There have been so many transitions the last two weeks around here. Obviously, the main transition as far as UB is concerned is the big rebranding. Ultimatebet.com is now UB.com and that is really exciting…mainly because everyone always called Ultimate Bet UB anyway and, honestly, there are fewer ways to mistype it in your browser now! Seriously, that is not for nothing because I am the worst with the typos because I type so fast. There are so many ways to screw up Ultimatebet: Utlimatebet, Ultimeatbet, ultimatebte…you get the piture. How am I going to screw up UB.com? Especially now that Firefox automatically corrects misspellings of “com”!
Anyway, I am really exciting about the rebranding. I think it is such a positive change for UB.
On the not so positive side, I am really sad about Jeffrey Pollack’s departure from the World Series of Poker position. Jeffrey has been Commissioner there since 05 and has really done amazing things with that brand. I don’t think people remember what the WSOP was like before Pollack got a hold of it. Of course, prior to the brand being bought by Harrah’s, the WSOP was being run at Binion’s by the Behnen family who had acquired it from Jack Binion. When Jack ran the WSOP it was amazing in terms of how player friendly it was. I mean, sure, the structures sucked but tournaments were being completed in one day then so they kind of had to. But juice was incredibly low, less than 5% and the main event had ZERO juice. Comps flowed freely as well. If you were playing the events you basically never paid for any food during the whole tournament and that included at the yummy Binion’s steakhouse. Those were the good old days for sure (except that hardly anyone was playing poker tournaments back then lol).
When Becky Behnen took the tournament over from Jack the player friendly days were over. Juice went up and up and up. Comps no longer abounded. I was so upset personally about the direction the WSOP that I didn’t even play in 2002 except for exactly just the main event. It would take an army to keep me away from the WSOP and that year there is apparently an army keeping me away because of the way I thought players were being treated.
Now in walked Harrah’s and right from the start it looked bad. Still no comps, higher juice, no relationship with the players and, here was the worst thing, all of a sudden every tournament at the WSOP was No Limit Hold’em. Every day it the tournament was NLH and in the $1500 buy-in range. It was like Harrah’s knew nothing about poker at all and was taking its lead only from what was on TV. The rich tradition of the WSOP is supposed to be about all of poker, not just the small part of it that is NLH. We were losing the ability to reward Omaha play, split game play, limit play and all the other games that make up the rich world that is poker. For all intents and purposes, the WSOP might as well have been called the World Series of No Limit Hold’em.
Now, at the same time as this was happening at the WSOP, the WPT was also acting as a very poor partner to the players. At the time, the WPT set structures at the final tables to accommodate 6 hour windows (apparently after 6 hours they would have to pay overtime). Setting structures by how long you want to film rather than what is good for the players who paid the entries and the fees is preposterous, of course. What that meant was that you could have a tournament that leading into the final table had smooth 90 minute levels with no doubles ever and at the final table the levels would revert to an hour with the blinds doubling each level. At heads up, the levels went to 30 minutes. That is as player unfriendly as it gets and was directed by the WPT’s attitude that the Poker itself was the star of the show and the players were completely interchangeable. With that attitude there is no reason to treat the players well at all and it showed in the way they treated us.
So enter Jeffrey Pollack. Jeffrey had a completely different idea, a revolutionary idea even . He felt that the WSOP could not succeed without the players. That when folks watched the coverage on ESPN they were there to see the players and their personalities and that could not be disconnected from the poker. He understood that the folks who actually buy-in and pay those entry fees are human beings, poker players even. So he reached out and really created a partnership with the players, most notably by forming the Players Advisory Council, which I was proud to be a member of. The PAC had tremendous say in the schedule and the structures of the tournaments and I think the WSOP now has a schedule that really represents the whole of what poker is with structures that are amazingly player friendly. Jeffrey, with the PAC, really brought the WSOP back from the brink of becoming the World Series of No Limit Hold’em.
Outside of his hand in insuring that the poker at the WSOP was great, he always worked hard to make sure the experience of the players was great, too and that the players who had endorsements could fulfill their obligations and the ones who didn’t could still get a logo deal if they were lucky enough to get to a final or featured table. That, of course, is all good for poker. Jeffrey really has been a generous partner to the players and, in a very real sense, the players’ protector and defender at that brand. So I am sad and a concerned to see him leave the brand. I fear for what the relationship with the players will look like in the future if the people remaining at the WSOP don’t take the lesson from Jeffrey that success at the WSOP must be a partnership with the players.
Here’s hoping the powers that be at the WSOP and Harrah’s have taken note of the legacy of Jeffrey Pollack. His success comes from his bridging the gap with the players. His egacy is that of a great friend to the community and that is an amazing legacy to leave.
I want to give a BIG, HUGE “THANK YOU” to the poker community for all the support you’ve shown Maria and I during The Amazing Race. I’ve really appreciated the tweets, messages and comments that I’ve received from each one of you. Specifically, thanks to all my online UB poker friends for your support. I love UltimateBet for getting behind me on The Amazing Race and bringing YOU tons of tournaments and free money as apart of the “Tiffany Michelle Amazing Freerolls” promotion. There are still two more freerolls for you to play so check it out and meet me at the tables: http://www.ultimatebet.com/poker-promotion/tiffany-michelle-amazing-freerolls
I hope you enjoyed watching this season as much as we did. I think the countries, tasks and the diverse personalities of the cast made for some entertaining TV, fingers crossed for Emmy number EIGHT! Although Sunday night brought the end of Maria’s and my Race I REALLY enjoyed the overall episode and I was in tears by the end. Recounting the terribly hard, freezing and frustrating day that we had in Amsterdam was emotional but ultimately I was touched by Maria’s beautiful words, friendship and how we left every ounce of our hearts & souls on that cow-pie filled field, ha ha
Just a few “behind the scenes” details regarding Sunday night’s episode that you didn’t get to see and many of you have asked about:
THE QUITTING THING: Technically we didn’t “quit”. If you are unable to complete either side of a Detour you incur a 24hr penalty. After three hours of attempting BOTH sides of the challenge between our physical exhaustion, our drenched clothes and the weather (50mph winds blowing directly towards us in the golf game) we finally realized that we could not complete the Detour and were getting weaker with each attempt. Obviously we knew that by taking the 24hr penalty it was almost certain we’d be eliminated unless it was a non-elimination leg. At that point was when Phil came out to the field to eliminate us. We did not have the option of going to the Pit stop since you have to complete the Detour in order to get your next clue, telling you where the Pit Stop is located.
THE HYPOTHERMIA THING: Between the dinger and golf challenge in Amsterdam we spent over THREE HOURS attempting both side of the Detour, in soaking wet clothing, in stormy, windy, freezing weather giving our best efforts between the two! You couldn’t tell on TV but the hammer for the carnival dinger was over 40lbs! At one point, on our second attempt at the golf, EMT’s had to come out to the field and take me off because they were worried I was getting hypothermia. You’ll notice that towards the end of the episode I’m wearing a gray, long sleeve which they made me wear if I was to continue the golf challenge even though the Detour rules stated that teams could only do it in the provided farmer long johns! The EMT’s assessed my condition and felt that continuing in the given weather conditions could be a hazardous to my health, therefore production had to make a medical exception because I was so soaked to the bone and uncontrollably shaking. CRAZY!
THE GAY THING: Editing might show otherwise but we said from DAY ONE that we thought Sam & Dam were the “token gay team” this season… come on, as a poker player our reads aren’t THAT off! Ha ha. Even though they only came out to the rest of the Racers in the Dubai airport they personally told us early on in Vietnam which confirmed our initial instincts. I think audiences were confused when we talked about “loving” them or how cute we thought they were, thinking we actually had romantic crushes as compared to just platonically loving them for being great guys and good friends to us on the Race… and yes super sexy!
Stay tuned, there are tons of Race stories still to share now that I’m allowed to discuss it so there is plenty more to come! Maria and I have a crazy week of elimination press coming up as well as a trip to New York this weekend to do the CBS Morning Show. Of course we’ll keep you posted so you can follow all the action. Again, thank you for the love and support… it means the world to me.
It’s been just over two years now since I made my first deposit on UB. After 25 months of blood, sweat, and carpal tunnel (there’s no crying in poker unless you have 11 bracelets), I can definitely say it has been a wild, fulfilling ride. Looking back, I don’t regret much at all. Sure there are the bluffs you wish you hadn’t fired, the thin value bets that went horribly wrong, the spazzes, the blowups, the monkeytilt headsup matches, the awesomely bad misclicks, and of course that 7deuce pot where your three-barrel overbet shove just didn’t do the trick. What I’ve found at UB hasn’t just been another site to kill time on, a substitute for late night TV, or a way to scrape up tuition money – I’ve found a lifelong hobby, a passion for what I do, a family, and more opportunity than I know what to do with.
In my time on UB I’ve been fortunate enough to experience more than most 22-year-olds could even imagine. To begin, I doubt many people my age can say they’ve lost a semester’s tuition to Phil Hellmuth in golf. Watching Phil sweat out a $600 putt in Aruba (he had been playing for $10k a hole the day before) was one of the more memorable moments of my life. Also atop my list of memories is a guitar lesson that I got from the one and only Scott Ian. For a handful of UltimatePoints I was able to make a trip to LA to learn from one of the greatest metal rhythm guitarists of all time. Being a bit of a metalhead myself, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly overwhelmed. Sitting three feet from greatness is a feeling unmatched by much else.
During that same LA trip, I received a phone call from the UB VIP team, informing me that they had two tickets available for a masquerade party at the Playboy Mansion. Obviously I snapcalled since the Mansion is a 22-year-old male’s playground and now it’s been checked off the bucket list (twice). As much fun as it was, I’d still say the best part was watching my buddies back home via Skype play a beer pong tournament to decide who got to come with. There were a lot of sore losers but I guess that’s standard when the payoff includes this:
I could easily write for days about all the amazing adventures I’ve had with the people I’ve met on this site, so I’ll just stick with what’s freshly in my mind – Aruba! This year was my second trip to the wonderful little island that houses the best poker experience shy of the World Series, imo. The tournament itself doesn’t match the prize pools garnered by the biggest ones out there, however the event as a whole is incredible, unforgettable, and you can use a thesaurus to figure out the rest. Although I’ve never gotten farther than a few orbits into day two of the main, I’ve had such amazingly rich experiences after busting out that money has always been a complete afterthought in Aruba. Some people do visit the island to make some cash, but I’ve found that for the most part everyone is really just there to party.
This year I was able to participate in the Mercedes tournament, where an ML350 was on the line at a 10 person sit-n-go. My arch-nemesis P0ker H0 agreed on a last longer bet where the loser would have to paint his fingers and toes alternating pink and black for the rest of the trip. Things were looking great as I chipped up early by coolering Shawn Rice and successfully bluffshoving 8 high against one of the toughest players at the table. But of course, like the pest that he is, H0 kept his stack right there with mine, and he eventually took the chip lead by whatever cruel stroke of fate the poker gods deemed necessary for me at the time. Halfway through the tournament we found ourselves five-handed with quickly escalating blinds. H0 opened under the gun, a shortstack shoved for about twice his bet, I peeled AJss and reshoved to iso the shorty, but H0 had AK and snapcalled (luckbox!). After flopping the gin 882ss I figured I was guaranteed at least a chop since I run well. Unfortunately I forgot that if there’s anyone in the world who runs better than me, it’s H0, so when it ran out king-blank I was off to the salon to get my nails did. However brutal, I did find it fitting to be knocked out by the guy who I was wearing a T-shirt of.
I could keep telling stories but I see some juicy tables running so I’ll make these quick.
Although it was probably equal parts my fault, getting a full drink spilled on you by Scott Ian at Hellmuth’s penthouse party is totally worth it, imo.
Adam Levy ladies and gentlemen.
AD, the hardest working man in VIP-business.
This one’s from ‘08. I’m the “robe guy” if you didn’t already know.
Scuba diving next to an old sunken Air Aruba plane (pretty unreal).
And lastly, it wouldn’t be an Aruba party without Phil in the pool.
Poker has taught me a ton of valuable lessons – work ethic, the will to learn and improve, discipline, perseverance, other buzz words, etc. Aruba has taught me even more – the importance of friends, family, relaxation, valuing the connections you make with others and time spent with them even if you only see them once a year, new experiences, putting yourself out there, and simply having fun. That last one is one of the biggest reasons why I’ve been drawn to the UB poker community over any other site. If you take the time to visit Aruba or hang out in Vegas for the WSOP, you’ll see what I’m talking about. Hope to meet as many of you as possible in Aruba next year – I’ll probably be the kid wearing the robe.
One of Ayn Rand’s most iconic characters is Atlas Shrugged’s John Galt. He represents the idealistic counterpoint to the social structures. He was a true developer and a man motivated only by his own passion… He was a fearless slave of his own beliefs.
When it comes to our team, we like to think of ourselves as the modern John Galts of poker: we don’t provide a poker experience to have clients, we have clients so we can provide a poker experience. That’s our mantra. We’re unafraid of scaring the hell out of everyone with our ideas as long as they bloom from our souls’ depths. Poker is the blood in our veins; therefore, all of our actions are benefic for poker.
A brand management position is definitely not for the bleachers. Our marketing team is packed with people full of zeal. We’re the kind that zig when all the rest zag. It’s not always easy –that’s a fact– it’s simple to get dragged into the abyss of routine. When that happens, it’s not hard to see the light again. All we need to do is look inside ourselves and we’re back on track. We just remember how infatuated we are with the poker lifestyle and, suddenly, a new radiance bathes the usual, making it unusual.
We work very hard to break the mold. We live in difficult times where planet Earth turns faster every day. People run in circles, attend their daily chores, close deals, walk by and… forget to dream. We don’t. We dream all day long and that’s what sets us apart. Every single thing in life starts as a dream. Think about it! An engineer dreamed the computer you’re using. The building you’re in was the idea of an architect. Your clothes were sketched by some fashionista. It all starts as a dream driven by something way bigger than money.
So, feel happy to be part of a community that isn’t assembled around the idea of milking your cash out. You can be proud of being part of UltimateBet, a brand that cares for poker. Our absolute goal isn’t to please you. We’re at the service of poker. If poker runs through your system, then –ultimately– we’re also serving you.
Six days and counting. Every day we get closer, I get more and more excited. A few nights ago UltimateBet gave away a free Aruba package to one of my Rounders Radio listeners. Congrats to ” _MARTY_”, you’re coming to Aruba. On top of that, you’re coming to Aruba for FREE BABY. Marty won his seat through a free-roll promotion. He listened to the Ultimate Poker Show 9pm Sunday nights on http://roundersradio.com/ And now is on his way to Aruba to hang out with Phil, Annie and the rest of us for what I guarantee will be the best week of his life. Not only will Marty get his 3k for travel and a $5500 main event seat to the Aruba Poker Classic, but also a weeks worth of parties, beaches, great food, non-stop poker/drinking…and the best part of all, the people he will meet. Friends for life…now that’s priceless Congrats again Marty cya there.
Last weekend I was in Vegas teaching at the http://www.wsopacademy.com/ with Mark Seif, Paul Wasicka and Joe Navarro. I love to teach along side of these instructors. I get to learn so much at each Academy and it’s so good for my game. Don’t tell these guys but I would do it for free. We are going to be running a new free-roll promotion on Rounders where one of our listeners will win a free trip to attend one of these camps. Do yourself and your game a favor and win this trip. It is the best way to take your game to the next level
A few days later we had our annual poker bash at my bar here in Madison. It was a blast. Susie Q and Scott brought up their crew from Chicago and Evil Crusher came up from Atlanta, along with 50 more from the area .I want to thank all who came and my bar manager Wendy for making it a great weekend. And congrats to “Momma H0″ for winning the tourney, good job mom!
It has been a busy week since I last wrote! I’ve embarked on a 5 week multi-purpose/multi-destination trip. First stop was a 4 day vacation in the Hamptons. It was nice and relaxing… had massages, hung by the pool, some online poker. From there I spent a few days in NYC hanging out with friends. Good times. I went sailing for the first time last Thursday… out in Long Island Sound. A friend that I met in Guyana on the volunteer mission I did with Victor Ramdin this summer… Craig, a doctor from NY… has a 37 foot sailboat. It was very windy and wavy, which makes for exciting sailing! Seemed like most of the time the boat was at a 45 degree angle. It’s tough to steer the boat in a straight line in those conditions…
From there I went to Philly for the wedding of my good friend/agent/manager Eric Brewstein and Michelle. I was a groomsman so had to show up a day early for the rehearsal. The wedding day itself was spectacular… there were two weddings: First a Catholic ceremony appropriate to the brides family. After that a Jewish ceremony for Eric’s family. The party afterwards was amazing. I tore up the dance floor all night, which is scary because I usually never dance! But the band, the atmosphere , and the company was that good.
Anyway, this Sunday I played some online tournies and cash games, including the $530 buy-in on Ultimate Bet, which I final tabled and took 7th place.
I am going to film a poker show called Inside Deal for ESPN this week and then off to Raleigh to see my Mom and family. It will be great to see everyone as I haven’t been home since Christmas.
From there to the Borgata for the WPT event, then London for the WSOP Europe, and finally Aruba before getting home in October.
The last you heard from me it was to announce that I’d be missing the WSOP Main Event… which was almost three months ago. Most of you have heard buzz through internet chatter but CBS just officially announced that Maria Ho and I will be on the next season of The Amazing Race. The cat is out of the bag! When asked to be on the six-time Emmy Award winning show, it wasn’t too hard of a decision to skip the WSOP Main Event, contrary to other ridiculous rumors explaining my mysterious absence. Be sure to check out The Amazing Race at www.cbs.com for more info, photos, bios and videos galore!
As you can imagine, it’s been an insane few months but I am back, in more ways then one. After an amazing and life changing experience, I’m slowly getting back into the groove of things and the rhythm of American life as well as getting back into the poker swing. I’ve re-signed on to stay with UltimateBet as one of their Star Players so you’ll be seeing me back at the online tables and in ARUBA!
Speaking of Aruba, for any of you who enjoy poker AND paradise, I highly recommend coming to Aruba. I’ve traveled all over the world playing poker and it’s been my favorite destination. They have the whitest beaches that I’ve ever seen, the bluest water, tons of ocean activities and 24/7 Pina Coladas and pool time… or you’ll have to try out the CHERRY Colada which Layne Flack introduced me to last year. The vibe there is so chill and will put you in the best mood… even if you donk out of a poker tournament!
Well I have a busy few months coming up and I’ll keep you posted on all of it. Be sure to set your Tivos to CBS this fall, The Amazing Race airs on Sunday nights at 8pm ET and PT, with the two hour premiere on Sunday, September 27th. I can promise that the action Maria and I provide will be MUCH more exciting than anything you’ll see at the poker tables.
OK, first off — someone please remind me that I’m not allowed to use an exclamation point in the title of at least my next 2 blog entries in a row! Cuz as i look back over the last 3 or 4, i see nothing but overly emphasized title phrases & that just will not stand.
But seriously — I have been a tournament playin fool the past few weeks, gearing up for Aruuuuuuuuba baby. The good thing about spending so much time in Vegas this year (I still have my place in LA but have been kickin it here with my girl most of the time) is the access to tons of live tournaments. Not all of them have the biggest prizepools, but after spending so much time playing online at Ultimatebet, its really good to be able to switch things up and go live once in awhile too.
Just the other day I took 2nd in a 54-person daily tourney at Caesars for like 7 hundy… not much $$$ but a good for keeping the live tourney muscle working. Funny thing is, I lost to a guy who looked just like our very own Scott Ian! Plus it was extra cool to have my girl final table as well, going out in 4th. Party time, baby!
Also, I got a chance to play a 100k blackjack tourney at the Golden Nugget last week as well — man, its been awhile since I’ve done that! Even though I didn’t make the money, it was great to be able to access all the old BJ knowledge databanks again & I was happy to see its just like riding a bike — you never forget.
People often ask me for advice on bj tourneys & I usually tell them its not really about playing your hands — its all about the correlation in the bets. Which was perfectly illustrated in a key hand that allowed me to advance to one of the middle rounds of the tourney:
It was the final hand, and 2 of the 3 of us remaining would advance to the next round. Maximum bet allowed was 2000, and I was first to act with 4350 in chips. 2nd to act had 6250, and last to act sat on 6000 chips. The 2k max bet allowed me the chance to just barely catch both players, as long as I won my hand while at least one of them pushed/lost. Not a very good shot, but it was there nonetheless.
I bet 2000 and 2nd to act bet 500, a pretty suboptimal bet. He needs to bet at least $150, in order to cover my win, but also wants to bet less than $250 so he can beat a push or loss by the 3rd to act guy in the hand. So his $500 bet accomplishes the same thing as the better $200 on the high side, but also opens up the possibility of a swing if he loses while the other guy pushes. In blackjack its all about making perfect bets — which can (and often does) make all the difference in the world when deciding who moves on and who cries in their drink.
So the 3rd to act guy (with the 6000 chips) jumps outta the tree and bets a full 2000, another bad bet. Think about it: even if the guy who bet 500 manages to double down and win 1000 chips (on top of the 250 he’s already ahead), this guy only needs to bet 1300 to accomplish the same thing on the hi side as the 2000 bet. But what he gives up is so much more valuable to me: If he loses 2000, he drops to 4000 chips. Which means that now instead of having to outright WIN my hand, I can actually push it while he loses too. And if I somehow DO manage to double my full 2000 bet, HIS 2000 bet won’t cover the high side. So him betting 2000 instead of 1300 gains him absolutely nothing, but opens up another path for him to lose while I win. The best bets lock out as many possibilities for your opponents to advance, but mine here had just opened up some much-needed possibilities!
The the cards came: I had a hard 12, 2nd to act (with the 500 bet) got a hard 13, and 3rd to act (with 2000 bet) received a blackjack!! To make things more impossible, dealer had a Ten up, but thankfully checked and found no blackjack underneath. So quickly things changed: much like someone who makes a terrible call with A6 in poker, only to flop 66 — the 2000 bet was rewarded with a monster blackjack, instantly locking up one of the 2 available advancement spots. So the remaining spot was between me and the hard 13 with the 500 bet. And I had to act on my hand first. Fuck my life.
Well, I couldn’t just wave off on my hand, cuz that would guarentee a loss if the 13 waved off behind me (we both end up with the same result by default — both win or both lose, depending on what the dealer did). Nope, in order to advance here I would HAVE to win my hand WHILE my opponent lost. No other result would do. So it was just a question of whether to hit or double.
I debated for awhile the merits of both. Unfortunately, doubling in this tournament would result in a face UP double down card (as opposed to face DOWN), so I wouldn’t be able to hide my result from the other player. So — if I busted — he would immediately know it and not be put to a tough decision at all. On the other hand, since his 500 bet was enough to cover the high side of the hand (meaning, if I won my hand, all he had to do was win HIS hand and he’d still be good to advance), I thought I may need to get more money out, so that if I won a bigger bet (like doubling for another 1000), he wouldn’t be able to beat the high side even if HE doubled too.
Only problem was, if i doubled and caught an Ace, 2, 3, 4 (or maybe 5), i’d really want to hit again and wouldn’t be able to. And if i doubled and caught any ten, I’d bust and it wouldn’t matter anyway. Ultimately I needed to give myself the best chance of outright winning the hand first and foremost, and hitting the hand out gave me the best chance of doing that. Plus, there was always the chance that this guy would misplay his hand, as evidenced already by his bad bet (and several questionable plays during the earlier hands in the match). Against another pro player, I’d probably lean towards doubling to lock up the high side, but against this obv tourney novice I opted to hit it out to give myself the best chance of winning the hand alone.
Well, I hit and caught a 6 for hard 18, and now I had a whole new problem. Great — not only was I still an underdog to win the hand (19 v dealer T is a favorite, but not 18), but if I waved off and my opponent was smart enough to see it, he’d realize that he had a virtual lock by waving off on his 13. Check it: if he waves off, the ONLY way he doesn’t advance is if the dealer turns his Ten into a hard 17 EXACTLY. Because a dealer 19, 20 and 21 means we both lose, and dude advances. A dealer bust means we both win, and dude advances. And a dealer 18 means I push while dude loses, but he still has more chips than me and advances. So again — against another pro player, I have to hit here, but against Novice McGee — I wave off and pray he does something stupid.
And I wasn’t disappointed! Despite standing being the overwhelming best play for him, he opts to take another card. But not just another card — he actually DOUBLES his hand!! So even though he ALREADY has me covered on the high side (if we both win our single bets, he still wins), rather than hitting (and giving himself the chance to re-hit if he catches too low a card), he opts to force himself into receiving ONE more card only! Sweet — I’m picking up scraps of hope with every passing second. I can only pray he busts! Because even though he doesn’t realize it, doubling and catching a small card (or, actually, ANY non-busting card) still gives him the auto-win unless the dealer makes the perfect 17.
But rather than being rewarded for his terrible play, he catches the 9 and busts!!! So here I am, sitting on a hard 18 v a dealer 10, and now actually have a chance to win this thing!! Please please please…. don’t let me duck dodge and weave my way thru this whole hand only to have it not matter in the end — at least give me a sweat, dealer!!!
Dealer flips a 4 in the hole — come on, baby, bust it!!!! — and then a beautiful fucking ten for the bust and the win, baybeeee! What a rush…. and this is why I love blackjack tournaments. Cuz when you know the numbers and see the betting correlations laid out before you — and realize that hardly anyone else sees this stuff — what a sick edge to have in a game. So sweet.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t ultimately to be for me and I feel just shy of the quarterfinal round. But how awesome that I could go home, log onto UB, and play blackjack sngs and tourneys right there on my computer! One of my priorities going forward is to try and see what I can do to bring some more excitement and action back to the blackjack tournament and sng side of things at UB, now that we have Cereus up and running so smoothly and have the UB Mac client pumped out as well, both really awesome components of the total UB experience. Things keep getting bigger and better around here every day & I can’t wait to see what comes next!
If you haven’t noticed, we launched a new UltimateBet.com home page a little over a week ago. Our goal of the layout change was to get pertinent information to players faster and more effectively. Of course we want new players to download but aside from adjusting messaging for that, we’ve cut a lot of clutter and extra fluff on the main page that we knew just got in the way. The Bad Beat Jackpot is now feeding into the homepage, so you know when it’s time to jump on the tables.
UltimateBet successfully launched the first ever 7 Deuce Hold’em tables online and everyone is buzzing about it. We’ve added action to the tables that had previously only been available in live games. Watch our own Phil Hellmuth in a famous 7 Deuce hand on High Stakes Poker win the pot and prop bet with 7 Deuce.
Phil plays regularly at the UltimateBet 7 Deuce $25/50 stakes tables where, if you win with 7-2, you get paid $75 from each player at the table on top of pot, which can get massive. Good luck!
I can’t go without mentioning progress on the Aruba Poker Classic either, since we are going to have our 10th Anniversary party down there and expect the number of players to exceed 550. Now that’s a nice prizepool. If you’re staying with us in the Radisson you can have yourself a Mai-Tai, take dip in the ocean then the pool and be in your seat at the poker table all before the flop. We still have tons of ways to qualify without buying in directly, so check out the tourney schedule for details. Our next 25-seat giveaway event will be on August 30th, so don’t miss it.
It is the worst nightmare of the online poker player–the tournament is huge, the final table in sight, and at the moment when all your skill, luck and courage must coalesce into the perfect poker package…you gotta leave. You have to walk away from the computer because of some unbreakable commitment. Perhaps, say, it’s your wedding day, and if you don’t get to the chapel in fifteen minutes your future spouse’s family is gonna string you up from the nearest tree. Maybe you’ve agreed to donate a kidney and the transplant team is tapping their toes and glancing over and over at the clock on the OR wall. That IRS audit, the one you’ve blown off six times? The one where, if you don’t report THIS time, a SWAT team will be dispatched to drag you to Leavenworth? Maybe that’s the event circled in red ink on your calendar.
Last night was UltimateBet’s Delicious Freeroll, where players registered by creating a Delicious bookmark account and leaving a comment here on the blog. That’s all it took to register for a $1,000 freeroll, and 262 players took to the virtual felt last night to fight for the big prizes– two $215 entries in our $200,000 Sunday Guaranteed Tournament. As well as some bankroll-boosting cash for those who didn’t punch their ticket for UB’s biggest weekly tournament. Forty-five players would cash out of the 262, and those are some pretty good odds for turning nothing into something.
Alas for BEWITCHED13, 45th place would be just out of reach, as he/she finished 46th and burst the money bubble. With money in their collective pockets the field was quickly whittled down (though I read some complaints about players stalling, which is a freeroll is just AWFUL, really) and before long we were down to ten. And from reading the chat it seemed that the remaining players wanted to make the final table quite badly. There were two stacks much shorter than the others–LADYSUBLIME and XCAMILLA. And as the blinds and antes gobbled their chips it became apparent that XCAMILLA was missing in action. Her stack evaporated to the point where she was literally down to nothing when her big blind came along, and it looked like this would be it for her tournament.
But she picked up pocket nines, and these held up against CHITOWN21’s Ah-8h, and she had a new lease on life…even if she wasn’t actually at her computer. LADYSUBLIME moved in on the next hand and seemed to have ALEXD_22 utterly crusherized with A-3 to his puny 2-3. But a deuce came on the flop, another on the turn, and LADYSUBLIME did not pick up the four she needed on the river to make a wheel. A cruel way to see one’s tournament come to an end, but that’s poker, and with her elimination we were down to our final table:
The players exchanged congratulations with each other upon making the final table, with CHERNBURN asking, “Will this get us a blog mention?” Why yes, it will!! One of the players who joined in was the apparently-disappeared XCAMILLA. Several other players said that they’d thought she was away from her computer and it turned out she was–she had to leave to pick up her mother. She returned home to find that she was still in the tournament, and as we shall see the Poker Gods were to smile upon this on-the-surface-insane act of putting one’s Mother ahead of one’s Stack.
ALEXD_22 was the big chip leader when the final table began, and before LADYSUBLIME went out he engaged in some good-natured banter with the players at the other table. But poker, it can be a swingy game. The first elimination of the final table was a sign of things to come, as VEGASRNDER34 took out NMACK05 in one of those hands that makes you reach for the Pepto when it’s done. NMAC05 flopped two pair, then lost when VEGASRNDER34 made a four-flush on the river. NMAC05 collected $20 for finishing ninth, but still, blech:
XCAMILLA was still desperately short-stacked and when she moved in with A-6 she was in a spot of trouble against CHERNBURN’s pocket nines. That is, until she flopped an Ace. A few hands later she was all in again, and again with A-6, though this time she was dominated by NICCABEZAS’ A-Q. But on the flop, a six, and though paint hit on the river it was a King, not a Queen, and again XCAMILLA doubled through.
Losing that pot crippled NICCABEZAS and he was eliminated on the next hand, which proved to have serious repercussions for the rest of the tournament. Because ALEXD_22 and VEGASRNDER34 both played the pot to the river, with both players making two pair. But VEGASRNDER34’s Aces and tens bested ALEXD_22’s Jacks and tens and VEGASRNDER34 won a huge pot that propelled him into the chip lead and sent NICCABEZAS to count the $28 he won for finishing 8th.
From reading the chat I learned that at one point ALEXD_22 was down to 750 chips, and then he charged back to the top of the leaderboard. And almost as quickly he was out of the tournament–he and VEGASRNDER34 exchanged a series of preflop raises that ended with all the chips in the middle and ALEXD_22’s pocket sevens racing against VEGASRNDER34’s A-Q. The doorcard was an Ace, and as ALEXD_22 typed “gg” in the chatbox the board bricked out and he was out in 7th place (good for $36).
Another decisive hand came soon after, with CHERNBURN and CARNAGEEE all in with VEGASRNDER34. CHERNBURN went in with the worst hand but when he rivered a Queen for two pair he bested the Ace CARNAGEE flopped and VEGASRNDER34’s pocket sixes. That sent CARNAGEEE out in 6th place ($46), and shortly after he was joined by CHITOWN21, who was eliminated by the resurgant XCAMILLA when, holding Ac-8c. she turned an eight to beat CHITOWN21’s pocket fours. CHITOWN21 hadn’t been able to knock out XCAMILLA when she was down to the felt, and in the end it was she who put him to the sword, bouncing him in 5th place ($56.50).
A hand or so later it was BULLSHARKS who was betayed by the turn. Holding K-Q, BULLSHARKS flopped top two but that gave VEGASRNDER34 an open-ended straight draw with his J-10. The Ad spiked on the turn, giving him Broadway, and when BULLSHARKS couldn’t boat up on the river he was our 4th place finisher. Which was good for $69,50, but certainly merited what BULLSHARKS said just after the final card fell–”Damn”. Indeed.
“Camilla has been SO lucky!!” CHERNBURN said good-naturedly after she doubled twice early in the final table, and it was hard to argue that she’d been a bit fortunate. But she’d fought back from nothing to the final three, despite having to leave the tournament to pick up her mother. Would XCAMILLA have been so lucky had she blown her mother off, had she stayed at her computer while Mom shivered in the pouring rain waiting for the ride that would never, ever come? I think not! XCAMILLA acted as a dutiful daughter should and Lady Luck gave a big thumbs up. XCAMILLA ended up going out in third place, putting the last of her chips in after VEGASRNDER34 flopped a Queen to leave her 8-9 drawing extremely thin. Still, after leaving the game and having the last of her chips committed in her big blind, XCAMILLA returned to the fray and battled all the way to third place, good for a NINETY DOLLAR PAYDAY. And when you’re freerollin’, ninety bucks ain’t a bad return on your investment.
The top two players in the Delicious Freeroll both receive the same prize, a $215 entry in the $200K Sunday Guaranteed Tournament. “Why are we still playing?” CHERNBURN asked, and the players joked a bit that since they were both getting the same prize there really wasn’t much reason to continue. Whatever happened to pride??? The thrill of victory!!! Seeing your foe driven from the field in disarray!! The two players moved all-in before the flop four times…and on all four occasions, CHERNBURN held an Ace. He won all four hands, including one where he beat VEGASRNDER34’s pocket tens, and in about thirty seconds reversed a huge chip disadvantage to “win” the tournament. The final hand:
For VEGASRNDER34 this may have been a bit disappointing, because you want to win, but how often do the cards run so badly against you and it means NOTHING. Certainly nothing to your bottom line. Which, for both players, was improved to the tune of a entry in the Sunday Guarantted event. In the comments of the Delicious Freeroll post CHERNBURN said, “…I’ve never played in a tournament like that (the $200 Guarantee) before, I’m really excited for the opportunity.” And VEGASRNDER34 said, “That was alot of fun and some great people playing in that tourney!!!” We’ll be keeping an eye to see how CHERNBURN and VEGASRNDER34 do on Sunday, and you should keep an eye on the UltimateBet Blog for details on the freerolls we have planned for the future.
