Sunday, June 21, 2009 - Annie Duke
Up at the bright and early hour of noon o’clock. Yes. You read that right. Noon o’clock. Anyone who knows me well knows that my usual waking hour is about 7 am. I am generally in my Bikram class by 9 am having fed my kids breakfast and gotten them off to school. But the World Series of Poker creates this sort of alternate universe. A universe where it seems normal to be up until well past 3am on a daily basis. Where is seems normal to not wake up till noon o’clock. So every year at the beginning of June I get warped to this alternate universe so here I am. I just woke up.
The hours seem to be working out for me money wise so far. I have played 7 events, cashed in one and made a final table already. Not surprisingly, both were in Omaha 8 or better. Luckily, the final table was in the $10K Championship. I was short stacked the whole third day in that tournament so I was super happy to come in 8th there. I would win my all-in hand, once hitting two outs on the river to do so, but then I wouldn’t win the second hand after that. So I nursed that short stack to hell! That might be the first time I was not disappointed with an 8th place ever. I was ecstatic actually.
One thing that is not working for me anymore is Indian food. There is a very yummy restaurant in the Rio called Gaylord’s. They are fast and the food is excellent. But on the 10th night in a row that you are eating it, well I wouldn’t say that I relish the opportunity anymore. This is true every year. I eat almost no Indian food outside of the WSOP because I end up eating it every single freaking night during the WSOP. I can only take so much chicken tikka, okay? The problem is there aren’t a lot of other options that get you in and out in less than an hour. The noon tournaments have an hour and a half dinner break but I am always playing the 5pm tournaments. And those only give you an hour. So now I am a walking piece of pappadum. Crispy and yummy pappadum but seriously, I am just a think little wafer…now bugger off.
(for those or are Monty Python challenge…yes, that last line was a Python reference from The Meaning of Life. I just don’t want anyone to think I have actually lost my mind.)
Tags: Annie Duke, Poker Poker Poker, poker tournaments, Rio, WSOP
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Saturday, June 20, 2009 - HollywoodDave
Hell yeah! its finally here… after bubbling at least a half dozen of the events i’ve played this Series so far (its been pretty sick), I finally get to disappear back to LA for 5 days to go shoot a pilot for the TV show I started pitching last year!
The working title is “Grifting Across America” and in it I travel the country trying to beat every game I can find. Dominoes in the Louisiana bayou, street chess in Washington Square Park, bridge at the Manhattan Bridge Club, Golden Tee in Chicago bar leagues — you name it, I take a crack at it, and have plenty of fun along the way.
I can’t release too much more info while we’re in this phase of development, but suffice it to say things are definitely moving forward at an awesome pace! I spend the next few days in LA shooting tons of footage from different games — everything from Mah Jongg to backgammon to German skat, even some Magic: the Gathering — and then we get to cut together an awesome pilot promo & walk it in to some networks this fall. So my job for the next couple days will just be to kick ass, take names, and try to pwn my way thru a ton of games I’ve barely played before. Hey, after a lifetime of game theory and a mastery of blackjack, poker, and a half dozen other games, I think I’ll be able to apply the basic strategic concepts so universal to game playing and do fairly well in these other games. Either that or have fun trying…
A couple years ago I did a TV show called ‘King of Vegas’ where 12 players each had to fight their way thru daily competitions in blackjack, poker, roulette, craps, pai gow, and other popular casino games. A lot of those events were primarily based on luck, but since it was a competition based on beating the other PLAYERS (rather than the games themselves), I found a way to make better bets and better plays even in the events I had little control over the outcomes, and as a result made it all the way thru to the last episode. Although I bombed out in the 11th hour, i felt like i really accomplished something getting there. This show hopes to prove the same thing, that once you master certain games, you already have a built-in edge going into others.
So next week I hope to have a couple pix to show you and some more fun details of the shoot. Not to mention getting back to some good poker action at the Rio! I think there’s a $2500 Omaha hilo event next Tuesday with my name written all over it. In the meantime, you can follow me on twitter at:
www.Twitter.com/Hollywood_Dave
rock on –
-hd.
Tags: Hollywood Dave, Poker Poker Poker, Rio, Twitter, Vegas
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009 - P0ker H0
As I reported in my last blog, round 1 of the WSOP was a great one, even though I didnt play 1 event. I was busy winning bracelets in BlackJack rather than Poker:) This time, would be different. Poker wise it was somewhat of a let down, as I went 0-3 in the 1500’s and 500 venetian, but the rest of the trip was Vegas as Vegas should be.
The first night I found myself really intoxicated in the SNG room, and bought into a 550 single table. Normally this wouldn’t be anything to talk about, but as the table filled up, I noticed a couple of faces that stood out. Grammy Winning Recording Artist Nelly was in 1 of the seats, while the owner of the Lakers, Jerry Buss was in another. Well as you know, when I’m drinking it’s my job to make sure people know who I am. Even Nelly and Jerry Buss. After singing and dancing to “It’s Hot in Her”, Nelly definitely knew who I was. And how bout Jerry Buss. Here the Lakers are playing game 4 of the NBA Finals, and he’s sitting with me playing a 550 single table satellite.
The Next day I would play the 1500 NL WSOP Event. Thing went great all day. I was up to 12k never seeing a river. About 5 hours in I would see a flop of 10 6 5, and have my opponent shove his entire 12k stack into a 900 chip pot. I held 1010 so I obviously called, and my opponent tabled 7 8 for an open ender. GG me. This kind of put me on tilt for a couple days and I really wasn’t into to much poker for the rest of the trip.
One thing I miss doing that I did this time, was going out to nice restraunts in Vegas. There are so many great places to eat that you can’t eat anywhere else. I tried NOVE which is an Italian restaraunt at the Palms. I highly recommend that. Also Cafe Mortarano in the RIO has the best Pasta Carbonara if you are into that.
I came home for a couple days once again, but I will be heading out again soon, and staying for the remainder of the summer. The UB Party is on the 29th at Studio54 and it will be a blast just like every other year. Best of luck to everyone this Series and see you out there.
P0ker H0
Tags: Jerry Buss, Lakers, NBA, Nelly, Poker Poker Poker, Rio, Studio 54, ub, UB Party, Vegas, WSOP
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Monday, June 15, 2009 - Tiffany M
… TO THE TUNE OF ‘THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS’
1. (Event #4 $1000 NL) On my 1st day of the Series I did this interview (http://www.bluffmagazine.com/videos/index.asp?curPage=1&videocatid=0&videoid=826)… then A10 took out my Jacks it wasn’t cute.
2. (Event #7 $1500 NL) On the 2nd day of my Series a roller coaster I did ride… made dinner break then busted out that night.
3. The next day at the Rio I sweated Greg in Stud… I made this sign for him and it was fun (http://www.pokerlistings.com/blog/wsop/2009/greg-mueller-is-a-stud-apparently).
4. (Event #11 $2000 NL) On the 4th day of my Series I wore my Laker shirt… although it was my birthday an early bust really hurt.
5. (Event #13 $2500 NL) My 5th event at the Series I busted the last level of play… but my new Skullcandy headphones kept me occupied all day.
6. (Event #15 $5000 NL) At the 6th event of my Series I made it deep in the $5k… then got knocked out with A10 verses 9A.
7. (Event #17 $1k Ladies) At the 7th tourney of the Series I played with the Ladies… I was out so quick you’d missed it if you blinked.
8 (Event #22 $1500 Shootout) On my 8th tourney of the Series I was the first to go… my AK suited verses KK had little hope.
9.(Event #24 $1500 NL) On the 9th day of the Series I only played two hands… you don’t get many chips and I was out after my kings were damned.
10. (Event #28 $1500 NL) On the 10th day of the Series my top was no good… KQ can’t beat J9, it never could.
11. The 11th day of my Series will arrive in the next day… please wish me luck playing in the $2k.
12. The 12th tourney of my Series I hope Santa brings me some bling… is it too early in the year to ask for such a thing?!
Tags: Poker Poker Poker, Rio, Tiffany M, WSOP
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Saturday, June 6, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
Phil Hellmuth will not be making his 42nd final table (nor winning his 12th bracelet), at least not today. Phil was eliminated at the very end of play last night in the $2,000 No-Limit Hold-Em event, and in an especially filthy way. After seeing his stack thinned to just around 30,000, Jim Geary moved all-in from the small blind and Phil, holding pocket sixes, called from the big blind. Geary had Jc-10h, the flop came Queen-high, the turn was a King, and Geary hit an Ace on the river to make Broadway and send an irritated Phil to the rail. Still, he finished in 25th place, good for his record 70th WSOP cash and a $14,828 payday.
Michael Binger, however, is still alive in the prestigious $10,000 Mixed Game event. Michael is one of the shortest stacks but a lot can happen with just 20 players left in the field. That event will play down to the final eight before seating the final table and chances are they’ll play deep into the night to crown the Mixed Game champion.
And in just a few minutes we’ll be starting the $5,000 No-Limit Hold-Em tournament, and then later this afternoon the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud event kicks off. Just another marathon day of poker here at the Rio.
Tags: 2009 world series of poker, 2009 wsop, amazon room, Michael Binger, mixed game championship, Phil Hellmuth, phil hellmuth record wsop cashes, Rio, world series of poker, WSOP
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Thursday, June 4, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
So that’s one week down for the World Series of Poker, six more to go. Approximately. It’s always hard to keep track of time in Las Vegas, especially so during the WSOP. I guess we’ll know to leave when they throw us out.
But it’s been another long busy day that’s turning into a long busy night. Steve Sung won his first bracelet tonight, as did Jason Mercier, and coming on the heels of wins by Vitaly Lunkin and Thang Luu (both of whom won their second bracelets) this Series might eclipse 2008 as the Year of the Pro. Longer structure and deeper stacks should translate into the best players having more time to display their skills. So far that’s been the case.
The Seven-Card Stud World Championship is now heads up, with poker legend Eric Drache battling Freddie Ellis for the bracelet (and if you don’t know who Eric Drache is, then shame on you). And four other tournaments are winnowing their fields one by one toward final tables of their own tomorrow or the day after. It’s been a long day, it’ll be a long night, and we’re gonna enjoy six more weeks of the same.
Tags: 2009 world series of poker, 2009 wsop, amazon room, jason mercier, Rio, steve sung, vitaly lunkin, world series of poker, WSOP
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Tuesday, June 2, 2009 - Tiffany M
Hey UB Peeps! I’m up to my eyeballs in poker, neon lights, hot weather and
daily trips to The Rio. The 2009 World Series of Poker is in full swing.
I’ve only played one WSOP tournament, the $1,000 NL Event #4 and today will
be my second shot at WSOP glory in the $1500 NL Event.
I didn’t have any tournaments at the Rio yesterday so I popped over to the
Venetian for their $550 Deepstack tournament and made it deep in the
tournament. Just a note for any of you coming out to Vegas, Caesars Palace
and The Venetian are both running Deepstack tournaments with big fields and
great structures so if you’re looking to play but can’t afford the WSOP
buy-ins I’d definitely suggest checking out those tournies.
It’s very cool being a part of UB’s team this year and I have a good feeling
that our pros will REPRESENT for the black and yellow 
Annie Duke and
Liv Boeree have already cashed in tournaments…. which means that I’m
pulling up the rear for the UB ladies. I’d better run and get to work, I’ve
got catching up to do!
xx
Tiffany Michelle
www.tiffanymichelle.com
Tags: Annie Duke, Ceasars Palace, Liv Boeree, Rio, Tiffany M, ub, Vegas, Venetian, WSOP
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Friday, May 29, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
When folks ask me what the World Series of Poker is like, the thing I struggle with is describing the sheer size of it. A lot of people think that the World Series = the Main Event, and when I tell them I’m going to be in Vegas for seven weeks they gawk and say “The tournament takes SEVEN WEEKS?” No no, there are 57 different tournaments during those seven weeks. Even Dick Cheney would consider a single seven-week long poker tournament inhumane.
Then there are those who think that the WSOP conducts one tournament at a time, that the Amazon Room empties and grows quiet as the final table plays out. Uh, no, as one tournament field is thinned a brand-new event is shoehorned into the abandoned space. Once the WSOP spools up there are always multiple events going on at the same time, and at times this year there will be seven different tournaments simultaneously at play. The logistical challenge of keeping all these balls in the air is a daunting one, and Harrah’s has done a very good job of making sure dealers rotate through the room, chips are properly colored up, tables break according to schedule, etc. Add the fact that poker players aren’t known for their even-keeled acceptance of unforeseen changes and it’s a miracle things run as smoothly as they do.
And helping to smooth things along even more is the expanded room the WSOP has this year. First and foremost there’s the Amazon Room, the biggest of the tournament areas and where the final tables are held and bracelets awarded. It’s a big, big place, too big to wrap my camera around in a single shot. This is long-wise:
And this is, uh, width-wise:
Damn, those overhead lights are bright. Anyway, these two shots don’t even give you a proper perspective on how big the Amazon Room is. Nor, alas, does this photo of the Brasilia Room, which was used during last year’s Series and is back in heavy duty this year:
This pic also doesn’t show the scale of the space–across that wide aisle to the right is another cluster of tables just as big. Between Amazon and Brasilia that’s a great whopping bunch of tables in use…and that doesn’t even include the Miranda Room, just across the hall from Brasilia and in use at the WSOP for the first time. No more will poker players be exiled to the Rio poker room or the empty space outside Buzio’s restaurant. Instead players will have the wide open spaces of the Miranda Room to do battle:
There are two tournaments going on right now–the $1,500 Limit Omaha/8 event and the restart of the $40,000 No-Limit event. Piece of cake. Tomorrow is the $1,000 Stimulus No-Limit event, and they’re expecting a field perhaps in excess of 5,000 for that one. Tomorrow is when we’ll really start to feel the pressure of the poker masses pressing at the Rio’s seams.
Tags: 2009 world series of poker, 2009 wsop, amazon room, brasilia room, miranda room, Rio, rio world series of poker, world series of poker, WSOP
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Monday, May 25, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
Covering the World Series of Poker was one of those things I dreamed about but never thought I’d actually do. Some people dream about winning a bracelet and millions of dollars; I dreamt about taking pictures of that guy and writing a story about it. Yes, I’m not a well person. Anyway, in June of 2007 I found myself sitting behind my laptop in the Amazon Room, waiting for the $5,000 Mixed Hold-Em event to begin. I grooved on the nervous energy buzzing through that enormous room, waiting for Jeffrey Pollack to finish his welcome speech and hand the mike over the Jamie Gold. The 2006 World Champion said, “Shuffle Up and Deal!”, and we were off.
And then it took about ten seconds for all hell to break loose. You may recall that Harrah’s decided that year to use a different style of playing card, one that had tiny numbers and suits in the corner (so you could peek at your cars just by lifting them an inch) and then large numbers and suits mirroring each other in the middle. Many of the players had never seen these cards before, and they didn’t like them. No siree. Mike Matusow leapt out of his chair and said, “Did you see these cards? You can’t see the cards? Where’s Jeffrey Pollack?” Players started standing up and walking around the room raising a ruckus. Johnny Chan threatened to quit the tournament. Doyle Brunson (Doyle Brunson) took one look at them and said, “What the hell are these?”
I tell this story to illustrate that when you go to the World Series of Poker, chances are things aren’t gonna go as you expect. Heck, when we all went back to Vegas in 2008 the big story going in was, “What will be the big problem this time?”. The registration lines, the food, the structures? And it turned out that the big story was that there WEREN’T any big problems. Harrah’s ran an outstanding event from start to finish, and even the decision to delay the Main Event final table until November translated into a 50% boost in TV ratings. Everyone is expecting the 2009 World Series of Poker to be even better, with players getting 50% more chips to start with, additional levels added to the structure, and more room in the convention center area (meaning no more players exiled to the space outside Buzio’s Restaurant). Heck, Jeffrey Pollack has even promised that the food will be even better this year (oh please, bring back the soup kitchen, it was SO good).
Of course that doesn’t mean that there won’t be periods of profound weirdness and the extremes of the human condition to enjoy. If you’re a poker fan and you’ll be in Vegas between May 28th to July 15th you simply must stop by the Rio and check out the scene. You don’t need to stay long, Vegas is too fun a town for you to spend six hours railing a poker player (unless you’re backing him), but take some time to walk around the Amazon Room, see if your favorite players are in the field, and listen to the never-ending sound of chips shuffled by the thousands.
If you’re playing in an event, especially if it’s your first WSOP tournament, I’d also recommend paying the Rio and the Amazon Room a visit before your event. Learn where to park, learn where the bathroom are. Walk around the Amazon Room and get a feel for the vibe. There’s a chance you won’t be playing in the Amazon Room, so learn where the Brasilia and other tournament rooms are. You don’t wanna walk through the door at high noon and realize you have no clue where your seat is, and I can’t tell you how many panicked players have run up to me asking where the hell they’re supposed to go. Most folks play their best poker when they’re comfortable with their surroundings, so a quick reconnoiter of the Rio can ensure you’re calm and collected when the cards are finally in the air.
If you’re going to be at the World Series for the duration, then God help your soul. Well, actually it isn’t THAT bad…so long as you don’t try to make every day in Vegas like your LAST day in Vegas. No one can survive 50 days of non-stop poker and full-bore partying, the human body wasn’t designed for that sort of abuse. My friend Nicole Gordon wrote a piece with her Top Ten Tips for Surviving the World Series of Poker, which I heartily recommend your read and put into effect. You will need to sleep. You will find planning ahead saves you endless headaches. You will find that Vegas is dangerously hot in July. When people ask me how I survive seven weeks in Vegas I sum it up this way–I keep both hands on the steering wheel. If you get into a nice routine, where you’re sleeping and eating like a normal person and drinking in moderation, you’ll be fine. If it’s June 7th and the bouncers on the afternoon shift at the Spearmint Rhino know you on a first-name basis, you may be in trouble.
I can’t believe it’s already WSOP time again, my mind is having some trouble getting around that fact. It hasn’t helped that I’ve been sick as the dog with the flu and spent the last ten days staring at the wall and losing weight. Good times, good times. I’ve been thinking of what I’m most looking forward to…
- Walking through the Rio and hearing the “Penn & Teller….doin’ tricks…” jingle by their theater 15,000 times during the Series.
- The citrus “All-In” energy drink. That’s a tasty beverage.
- The floor staff telling spectators “No Flash Photography” 15,000 times during the Series.
- That first chicken salad wrap from the Poker Kitchen
- My old friend (and older nemesis) video poker.
And, of course, writing about all the excitement and madness for you to enjoy here at the UltimateBet blog. If you’re a UB player I will do my utmost to find you and track your glorious progress through the tournament. If you see me, and I don’t see you, please stop by and say hello, I want to meet as many of our players as I can during the Series and make them famous throughout the blogosphere. This is me, by the way, working in Aruba:
The 2009 World Series of Poker, just a few days away. Unreal. I get to Vegas Wednesday evening and I’ll hit the ground running as the $40,000 No-Limit event commemorating the WSOP’s 40th-anniversary starts Thursday at noon. And that starts 50 days of people making poker history and winning millions of dollars, day after day after day. It is one of the great sporting events in the world and I can’t wait for it to start.
Tags: 2009 world series of poker, 2009 wsop, amazon room, Rio, ub, ub wsop, ub wsop blog, ub wsop coverage, ultimatebet, ultimatebet world series blog, ultimatebet wsop blog, world series of poker, world series of poker amazon room, WSOP
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