Sunday, January 18, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
What better way to whet the appetite for tonight’s million-dollar UBOC Championship than with a little rebuy madness? Last night’s No-Limit Hold-Em w/rebuys tournament gave the 357 players in the field a chance to get their gamble on, splash some chips, and sharpen their fangs for the main event. Those players ended up rebuying 398 times and adding-on 372 times (heck, that seems almost miserly) before hunkering down and playing with what was left in front of them. And by the time the final table was reached you could be excused for feeling a touch of deja vu:
A number of the players at last night’s final table have made deep runs in other UBOC events, including NHGGSIKE, who finished 4th in our UBOC H.O.R.S.E event. After showing that he’s no slouch at the no-limit game as well NHGGSIKE added another final-table to his resume but could advance no further, as he went ninth after committing the last of his shortstack with Ah-6c and getting called by EDAV67’s Qd-10h. A ten on the flop and no Ace on the turn or river sent NHGGSIKE out with a $$2,535.75 payday.
PHILBORT was able to improve on his 11th-place finish in the UBOC Heads-Up event, though he didn’t get as far as he probably hoped. He went out eighth after open-shoving with Ah-4s and running into the pocket Tens of JMEWNIE. The board brought no help and PHILBORT added $3,662.75 to his bankroll.
Often it isn’t the final hand that tells the story, but one shortly beforehand. That was the deal with EDAV67, who lost the bulk of his stack when he ran pocket Tens into TOMPHOOLERY’s pocket Jacks. Adding insult to injury, EDAV67 made a straight on the river…but only after TOMPHOOLERY made a full house on the turn. Adding addition injury to, uh, injury, EDAV67 got the last of his chips in holding a dominating As-Qc to DOGMA1975’s Ah-7s. All was well until the river…when the 7h spiked to send EDAV67 out in 7th place. A nice $4,789.75 payday, but a frustrating end nonetheless.
In keeping with the “hey, haven’t I seen you here before?” motif, NIBBLER was the next player sent to the rail. After posting a 12th-place finish in UBOC Event #4 NIBBLER made it to the final table this time before shoving with Kd-3s and running smack into -HALIGON-’s Ad-Kc. The three remaining treys remained hidden in the deck and NIBBLER collected $5,916.75 before leaving the stage.
They say to win poker tournaments you must both win with Ace-King and defeat Ace-King. After completing the first half of the axiom against NIBBLER -HALIGON- closed the circle by using pocket Eights to boot TOMPHOOLERY. After a $48K raise -HALIGON- re-raised and that precipitated a $226K shove from TOM, who rolled over Ah-Kh. The Kd-Qd-7h flop put him in the lead, but for just a heartbeat as the 8h spiked on the turn. But that card gave TOMPHOOLERY a flush draw, one that didn’t hit as the river brought the Jc. Sometimes the race doesn’t go to the swiftest, or even the runner who seems to take an overwhelming lead, and that was TOMPHOOLERY’S fate as he collected $7,325.50 for finishing fifth.
All DOGMA1975 accomplished during the UltimateBet Online Championship was freakin’ winning Event #2 and take home $47,000. He was trying to take down his second UBOC title but with chips running short he moved in with Ks-6H and was called by JMEWNIE’s dominating Kd-Jc. The flop missed them both and a Jack on the turn (and another Jack on the river for good measure) meant the end of DOGMA1975 dreams of a two-fer. But don’t feel too bad for him–in addition to the $8,734.25 he won last night he’s also atop the UBOC Leaderboard, and if he can hang on he’ll win a $12,000 WSOP Main Event package.
Down to three-handed the big chip-leader was a player I haven’t even mentioned yet–NEGATIVEROI. Proving the maxim that you don’t have to knock people out to accumulate vast quantities of chips, NEGATIVEROI held $1.4 million to JMEWNIE’s $255K and -HALIGON-’s meager $170K. And again NEGATIVEROI let others to his dirty work for him, as -HALIGON- shoved from the button with Qh-Js and was quickly called by JMEWNIE holding As-Kh. This time -HALIGON- was not able to work his Big Slick voodoo, as the Ad-7s-10h flop gave JMEWNIE top pair and no Jack came on the turn or river to save the day. -HALIGON- took home $11,833.50 for his third-place finish.
NEGATIVEROI began heads-up play with a 3-1 chip lead, but also perhaps with a bit of baggage. While he hadn’t made a UBOC final table so far, he had reached the final table of our Sunday $200,000 Guaranteed Tournament twice. And on both occasions, he’d finished…second. Would he be able to close the deal this time and capture the title? Sometimes in these pressure-packed situations it helps to get a wee bit lucky, and this time good fortune smiled on him. After he raised to $50,500 JMEWNIE made it $170K straight. NEGATIVEROI moved in, got the call, and he found that his Kc-Kh had JMEWNIE’s As-Kd in dire straights. Kings into Big Slick with the tournament hanging in the balance…that’s a chilly deck. NEGATIVEROI still had to fade an Ace and all sorts of potential draws to book the win, and that’s exactly what he did as the board ran out 3d-Jd-8s-6s-2c to give him the UBOC title and the $28,175.00 first prize. As Big Slick’s final victim of the night, JMEWNIE earned $17,074.05 for finishing as our runner-up.
Tags: Poker Poker Poker, poker tournament results, poker tournaments, ub, ub tournament results, UBOC, uboc results, uboc tournaments, ultimatebet, ultimatebet online championship
Comments (1)
Saturday, January 17, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
When you play in one of our UBOC events you can win back your buy-in by knocking out one of our pros, who are easily identifiable because their screen names are in red. But if you checked the leaderboard last night you’d find that there was one bounty that went uncollected during UBOC Event #10. And that’s because Matt “WISCOMURRAY” Murray won the shorthanded Limit Hold-Em tournament last night in a back-and-forth scrum that saw players go from worst to first (and then back again) in a single hand.
Both THELTRAIN and BOOMBAT2 were brutally short coming into the final table and they were quickly escorted to the rail. THELTRAIN went first, committing the last of his chips with Qh-8d and getting called by HYERAN KIM’s Ah-10h. The board bricked out and THELTRAIN collected $1,890 for his sixth-place finish. BOOMBAT2 was next to visit the payout window, as he raised with Kd-3c and was called by YNGMANN4QUIKI. After the 3d-5h-2c flop BOOMBAT2 pushed in his last handful of chips. YNGMANN4QUIKI called to find that his As-Qh had been outflopped, but the Qd spiked on the turn and the Ah on the river for good measure and BOOMBAT2 was out in fifth, good for $2,340.
YNGMANN4QUIKI went out next, but not before a hand that rivaled Teddy KGB’s cold-decking of Mike McD at the begining of Rounders. After a raise and a call before the flop WISCOMURRAY and YNGMANN4QUIKI exchanged a series of raises and re-raises after a 5c-Qc-10d flop. The same happened after the Kd turned, and when the 8c fell on the river YNGMAN called one last bet from WISCO, who turned over Kc-Jc for the rivered flush (after the flopped open-ender/flush draw and the turned pair). YNGMANN4QUIKI flashed Kh-Ks for the turned set that didn’t hold up, and one hand later WISCOMURRAY finished YNGMANN4QUIKI off, hopefully the $2,790 he collected for finishing fourth provided some solace (maybe some Oreos would help as well).
Down to three-handed WISCOMURRAY, HYERAN KIM and Kevin “KICE32″ Iacafano took turns hammering away at each other. The blinds were large enough and the stacks small enough that losing a single hand could deal a crippling blow, and that’s what happened to KICE32. He lost a huge pot when WISCOMURRAY tabled a flopped set of threes and that left KICE32 with just $28K. But he tripled up on the next hand when, holding K-9, he flopped a King and turned a nine to get back in the game.
At one point HYERAN KIM seemed to be getting the best of it but he couldn’t deliver the knockout blow. There was one hand that might’ve been decisive–with the board showing the five through eight of diamonds HYERAN KIM bet and WISCOMURRAY called. HYERAN KIM showed the nine of diamonds for the straight flush, while WISCO flashed the Ace of diamonds for the faux-nut flush. WISCOMURRAY might’ve lost more on that hand, but he didn’t, and slowly the tide turned his way. He went on a run where he won five hands in a row, including the one that sent KICE32 out in third place. With WISCO holding 8d-9c, the flop came 8s-Ac-As, and after a bet and a call the turn brought the 9h. A bet, raise and re-raise left KICE32 with just $17K and that went in after the river brought the 8h. WISCOMURRAY showed his full house and when KICE32 couldn’t beat it he was our third-place finisher, good for a $3,780 payday.
The heads-up match started with WISCO holding a $760K to $140K chip lead over HYERAN KIM, and though KIM won seven of the ten heads-up hands (including one where he doubled-up with pocket Aces) he never made up much ground. After getting his stack up to over $300K HYERAN KIM lost a big hand when WISCOMURRAY turned a King for top pair, and on the next hand the two players exchanged a series of raises until KIM was left with just a few thousand chips. The flop came 10h-3h-Qs, the last of HYERAN KIM’s chips went in, and that’s when he learned that his Ah-9c were completly crushed by WISCO’s Ad-10c. The Kc on the turn gave HYERAN KIM hopes of a chop, but the river brought the 6c and the end of HYERAN KIM’s hopes. He won $5,454 for finishing as our runner-up, and Matt “WISCOMURRAY” Murray took home $9,000 and serious bragging rights within the Team UB roster for taking down a UBOC title.
Tags: kice32, Poker Poker Poker, poker tournaments, ub, ub tournaments, UBOC, uboc events, uboc tournaments, ultimatebet, wiscomurray
Comments (0)
Friday, January 16, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
To succeed in limit poker, you must have the math. The calculations aren’t complicated but if the numbers aren’t encoded into you DNA you will struggle. To win in limit poker your play must be as precise as a Swiss watch and as cooly analytical as a Swiss banker. In no-limit mastery of the math is important, but not definitive. You must also have heart. Or guts. Fortitude, let’s call it. And something else–imagination. You not only have to step into the shoes of your opponent, you must also allow him to step into yours…and then trick him into seeing your lies as the truth. That massive all-in re-raise you just made…a bluff, or are you holding the nuts and daring your foe to make a doomed hero call? As Crandall Addington once said, “Limit poker is a science, but no-limit is an art. In limit you are shooting at a target. In no-limit, the target comes alive and shoots back at you.”
Pot-limit poker lies in the middle ground between the two. There are those who believe pot-limit requires the most skill–you can bet enough to protect your hand and price out draws, but you can’t just shove in your stack after seeing your hole cards. You must see flops. You must build pots. The limits (and excesses) of the other two games is somewhat mitigated.
Last night 532 players took to the felt to display their pot-limit skills in UBOC Event #9. Both Adam “ROOTHLUS” Levy and Matt “WISCOMURRAY” Murray made it deep, but not as deep as the nine players who made last night’s final table:
After JLFOXLKN was eliminated in 9th and PONYNECK in 7th, there was some talk of a chop as no player had an overwhelming chip lead (LOOT613 led as the final table started with $334K). But the negotiations quickly came to an end and play resumed. Lady luck is a fickle one and after LUCKYSNORM went out in 7th the next player bounced from the tournament was LOOT613, the one-time chipleader. Which again got the players talking about a chop, and which led WU_WIZARD to respond to the entreaties with a succient, “Nah”.
And a good decision it was, because after EL_PIEB10, MILKMONEY4ME and FREEZE1873133 were eliminated in turn, GARNET and WU_WIZARD played heads-up for the title. And a long, cautious battle it was, with each player jabbing and feinting rather than throwing haymakers–perhaps illustrating the difference between pot- and no-limit. WU_WIZARD held the chip lead most of the way before GARNET was able to claw back and even take a slight lead. But that advantage was erased when, with the board reading 10h-6h-7d-Qc, GARNET made a $275,000 bet and WU_WIZARD moved all-in. GARNET surrendered his hand and more than half his chips, and the writing was on the wall. GARNET battled back to push his stack back up to $400K, but after limping in and seeing WU_WIZARD make a pot-sized raise, GARNET hit back with a re-raise. But WU_WIZARD had a hand, Ah-Qs, and after he moved all-in the pot-stuck GARNET called and found that his Kd-5c needed help. Help he didn’t get on the Qc-8h-9c flop, and after the 7s turned and the 8s fell on the river GARNET was out in 2nd place (winning $20,025, a much better payday than he would’ve had in a five-way chop) and WU_WIZARD’s self-confidence was rewarded with $34,495 and a UBOC title.
Tags: Poker Poker Poker, poker tournaments, pot-limit tournaments, ub, ub tournaments, UBOC, uboc events, uboc tournaments, ultimatebet, ultimatebet online championships, ultimatebet tournaments
Comments (1)
Thursday, January 15, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
T.J. Cloutier once said that he didn’t care how many people he knocked out of a poker tournament, so long as he knocked out the LAST person. Because, obviously, that meant he’d won the tournament, and that’s the ultimate goal. But as anyone who’s watched poker on TV knows the most dramatic moments are the big confrontations, when all the chips go in the middle, the cards are flipped over, and one player’s life hangs in the balance.
Not that poker players usually need extra incentive to go for the throat, but last night’s UBOC event gave them even more reason to channel the shrieking, befanged beast that lies within. UBOC Event #8 was our Sniper event, where each player has a $30 bounty on his/her head. Knock someone out, collect thirty bucks. Knock two people out, collect sixty bucks. Knock three people out…but I’ve made my point.
So in addition to the money you’d win for cashing there was another revenue stream to be had–collecting scalps. And one of the trophies most prized at UB’s tables is a knockout of Phil Hellmuth, who made a deep run and finished 31st. His run might’ve been deeper had he not been crippled by RAM20INCH and then polished off soon after by CALMJACKAL, which delighted the railbirds watching Phil.
Speaking of the railbirds, some anthropology Ph.D candidate should eschew the indiginous tribes of the Amazon or Papua New Guinea and do a detailed study of people who rail well-known poker players. There’s important and interesting work to be done among those people.
Several other well-known players came close to making the final table, including Jon “PearlJammed” Turner (who finished 12th) and Frank “gator43″ Hernandez (who finished 13th). HUSSRAMILTON, who was the runner-up in Tuesday night’s H.O.R.S.E. event, followed up that impressive result by posting an 11th place finish. And Robbie “CUNNINGHAM” Cunningham finished 16th…here’s a picture of him from the 2008 Aruba Poker Classic:
That’s Liv Boeree standing on Robbie’s shoulders. Good picture of him, yes?
Anyway, there were nine players who DID make the final table, and here there are/were:
And as the final table played down here’s how they placed and cashed:
- 9th: Corey “CMB8757″ Burbick $2,611
- 8th: THALAIET $3,682
- 7th: AGS104 $5,022
- 6th: MICOJONES $6,361
- 5th: TWOLIP69 $7,700
- 4th: RAM20INCH $9,374
As the survivors played three-handed SAILORLOBELL held nearly 60% of the chips in play, and he seized total control when he raised to $33,000 on the button and Jason “TAKNAPOTIN” Somerville moved all-in for his last $303K. SAILORLOBELL called and his Ac-Ks had Somerville’s Kd-Qs dominated. The board bricked for both players and SAILORLOBELL went into heads-up play with a $1.17 million to $315K chiplead over STRIFE23.
A lead that lasted just one hand, as STRIFE23 doubled up when, holding A-3 to SAILORLOBELL’S A-9 and all the money in preflop, STRIFE23 rivered a trey to stay alive and get himself back in serious contention. But despite that brutal beat SAILORLOBELL didn’t falter, winning the next four hands to get his stack back up over $1 million. He maintained that lead until the last hand, as the two players saw a 6c-4s-8s flop and STRIFE23 led out for $50,000. SAILORLOBELL made a small raise to $120,000, and STRIFE23 moved in the last of his chips. To find that his Jc-7c were in bad shape against SAILORLOBELL’s Js-10s. The 8d on the turn and 9c on the river didn’t save STRIFE23 and he finished as our runner-up, winning $20,088. While SAILORLOBELL took home $32,810, an UltimateBet Online Championship title…and $30 for knocking the last person out of the tournament.
Tags: Poker Poker Poker, poker tournaments, sniper tournaments, t.j. cloutier, ub, ub sniper tournaments, ub tournaments, UBOC, uboc tournaments, ultimatebet, ultimatebet online championships, ultimatebet tournaments
Comments (0)
Monday, January 12, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
With apologies to Bob Geldof, how come? OK, Monday’s usually mean a return to the working week, but Monday night’s are usually pretty good, what with the joys of Monday Night Football. Of course, there’s no more football on Monday nights, so what to do?
Well, first off you should clear your schedule and clear your mind for the sixth event of the UltimateBet Online Championship, our $150+12 Pot-Limit Omaha/8 tournament which kicks off at 8:30pm ET. Pot-Limit Omaha…8. Now that’s a game to scramble your brain, yeesh. It’ll take me twenty minutes to decipher each hand to see who was ahead, what draws were out there, what the players need to catch for the scoop…split-pot games are the bane of the poker reporter.
On the odd chance you get knocked out early, fear not. You’ll still have a chance to fully indulge your poker passions, as The Best Damn Poker Show premieres tonight on FSN. Once again Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth assemble their teams to lead into battle, and again there should be some…interesting hi-jinks to follow. Check your local listings for show time–in my neck of the woods it’s on at 11pm, but I’ve heard some other areas are broadcasting it at other times. This is what TiVo was made for, methinks.
Tags: Annie Duke, Best Damn Poker Show, bob geldof, Phil Hellmuth, ub, ub tournaments, UBOC, uboc tournaments, ultimatebet, ultimatebet online championships
Comments (0)
Monday, January 12, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
As both a hockey fan and a tight-weak poker player the word “shorthanded” has negative connotations for me. But shorthanded play is the wave of the present in poker, with both heads-up and six-handed games becoming more and more popular. Shorthanded games force you to play more hands, play more hands after the flop, make more difficult decisions…in short, you have to play more poker. And last night saw UltimateBet stage it’s $300+20 six-handed Hold-Em event, which featured 793 players. And here are the half-dozen who made it to our 33% roomier final table:
When you’re the table shortstack and you shove from the small blind with Qc-9d you’re no doubt hoping the big blind folds, because you’re only gonna get called by a better hand. That’s exactly what befell ERIKTHEKING7 as his steal attempt was arrested by WHITHERED’s call with a dominating Ks-Qs. No help arrived on the board and ERIKTHEKING7 was dead, long live ERIKTHEKING7.
A few hands later MADMAX91 raised from the small blind, but with a legitimate hand–As-Qd. JBLAZE20 made the call from the big blind and when the flop came 6c-2h-7c MADMAX91 probably though those baby cards hadn’t hit his opponent and so moved all-in. His timing proved poor–JBLAZE20 had flopped a set of deuces and that was pretty much that. MADMAX91 didn’t hit his runner-runner miracle and was out in fifth place.
Many of the UBOC events have ended with the players making a deal and when we were four-handed the players started discussing possible terms. But WHITHERED didn’t seem much interested in dealing and when he put forth a proposal the other players quickly rejected it and we got back to business. After RYANWELCH16 (the chipleader) raised it up UPAYMYMORTGAGE drew the line in the sand and moved all in. RYANWELCH16 called, to find that his Ad-6h was dominated by UPAYMYMORTGAGE’s Ac-Jh. But the situation was reversed about a nanosecond later as the 6d-8s-4d flop gave RYANWELCH16 a pair and when the turn and river brought diamonds he held the nut flush and sent UPAYMYMORTGAGE to the rail in 4th place.
At this point RYANWELCH16 had a huge chip lead with WHITHERED AND JBLAZE20 lagging well behind, but the two shortstacks quickly consolidated, though not in the way JBLAZE20 might’ve chosen. WHITHERED moved all-in from the small blind with Ac-Qs and JBLAZE20 made the call with pocket Fours. The baby pair still led the race after the 9c-3h-6d flop, but the turn brought the Ah and the river the As for good measure to eliminate JBLAZE20 in third.
RYANWELCH16 held a bit less than a 4-1 chip lead as heads-up play started but WHITHERED still wasn’t interested in making a deal. The two traded pots for a bit but WHITHERED wasn’t able to make up much ground before the final hand. There was a raise, an all-in, and a call, and WHITHERED’s Kh-Jh needed some help against RYANWELCH16’s Ad-2c. The 3s-Qh-Qd brought some teasing paint but no real help, though the 5h on the turn did–it gave WHITHERED a flush draw. But the river saw the 10d fall and that withered WHITHERED’s stack and left RYANWELCH16 as the champion of UBOC Event #5 and $66,000 richer.
Tags: Poker Poker Poker, poker tournaments, ub, ub tournaments, UBOC, uboc events, uboc tournaments, ultimatebet, ultimatebet online championship, ultimatebet tournaments
Comments (0)
Sunday, January 11, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
Deep stack tournaments do not necessarily translate into interminable death-marches that last till dawn. A case in point is tonight’s UBOC Event #4, a deep-stack No-Limit Hold-Em event that started at 2:30pm ET. A total of 402 players resisted the urge to watch the NFL playoffs (though I’m sure quite a few were multitasking) and by the time we reached the final table it looked like this:
A few familiar names at that final table–Matt “WISCOMURRAY” Murray, for one. TRALAIRA, who final-tabled UBOC Event #1, for another. And they would be among those who lasted until the end, though the same can’t be said for LOLPWNU, who was eliminated in 9th place when he commited the last of his chips with pocket Tens (my lucky hand) and was called by COMPLETEDONK in the big blind holding the mighty Qd-5c. A Queen on the flop probably didn’t make LOLPWNU laugh out loud, as he went out in ninth place.
After the action was folded around to ILETURUN in the small blind he moved all-in to put the squeeze on STORER50, only to get squeezed back when STORER50 called with Ac-6h to ILETURUN’s 8s-5s. Just as they say you can never find a cop when you need one, ILETURUN couldn’t find an eight or five when he needed one and was eliminated in 8th place.
CHAUCHMEYER looked to be in good shape to double up when his Ad-Kd had ANABOOLA’s Ac-Qh. The flop and turn didn’t alter the situation and all CHAUCHMEYER had to do was fade a Queen on the river to double up. You know where this is going, right?–the Qs spiked on the river and cruelly sent CHAUCHMEYER to the rail in 7th place.
COMPLETEDONK was next to fall, shoving with As-4c and getting called by ANABOOOLA’s pocket Nines. COMPLETEDONK picked up a wheel draw on the river but the river brought no help and he was out in 6th. There are many brutal ways to get bad-beated out of a tournament, but the way STORER50 was ushered out the door is one that especially bugs me. He was all in holding pocket Sevens to ANABOoOLA’s Ac-9d. The 10h-4c-Qc didn’t threaten much, though the 10c on the turn gave ANABOOOLA a flush draw. But it wasn’t a club or an Ace that spelled COMPLETEDONK’s doom–it was the Qh, which put two pair on the board and counterfeited his pocket Sevens. ANABOOOLA’s Ace played and that lone card was strong enough to eliminate COMPLETEDONK in fifth place.
During play there had been some talk about making a deal, but discussions began in earnest when we got four-handed. ANABOOOLA had a sizeable chip lead but it was the shorter stacks who wanted a bit more bread before they’d deal. Play resumed and ANABOOOLA flexed his musclesby moving in from the small blind, and YUFOLDBSTHND called with As-5s. ANABOOOLA turned over Jd-4c, a modest holding that grew in stature when a Jack came on the flop. No Ace came to save the day and YUFOLDBSTHND was out in 4th place.
And that’s when the three remaining players returned to the negotiating table and tried to hammer out a deal. ANABOOOLA had about 75% of the chips in play and the three players went back-and-forth, forth-and-back coming up with terms that would be agreeable to all. Note to self–do some reading on negotiating tactics and the parsing of financial data. Either that or retain a CPA to assist in all dealmaking at the poker table.
But in the end a deal was made and that deal brought an end to the tournament. A situation we may see repeated in future events, or perhaps not. There’s a lot of money involved after all…but then again, that’s why they call it gambling. Congratulations to ANABOOOLA, TRALAIRA and WISCOMURRAY for a very good day’s work indeed.
Tags: Poker Poker Poker, poker tournaments, ub, ub tournaments, UBOC, uboc tournaments, ultimatebet, ultimatebet tournaments
Comments (0)
Friday, January 9, 2009 - P0ker J0
Hello from the Pro Corner where things are never boring and always changing!
Well I’m excited to be a new part of this BLOG community. Check back here every Friday for updates on Team UB – you could learn all kinds of cool stuff. What is Phil Hellmuth’s favorite breakfast food? How many times a week does Annie Duke do yoga? Where is Michael Binger playing this week? When does Scott Ian start recording his new album? Come back often – P0ker J0 has the scoop for you!
So this is a big week on UB. UBOC is about to kick off tonight and Team UB is in a frenzy. Watching these guys get ready for action is like watching a school of piranha ready to feast. There is a pro hosting each one of the UBOC tournaments and since they won’t be playing with a bounty on their head for once it will be interesting to see how aggressive or tight these guys will play. You will see most of them at most of the tables regardless – I guess it’s easier to play when you don’t have everyone gunning for you! Come check out the UBOC and see the pro’s make waves!
In addition to the UBOC event itself, Annie and Phil have actually agreed on something. (which rarely happens!). They have now joined forces on the UBOC poker leagues (http://www.ubpokerleagues.com/UBOCLeagues.html) and have made it known that they want to show the world that they are the real poker players! Come on guys – show them you can outplay them and join the league today!
Speaking of Annie and Phil – the second season of Best Damn Poker Show airs on Monday January 12th on Fox Sports Net. Check it out to see who really is the better poker teacher. Our very own Hollywood Dave will be the show’s host and will inevitably provide us with some witty and even possibly sarcastic banter! With better than ever hand analysis and of course inevitable bickering between Hellmuth and Duke – it is sure to be a great watch! Who do you want to win? Team Hellmuth or Team Duke?
And as I close this first BLOG – please don’t forget to check in on Rounders Radio every Sunday night (www.roundersradio.com) at 8:00 PM EST for The Ultimate Poker Show hosted by the infamous (or should we say famous?) P0ker H0. He is very often joined by Annie Duke as his sidekick; and when she is not around there is always someone around to fill her big shoes! (For the record – I’m not saying she has big feet!)
That’s all for now! Have a super week!
P0ker J0
Tags: Annie Duke, Best Damn Poker Show, Hollywood Dave, P0ker H0, p0ker j0, Phil Hellmuth, Poker Pros, pro corner, rounders radio, Team UB, ub pros, UBOC, uboc poker leagues, uboc tournaments
Comments (2)
Thursday, January 8, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
Congratulations–you survived the holidays. You ate the turkey, wrapped the presents, drank the champagne. You’re no longer culturally obligated to gorge yourself stupid, drink yourself silly, and spend hours of quality time with your in-laws. After the five-week sprint from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day you deserve a little breather.
And I hope you enjoyed it. Because it’s over.
Your lazy days and quiet nights come to a blessed end this Friday, when the third UltimateBet Online Championship kicks off. We’re hosting twelve huge tournaments over ten days with over $2 million in guaranteed prize pools. And no matter what your favorite game is–Omaha, H.O.R.S.E., good old-fashioned Hold-Em–you’ll find a UBOC event that fits your particular bill. Here’s the schedule of events:
As you can see there’s gonna be some gambling right off the bat, as the opening UBOC tournament is a Pot-Limit Omaha event…with rebuys. 8:30pm Friday night will not be a good time to be channeling your inner nit. In fact, if you look over the schedule you’ll find just two “normal” full-ring No-Limit Hold-Em events–and one of those is the $1 million-guaranteed UBOC Championship. If that fits your definition of “normal” then you run in much faster circles than I do. But with several deep-stack events, a 128-player heads-up tournament, a sniper event…they say variety is the spice of life, and UBOC3 will…no, I am not going to make a Taco Bell joke here. Let’s just say that every night will bring a new and exciting challenge for the best online poker players on the planet.
Past UBOCs past have seen some remarkable displays of poker prowess. Brock “Maria Nuccia” Parker, a well-known and well-regarded online pro, took down the first UBOC Main Event and won a silver bracelet to go with his $168,450 first prize. Last year saw one of the most astonishing performances in online poker history, as Greg “Wild Duck” Hobson won the $100+9 No-Limit Hold-Em with rebuys event…and then won the $200+15 No-Limit Hold-Em event the next day. Oh, and the day he won his second UBOC event? Greg also final-tabled the $500+30 NLH event that started later in the afternoon. That’s two wins and a final table in about 24 hours. Not that the cake needed icing, Greg also finished fifth in the $500+30 shorthanded NLH event. Back in 17th-century Massachusetts such an extraordinary performance might’ve gotten Hobson burned at the stake. We anointed him UBOC Player of the Year instead. That’s progress.
Now, maybe you’re looking at the UBOC schedule and finding the buy-ins a bit steep. Maybe you invested your bankroll with Bernard Madoff and, well, we know that story doesn’t have a happy ending. But that doesn’t mean you can’t join in on the UBOC fun. If you look at the far right of the schedule printed above you’ll see the “Mini-UBOC” list of tournaments. Every UBOC event (save the six-handed Hold-Em event and the Championship) is mirrored by a tournament with one-tenth the buy-in. Dying for the chance to play in a big H.O.R.S.E tournament or chomping at the bit to join in some rebuy madness? You can jump into a mini-UBOC event and play for a tidy guaranteed prize pool. I think that’s where I’ll be investing my soon-to-be-depleted bankroll.
And it all starts this Friday at 8:30pm ET. We’ll be covering each and every tournament here at the UltimateBet Blog so be sure to follow along with all the action…and maybe you’ll be the player making the big splash during UBOC3.
Tags: Brock Parker, DuckU, greg hobson, Maria Nuccia, t sorprano, ub, UBOC, uboc events, uboc tournaments, uboc3, ultimatebet, ultimatebet championships, ultimatebet events, ultimatebet online championship, ultimatebet tournaments, ultimatemet online championships, wild duck
Comments (0)
