Compatible Poker Review

Compatible Poker is a professional web site designed to offer gaming enthusiasts information regarding all aspects of online poker rooms and online casinos. They provide reviews and bonus details for sites who offer casinos online, poker online, US acceptance, operating system compatibility and more.

Poker Online US at Compatible Poker offers online poker rooms who accept US players. Each poker room featured includes valuable details on accepted deposit methods for US citizens and software compatibility with different operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux). You'll also find a comprehensive list of all US accepted payment processors, e-Wallets and other deposit methods.

Further down you'll find a listing of other online gambling sites that accept US players and notable poker sites that do not accept US players at this time. Other information details the current laws effecting US players and the US states most impacted by the online gambling ban.

If it's a descriptive selection of deposit options for poker you're looking for, Compatible Poker has it. Each payment method listed states that they accept money transfers from all over the world. Payment methods listed include pre-paid phone cards, full service e-wallets and alternative options.

Compatible Poker is updated very frequently, in most cases several times a day. For information regarding casinos and poker online, US acceptance, Internet gambling news and viable payment options, I highly recommend visiting Compatible Poker.

Online Slots Guy

Online Slots Guy offers a wealth of information for the online gambler! I think my favorite part of the site was the penny slots section, where online casino fans can find the best the net has to offer in online penny slot machines!

The online slots guy casino portal offers information about online slot machines, about the best slot machines, the best slots promotions, slot machine tips, slot machine reviews, if it's to do with online slots, this site has it!

Slot machine games are grouped by the fastest casino payout, the best payout ratio's, software manufacturers, such as Microgaming slots, safe and secure online casinos, free slots and play for fun slots, including practice slot games, that you can play before depositing any real cash to the casino, this helps you to get a feel for a new online slot game before you actually bet any real money. I like to play a few free slot games whenever I visit a new online casino, decide which bonus games i like the best, and so on.

Finding yourself on the hunt for a new poker room?

I checked out PokerHunting.com today, it's a pretty decent poker resource. The first section of the online poker portal includes poker news, such as NETeller articles and information, World Series of Poker information, WPT news, etc.

Poker Hunting also offers poker articles on topics such as;

• Poker betting mistakes, and how to improve upon them.
• Preventing Bad Beats while Playing Online Poker
  
• Poker Tells

The online poker sites section of the website includes a list of online poker rooms, which will bring you to a pretty well written review of each poker site. Each poker review includes a bit of information about the individual poker site, who it's licensed through, and what poker games are offered.

In example; the Party poker review includes a simple and easy to read review of party poker software, Party Poker bonus information, Party Poker licensing info, deposit methods accepted by the poker site, and a convenient download link for Party Poker's software.

We have tickets!

Well, we may be sleeping on the street, and in search of food banks, but... we have tickets! We'll be taking a flight from Portland on the 5th, leaving at "Oh God - Thirty" and arriving in Vegas before noon!

My Mommy works for Mesa Airlines, she got us buddy passes, meaning we get to fly cheaper, not free, but LOTS cheaper, using her buddy passes. The flight will actually be a United Express flight I do believe, possibly an America West flight, as both code share with Mesa. For about $200.00 we're flying! No turning back now..









Thanks Mommy!

LadyHoldem's Trip to Vegas

For those of you who don't know me, online, I'm LadyHoldem! Today I was writing some poker articles for a client of mine, with my friend Amber, when she came across an article about auditions for a reality TV show for poker players, I'm a mom, and not the littlest mom in the world now, but auditioning for a reality TV show just sounds like fun!

So, I decided I want to go.. can't say that I really have a plan aside from that, but Amber, Becca and I are going to go to Vegas on the 5th of July and audition for Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker II. We'll work out the details here shortly, the small stuff like tickets, a place to sleep and food, and I'll be blogging my entire adventure here! If you'd like to buy a link, a review, or a banner spot on the blog, or just make a donation to our little adventure, send me an email at LadyHoldem@comcast.net :) !

We're accepting sponsors for poker tournaments, outings whatever, if you'd like us to review a particular location, hotel, or service in Vegas, that's what we do, let us know!

Crush Casinos - Online Casino Review

Crush Casinos is an invaluable resource for information about online casinos, online gambling sites, no deposit casinos, online gambling strategies and much more. Find the best online casinos through the online casino reviews or learn about various online casino games and poker games like Texas Holdem poker gambling strategies.

One of the more exciting features of Crush Casinos is the list of No Deposit Casinos. This is a detailed list providing online casinos who offer no deposit bonuses, including the amount of the bonus, the bonus code required (if any) and whether or not the online gambling site accepts US players. It also includes a list of Free Play No Deposit Casinos, which present free play for a certain period of time with anywhere from $40 to $750 in free cash to play with.

Online casino reviews provide in-depth analysis of online casinos and online gambling sites. Quick details include bonus amounts and terms, average payout percentage and acceptance of US players. Further details go on to provide specific information about the online casinos, such as functionality and user benefits, promotions and specials, plus legal information like regulation, licensing, location and auditing.

The online gambling and online casino reviews can be searched in several ways. Find the best online casinos offering Roulette, Blackjack, Texas Holdem and free games, search by No Deposit Casino, US Player Casino or view a list of all online casino reviews at once.

Discover the finest online casino gambling strategies for the most popular online casino games. Gambling strategies include Roulette, Blackjack and one you won't want to miss; Texas Holdem Poker Strategies. Learn the rules, the odds, when to hold'em and when to fold'em with this expert gambling strategies guide.

Other notable features include an updated publishing of the latest online casino news, a refreshing online gambling blog, handy links to other great online gambling sites and a sitemap for easy navigation. If the thought of an exciting online casino game peaks your interest, be sure to visit Crush Casinos!

Online Gambling Pal Review

Online Gambling Pal is a valuable resource for online gambling enthusiasts looking for information on new and existing online gambling sites. Online casino and poker reviews include betting and bonus details, an in-depth rating system and which gambling sites accept US players.

Summarized reviews for the top 10 online gambling casino and poker sites provide all the vital statistics. Availability of download versions and flash versions for each gambling site is listed, followed by a rating of 0-100% for graphics, games, realistic casino feel and overall rating. The maximum bonus and matching percentage is also displayed.

Detailed Online Gambling Reviews for each casino and poker site provide much more information. All positive and negative aspects are listed along with acceptability of US players, bonus amounts and requirements, a 5 step rating system and screen shots of the online casino or poker room.

Each of the Online Casino Reviews displays a description of the gaming site offers more valuable information such as accepted currencies, language support and software provider. Recommendations are presented as to achieving the best gaming experience from individual online gambling sites. Even more details are provided for bonus offers and how to receive them.

Readers may also check out all the latest news related to Online Gambling. From the online gambling industry and software providers to various search engine and payment processor news, Online Gambling Pal is an invaluable source of information. Other links of interest are provided for online gambling forums, progressive slots and more.

Online Gambling Pal is updated frequently to provide the most current, relevant information on the top rated online gambling casino and poker rooms. The web site is professionally maintained and easy to navigate. Why waste time and betting dollars on potentially untrustworthy gambling sites. Visit Online Gambling Pal to discover the perfect online gambling site to suit your style.

PKR Nation Review

PKR Nation (also known as PKRN) is a PKR Poker Discussion Forum which contains an invaluable wealth of information for PKR 3D Poker Players. Members may post questions and give advice to other players on various issues related to PKR 3D Poker while discovering all the latest Tournaments, Events and PKR Bonus Codes associated with the online poker room.

PKRNation receives heavy traffic with well over 700 members to date and is widely popular among PKR 3D Poker Players. The PKR Forums present up to date information on Poker Freerolls and Private Tournaments including entry passwords.

Visit the PKR Poker Features area to learn about and discuss PKR software features. Links are provided for PKR Download - PKR Bonus Code PKRMAX. PKR Poker is available in English, Brazilian, Deutsch, Espanol, Norsk, Svenska and Danish.

Current members typically visit PKR Poker Portal for recent threads posted, PKR Poker Polls, Quick Login and simple poker forum search capabilities.

Within PKR Poker Nation's PKR Forum, you'll find excellent poker strategy information, poker hand discussion and the latest Poker News from PKR Poker Nation. There is also a section for non-3D PKR Poker Players, and a General Chat area for discussion of any and all topics, PKR Poker related and otherwise.

PKRN is well laid out for easy navigation. Membership is absolutely free and does not require personal information. The User Control Panel allows for editing of profile information and signature. Buddy Lists and Ignore Lists are available to see all posts made by “buddies” and ignore posts from users you do not wish to read.

Online-Casinos.com

What's going on in the United States online casino arena? I've recently tried to play at ClubWPT and OH My Goodness it lags. You just cannot multi-table at all!

I've played a few (hundred) hands at Carbon and at Bookmaker, but  do not love it. I miss you Pokerstars! Actually, this random fellow that I play poker with at the casino from time to time messaged me on Facebook. The messages were pretty bizarre, so I checked out his profile page to see if he'd been hacked. Seemed he had not been hacked, what was more interesting though was that he seems able to play poker from the United States at PokerStars.

Currently, he's playing in the World Series. Awesome right?! So now I'm the girl that randomly knows a guy that played in the World Series. HA! What's worse, I'm kind of a big girl. Nah, I'm a BIG girl. If you're a big girl, you'll relate to what I'm about to say...

If you're big and you're friendly, people will come to the conclusion that you have a thing for them, often. If a fat girl is nice to you, she lusts after you. I dunno man, that seems to be the consensus. Or if you blog about a fellow, in any fashion, you're probably dreaming about him at night.

So I blogged about all the craps dealers at Chinook Winds one day, including Dana, and from then on, it was said that I had a big crush on him. I didn't find out for months, it was pretty funny!

I also went to a big event in Pendleton, and I did alright. So the guy from above placed pretty well, I think 1st or 2nd. I thought it was neat that he was from around here, and that I knew him, so I blogged his win... I bet you can guess the rest.

Owell, perhaps he can hook me up at PokerStars anyway.

Review : Gold Rush Poker (www.grpoker.com)

Gold Rush Poker is a professional web site with one dedicated goal - keeping poker enthusiasts informed and up to date with all online poker news and poker related events, while at the same time providing in-depth reviews of elite online poker rooms. Gold Rush Poker is updated constantly to offer the most current information online poker information, news tips and strategy available.

Each online poker room review is complete with all the details necessary for players to determine whether it is the right poker room to suit their style. In example, check out GR Poker's Everest Poker Review, like in this review, all poker rooms are given two ratings, 1-5 - an Editor's Rating and a Player's Rating and Bonus codes, in this case, Everest Poker bonus codes. The Editor's Rating is decided by the webmaster of Gold Rush Poker upon evaluation of all aspects of the online poker room. The Player's Rating is an overall rating decided by testimonials and player experience at the poker site.

Reviews include a list of Pros and Cons, providing a quick overview of the poker site. General information is offered, such as the country where the site is licensed, established date, software provider and download size, email, telephone and supported languages. Deposit and cash out methods are also listed. Promotional and sign-up bonus codes are displayed, if offered by the poker room. Online poker rooms who accept US players are marked with an small image of an American flag. Screen shots of each poker room are also available.

Other features of Gold Rush Poker include online poker strategy, which contains rules to popular online poker games, poker hand rankings and poker guides. Under Poker Strategies, you'll find beginner poker strategies, advanced poker strategies and professional poker strategies to help poker players quickly gain the knowledge to move up to the next skill level.

Find out about the latest and most exciting poker tournaments and events with Gold Rush Poker's Poker Tournament Finder. Poker enthusiasts can keep up with the latest gaming industry news by visiting the Poker News page.

Gold Rush Poker provides an array of information about the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Learn all about the WSOP, how to enter, tournament schedules, related news and circuit info, plus a handy list of accommodations for WSOP tournament players. You can also read about the 2006 WSOP, past WSOP champions and a detailed history of the World Series of Poker.

Home Poker Games at PokerDIY

I was looking around online the other day for a home poker game, as I am sure I've mentioned here before, I already play a pretty great home poker game where I live in Virgina. Well I've been considering playing a few more a week, possibly a total of 4-5 in fact.



I travel to the casino once in awhile, but frankly, I tend to find better poker games hosted by friends and family. I enjoy the comraderie, getting to know the players, both skill wise, and personally, and the entire outing in general. Not to mention the payout, people really don't seem to mind losing a home poker game, which works out pretty wel for me, as I don't much mind winning them.

You'd be surprized how many people playing private poker games are really just there for the game, a place to hang out amongst friends, kick back, drink a beer or two, and in general, just have a good time, and the best part... they bring cash!

Anyway, during my search for a home poker game near my house, I ran across a really interesting blog post featuring PokerDIY, it connects blogs, not only did I visit PokerDIY by clicking the image below this post, I get paid when other people write about the same topic on their blogs, and then they get paid for blogging the topic as well, now being the entreprenurial person that I am, how could I pass this up?

PokerDIY lets visitors search for games near them, as well as set up and manage their own poker games. You can keep score, create a leader board and so on, in fact, it's a really cool site for bar leagues as well. The best part, I'll be trying out a few new poker games this week!

Online Casino Bonuses

I’m definitely a gambler. My favorite game online is poker, however, I’ve been known to visit a casino or two from time to time, and I just love a good casino bonus! I was perusing a few casino bonus pages the other day, looking for a good place to deposit some cash and spin a few reels on a slot machine, when I found a really groovy site.

Best Online Casino Deals offers hot bonuses including 15 minutes real money slot machine play absolutely free! They also have bonus codes for as much as $400 in free bonus money at some online casinos with great reputations.

The no deposit casino bonuses page is exactly what I was looking for! An opportunity to get my blood pumping, adrenaline racing, and take a stab at winning some real cash online, without actually spending a buck!

I will be honest though, I love this kind of bonus, but I am a depositor, what can I say. I generally win more than I spend, and I use sites like this one to give me a heads up on where to play, when to get the most out of my deposit, and to find the current payout percentages for popular online casinos. I like to try out a couple of the free spin deals, see if the slot machines are paying much, and then make the best deposit with the best possible bonus.

I don’t play what you’d call big stakes, but I do want to make sure I’m bankrolled high enough to bet the max and keep myself qualified for progressives and other jackpots, and the information available on this top free casino cash bonus offer page definitely gives me a head start on that path. Nothing like a bit of casino ambiance from my living room while I work ;)

Another great feature offered by the site is their fastest paying casinos page, especially with the absence of NETeller (the previously favored casino deposit method) in the United States. I have found that many online casinos, bingoes, and poker rooms are still accepting US Poker players, however, the time it takes them to get me my cash has considerably increased! This bit of information or really any information that says “Hey these guys are doing what they can to get us our gambling money ASAP” really boosts my confidence when it comes to opening an account at an online casino.

Orange and Maroon Effect Day

Virginia Tech family members across the country have united to declare this Friday, April 20th, an "Orange and Maroon Effect" day to honor those killed in the tragic events on campus Monday, and to show support for Virginia Tech students, faculty, administrators, staff, alumni, and friends.

Everyone is invoted from all over the country to be a part of the Virginia Tech family this Friday, to wear orange and maroon to support the families of those who were lost, and to support the school and community we all love so much.

We have had 2 young members of our community killed in this tragedy. For one day, no matter what your team loyalties are, Be a Hokie.

33 killed at Virginia Tech in worst rampage in U.S. history

I live in Virginia, I'm Hokie Fan, friends who are graduates...It was a shock to hear.

An unknown gunman opened fire today in a dorm and classroom at Virginia Tech. 33 people have been murdered, the gunman, who shot himself in the face, and is currently unknown, ended the killing by seemingly killing himself.

"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," said Virginia Tech president Charles Steger. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified."

A list of victims is not expected to be released until Tuesday at the earliest, as authorities are currently identifying the dead, and notifying there families.

Authorities have stated that they are currently investigating motives, and believe that the first shooting was ‘domestic’. At this point they’re not sure if the gunman was a student at Virginia Tech.

2 of the killers victims were killed in West Amber Johnson Dormitory, and 30 more were murdered in an attack that occurred two hours later in Norris Hall. In addition to those killed inside the walls of Norris Hall, 15 more people were wounded.

The AP reported panic and confusion spreading throughout the campus, witnesses reported students jumping out of classroom windows to escape bullets flying through the classroom.

SWAT Team members armored with flak jackets, assault rifles and helmets spread out across the campus, while students and staff members personally assisted in brining their wounded out of the building to wait for ambulances to arrive on the scene.

Add Funds at Absolute Poker

Fast Payouts with Add Funds

Absolute Poker is thrilled to offer US players one of the fastest, most reliable payout methods. It’s called Add Funds, it’s incredibly easy to use and we’re recommending it for all US players.

To use this payment method, all you need is a US checking or savings account. When you’re ready to withdraw funds from your Absolute Poker account, simply provide us with specific details on your check. All of your banking information is safeguarded by our extensive security measures and fraud prevention techniques.

We’ll create an online check on our end and process the payment immediately. The funds will arrive in your bank account within 3-5 business days.

Absolute Poker is pleased to offer free check withdrawals using regular mail for a limited time. Due to new policies from certain processors, no other withdrawal methods are currently available, unless you have an account with ePassporte. Currently, the best way for players to withdrawal is via paper check or by opening up an account with ePassporte.

We recommend all U.S. customers open an account and deposit with ePassporte which will give the fastest cash-out option.

Be assured Absolute Poker guarantees all funds are safe and secure - we hold all your funds as cash with a top tier European bank.

13 WSOP Chances!

WorldSeriesFreeroll.net announces exclusive partnership with several of the top poker sites on the internet. Collectively, they will offer new members ten chances to win 13 seats at the World Series of Poker Tournament in 2007! 13 lucky players are going to get the opportunity to compete with some of the greatest poker legends around.

This tournament rolls around just once per year and never has any website offered you so many chances to win a coveted seat absolutely free! It is a prize package worth over $10,000 and an experience of a lifetime.

Compete with poker enthusiasts around the globe or down the street as you work your way towards poker history. Meet Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey and Gus Hansen while you are there. See the bluffs, raises, calls and feel the excitement as everyone who is anyone in the poker world tunes in to learn who wears the champion bracelet and goes down in history as 2007 WSOP Champion.

Visit WorldSeriesFreeroll.com to learn the rules of play and pre-register for free roll tournaments. It costs you nothing to register or compete. The process is simple and straight forward. Select a poker name, password and provide a working email address to confirm your new membership. After confirming your membership, visit the tournament calendar and pre-register for upcoming tournaments.

WorldSeriesFreeroll.net has a host of other features for poker enthusiasts such as a blog, forum, and various reviews of online poker rooms. What are you waiting for? Go to the site now to register and check the calendar for upcoming free roll tournaments. Remember you can’t win if you don’t play. Who knows today might be your lucky day! Visit WorldSeriesFreeroll.net

In Review: 888.com Online Casino & Poker Room

Players looking for the best poker and casino gaming action online need look no further than 888.com online casino and poker room. Not only is this site well-established, its parent company is traded on the London Stock Exchange. Now that you know it’s legitimate, I’ll start breaking down the reasons why I not only trusted the site but like it, as well.

It’s a cleanly split site – there’s the casino side and the poker side. Starting with the casino half, 888 offers more than 30 games including all of the traditional favorites including blackjack, roulette, video poker, slots, and many more. The games are available for practice play or for real money play. There’s also no catch, you can play the free games for as long as you’d like. The software is also free and comes in no-download and downloadable versions.

On the poker side, you’ll find all the same great features for the poker games such as Texas Holdem, Omaha Hi, Seven Card Stud and many more. The software comes in two versions, same as the casino, and the downloadable and no-download programs are both completely free. The graphics are simple and the program is easy to navigate, without distractions or confusing options. There were thousands of live players online, in both the free and real money versions of the games. At any given time, there are literally hundreds of open tables for players to join.

On top of all this, there are fantastic bonuses, ongoing promotions, daily events and much more. 888.com is not an online casino and poker room, it is the online casino and poker room of choice. With more than 23 million downloads since 1997.

Review: XGames.com

For gamblers who want access to all the inside information on the top gambling sites, tips and tricks from the experts, and a wonderful online community to share the love of gaming, ixgames.com provides all of those things and more. This website was started by a group of avid gamblers who wanted to share their attained knowledge in order to help the gambling community grow and flourish.

Ixgames.com features a variety of sections including:

• Reviews – The review section of the website gives unbiased information about a wide variety of gaming sites, including poker, bingo, backgammon, casinos, sportsbooks, and skill games. They have developed a rating system for these online gambling sites to gave potential players an at-a-glance look at the specifics of each site.
• News – This section gives up to the minute news and information about recent developments on the gambling industry. You can find information on new legislation, as well as get the scoop on the latest bonuses and programs from many different gambling sites. Also can enjoy the latest news in their poker player section.
• Ladies – The Ladies Corner section of the website specifically addresses the growing number of women taking part in gambling, both online and offline. They specifically address some of the games most frequently played by female gamblers. There are many informative articles and tips to help ladies improve their own game.
• Forum – The forum at ixgames.com is open for everyone who loves gambling. This is a wonderful place to make friends, get advice and share your knowledge. There is a general discussion forum as well as separate boards for casinos, poker, bingo, sports betting, backgammon, and skill games.
  

There are also special sections for each popular area of gambling, such as casinos, bingo, skill games, World Series of Poker and more. These sections have lots of articles and information about game play, tips and tricks, strategies, and everything else you could possibly want to know about the world of gaming. You can find tutorials, bonus information, and links to site reviews here.

If you love any of the listed gaming options, waste no time in checking out this website. You will surely find ixgames.com and informative and fun place to be.

BUSY BUSY

I used to be a poker player that owned a web site. Now it looks like I am a web site(S) owner that plays poker. The sites lately have been taking up my time. Check them out, all have gotten face lifts lately.

Poker Freeroll Tour Forum
4Flush.com is now Poker|Casino|Bingo|Sportsbook
Web Affiliate Creators is a forum for Webmasters (currently being re-organized)

5 more none gambling related and two more in the middle of face lifts.

Been playing at Poker.com and Absolute Poker lately. Doing well in some low buy in SnG's at AP.

I need to get in the swing again, I miss it. Not sure what happened, one day I was playing poker - next day I was learning html. I enjoy the sites as well though...Maybe I will do a little review of them all here to "showcase them" - LOL.

Poker Freeroll Tour Forum is hoping lately. Got some $1 buy ins being scheduled for January at AP and a big prize Freeroll for end of the month. Play in three of 6 buy ins and get password to freeroll. 4 will be Holdem NL and 2 will be Omaha HL PL.

Guess I will need to get some thoughts together and start writing them down again. Maybe one day I can take all this stuff in this blog and actually come out with a decent article.

Till Next Time!

Man, had to blow the dust off to get to the blogger screen. I have been playing some poker again. Little NL tables. Been up and down. I have had some family issues which have left me a single Dad with two kids for a while (maybe longer). So playing again is a bigger need now.

I played for a living a while back and when my wife decided to go back to work, (I think me being home got on her nerves :) ), I relaxed my playing and worked on developing some sites. 4Flush is doing well,Poker Freeroll Tour Forumis growing and my latest baby, Gambling Internet Directory is just getting off the ground. They have been fun to see grow and making a little money off them but not enough to support a 14 and a 9 year old. So it is either find a job or play poker and for now it will be play now and look later. Poker has been very good for me and it will get me through again.

With school starting Monday, I guess I will have to dust off my old schedule and get back to work. This blog was a great way to release stress and wrap up a day of playing and for those of you still around that enjoyed that, it will be back!

So, guess it is time to dust off the old keyboard and read some old posts. I am excited about getting on the horse again...hope falling off doesn't kill me. LOL



Till Next Time!

Spread Your Wings and Fly

But when I get where I'm going
And I see my maker's face
I'll stand forever in the light
Of his amazing grace
Yeah when I get where I'm going
There'll be only happy tears
Hallelujah
I will love and have no fear
When I get where I'm going

It's only be about 7 months since grandpa died. A little cancer, a little old age and a lot of broken heart has taken my grandmother.

I Love You!

Poker Quest has started!

First off I would like to point you to the Poker Quest . Trying to start with $100 and .25/.50 limit and work it up to $100,000. So far it has been enjoyable.

Back to Back Final tables tonight.

At Poker.com I played in a WSOP satellite where the top 5 go to the last WSOP tournament on July 15th. I finished 3rd! So I have a pass into the last qualifier. What a wild ride it will be if I make it into the WSOP weeks before it starts!

Poker Freeroll Tour is offering low buy in events ($1) at CD Poker and Poker.com so I deposited a few weeks ago at Poker.com. Had a $500 depositors freeroll tonight and finished 8th for $20. I must say the final table has been hard to find lately and to make back to back ones was an awesome feeling. I am pretty amped up! I played well I think. I got good cards in good locations and made the best of it. Was solid in the WSOP and after 6th went out we all just went all in every hand till done.

In the $500 tournament I doubled twice early in about three hands with KK and AT. Found myself the leader and stayed top 3 for a long while. With about 23 left I got QQ and lost to KK and then KK flopped a set that ran into a flopped flush draw that went all in and hit on river. That found me floundering around 20th with almost no time left. I got EXTREMELY lucky though when I went all in with KQ in EP and no one called then UTG went all in with QJs and was called by KQ. I rivered the miracle gut shot and that propelled me into final table. Shortstacked , I just held on for as high a finish as I could muster.

I hope that keeps up Saturday for the WSOP!

Till Next Time!

I Am Royalty!

It is good to royalty. I think Prince 4Flush would be nice….King 4Flush makes me sound too old. It’s been a long time since I have worn the crown and this one was special. This one was all heart!

.25/.50 PL Omaha H/L with flush, straight and 2nd best low draw on the flop. The turn gave me the flush and still no low, I bet pot and get one caller and on the river I look down and see Royal Flush! So undecided what to do, I decide to bet half of pot and see if I get caller. I didn’t but you know I showed anyway!! At least this Royal Flush netted me $15.

Till Next Time!

My Poker Quest

I thought this was a great idea and then came to the conclusion that time restraints would not allow me to do it. So, I got a friend to play and I will help with the blog and promotion. Here is the general idea:

He will start with $100 and build that bankroll online till he gets to $100,000 or go broke trying. Impossible? Maybe but plausable. We have set about 4 guidlines as to how we are going to move up and down limits and decided to count bonus money in bankroll as well. The blog is set up here: My Poker Quest if you want to check it out and keep up.

Good Luck!

Till Next Time!

Cards Suck? Play Hi/Lo

OK, I have no real scientific data to support that claim. LOL.

Been playing some Hold'em and getting squashed. Playing OK poker just getting a bad run. So I figured if my cards are going to suck, might as well try to win with it. Funny thing is when I first started playing Hi/Lo, my cards kept coming middle of the road junk. Then it happened, the bad cards came back and I started splitting pots, then I started hitting some straights, next thing I knew I am about even for the week after being down for must of it.

I had the kind of week that KJ turned a straight but lost to AJ for higher straight on river....flopped a set with low to mid pairs, lose to a straight, just been that kinda a week. So I decided to turn to a different game and see if a change of scenery would work. It did, but also had a lot to do with most players don't know how the game works and overplays just about every hand. Bottom line is it works for me!

I will be posting again soon on a special project going up by a good friend. I am helping set it all up and though I think we are ready, he wants to sit on it a little longer and make it is exactly how he wants it. Stay tuned, it's coming!

Till Next Time!

Poker Growing?

Even as our great American Gov't is trying to ban onling poker....I see signs of it getting stronger.

Celebrity Poker Showdown last night.

Yea, I watch it!

It is new in New Orleans and lets just say there were three noticable changes.

First, Phil Hellmuth sucks but hey, most everyone new that. Of all the poker players they had to chose from, they picked him. Best part was the interview/introduction in the beginning. He says, they call be the brat. Then goes on to say, I don't know why I act that way, I look back and I'm embarrassed, I just get caught up in the moment. I guess most people watching celebrity poker would except this and move on. We all know the truth though! I watched a re run of the $1 million dollar championship event that The Mouth won, even his dad told him to sit down, shut up and play cards!


Second, the prize pool is now the Party Poker.net $1 million prize pool. Let the count begin how many times they can slip that in. You have to admit though that Party Poker's commercial are pretty neat. (Just wish they would do new ones)

Third, it is no longer the losers lounge, it is the SoCo Lounge. No more do we have to wonder what they are drinking there!


I have a big announcement comming up on the poker front that will/may be of interest to all of you. Though I will not be directly involved in the playing aspect, I know the person who is and will be directly involved in getting the word out. It is, to me, a very interesting challenge he is going to undertake. More details later!

Till Next Time!

Don't Ever Forget

As we stand here looking
At the flags upon these graves
Know these flags represent
A few of the true American brave

They fought for their Country
As man has through all of time
Except that these soldiers lying here
Fought for your country and mine

As we all are gathered here
To pay them our respect
Let's pass this word to others
It's what they would expect

I'm sure that they would do it
If it were me or you
To show we did not die in vein
But for the red, white and blue.

Let's pass on to our children
And to those who never knew
What these soldiers died for
It's the least we can do

Let's not forget their families
Great pain they had to bear
Losing a son, father or husband
They need to know we still care

No matter which war was fought
On the day that they died
I stand here looking at these flags
Filled with American pride.

So as the bugler plays out Taps
With its sweet and eerie sound
Pray for these soldiers lying here
In this sacred, hallowed ground.

Take home with you a sense of pride
You were here Memorial Day.
Celebrating the way Americans should
On this solemnest of days.

by Michelle R. Christman


Thanks Dad, I miss you Grandpa

Im Hooked!

My name is Steve and I have a problem...

It is the Dirty Dozen SnG at CD Poker.

Just $2.40 and if you win 4 in a row....$2,000!

I haven't won 4 yet, but have monied in about 85% of them though. Have won 2 in a row though and I just can't stop playing them. The format is two 6 player tables and of course a 6 player final table. Play is bad to say the least and a patient person makes final table almost automatically.

I will post I won 4 in a row! One Day!

Matter of fact, I am in one now. Have played one hand, won a little but in 5th place with 8 left.

Till Next time!

Watch What you say!

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washing...tm?POE=NEWISVA

AMAZING!

I am all for security and anti-terrorist but isn't there a line here?

The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call
records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T,
Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA
TODAY.The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses across the nation by
amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans — most of whom aren't
suspected of any crime. This program does not involve the NSA listening to or
recording conversations. But the spy agency is using the data to analyze calling
patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity, sources said in separate
interviews."It's the largest database ever assembled in the world," said one
person, who, like the others who agreed to talk about the NSA's activities,
declined to be identified by name or affiliation. The agency's goal is "to
create a database of every call ever made" within the nation's borders, this
person added.

The good and the bad....

First the GOOD:

CD Poker and Party Poker has giving me some money. Even though I am not a HUGE fan of Party, money is money so I will go :).

So with birthday coming up on the 11th, I will go try and make my fortune. LOL

Now the BAD:

HeadHunter at JetSet: Blinds are 10/20. I have QQ and I raise to 80...1 caller from BB. Flop Qxx two diamonds. I go all in and get called by Ad4d..A DRAW and I have the player covered! He hits and I go home shortly after very steamed. Calls a huge overbet with A4 SOOOTED.


Another MTT: I have KsTs in SB and folded to me. I call and BB raises. I call raise and flop comes all spades. I go all in and instantly called by.................As9s!

Welcome back to the tables!!!


Till Next Time!

RANT!

Rant 1:

I went away this weekend from Virginia to South Carolina. Gas in VA when I left friday at 9 am was $3 a gallon. Gas in South Carolina (6 hours away) when I arrived was $2.73 a gallon. I have to ask what the hell made it 30 cents cheaper there than here.

Rant 2:

There was an imaginary line coming south from VA. that we crossed when gas automatically dropped down. Going North on way back, right at this "line", there was two exits within 1 mile of each other and all had gas at $2.73 cents. Literally ONE exit up after that (about 10 miles) ALL 4 STATIONS were at $2.94 a gallon and it never got below $2.85 from around Durham NC. to Richmond, VA. Come on, this is getting down right crazy. I can see some difference in gas from SC to VA but not 30 cents and there is no way you can justify a 21 cent jump in prices over 10 miles! Yes, the 4 stations at $2.94 were the big ones: Exxon, Shell, BP and Citgo. We have no one to blame but ourselves though.

Rant 3:

If we would get off our asses and start to get vocal with our gov't reps, vote and actually start to give a damn in this country, things would change. There is no reason to have Senators and Representatives in this country in office for longer than I have been alive! There are people in this country and reading this post that blindly vote Republican or Democrat year after year with no consideration for whom might be best for this country REGARDLESS of party affiliation.

I am not an activist, just a man with a family trying to get by. It's time to take a stand and draw a line in the sand and just say NO MORE! It is time for "We the people" to do what our founding fathers intended for us to do. Have a voice in our Gov't and start taking some action and showing some concern.

Geting off soup box now.

Till Next Time!

A Few Things and POKER!

When is enough enough....ethanol anyone? Funny thing is, GM makes an ethanol car and sells it to Brazil who runs almost exclusively on ethanol. I am all for Hybrids but come on, are lobbyist in the US Gov't that strong? Probably, so the next thing will be how high will it go I guess.


Just a small note, been working out in the yard, LOVING IT STILL! Will let you know when it gets old (LOL)

Played in a couple events. A tournament put on by a friends forum, finished 5th! Then last night I played the 72os freerolltour event, skipped a season so been a while, finished 12th! So with some of the rust off I was really considering the Dirty Dozen Jackpot Sit N Go at Titan Poker.
Only $2 and win 4 straight you get $2,000. They have higher Jackpot Sit N Go's but hey, have to start somewhere. I am not much of a tournament player, rather sit at a cash game and grind it out for my money but some of these are getting tempting and look fun, so its worth a try!

I got Dan Harrington's second book. I really like it, just as good as the first one. Of course now I am re-reading first one so it all makes sense again. This time reading is a little better. I get a drink, lay out in hammock, read three or four pages, fall asleep, wake up in time to get kids from school, repeat next day. At this rate, be done by Christmas! I LOVE SPRING TIME!

I have a couple new projects on the horizon, non poker related and I am still finding it hard to focus on poker. Last night was fun though, I did find out I missed it. There has been much written about playing online poker for a living. I have even posted a few words on it.

It's a job, and like must jobs it gets boring, tedious and just not fun anymore. There is no sick leave, vacation plan or 401K. If you don't play, you don't get paid. I knew that going in though, and I deal with it mostly.

I think my main problem is "getting back to work". I haven't play for any consistant amount of time in months and I need to. It is a mental hump I need to get over. Something always is coming up but I use to work it around playing, now it is the other way around and I time runs out before I get to play. Maybe I need Theory of Poker under my pillow for support will I sleep. HAHA may try that.

Anyway, I will start seeing you at the tables!

Till Next Time!

Fun and Sun

Just got back from a week at the beach! That was gooood relaxing. LOL!!


Beach was nice - ocean was COLD!
Room was great with jacuzzi tub and ocean front view.
Heated swimming pools and hot tub to boot.

I was looking forward to coming back though. There is truly no place like home. (Minus the pool, hot tub and ocean)



Above you will see "Sandville" (Yep, 7 of us and that was the best name we could get)
This was our first family vacation in about 3 years I guess. I even impressed my 13 year old, and for those with kids, you know that is not easy! So I will mark this one down as a successful outing.

I am still real busy with freeroll site, PFT and WAC and the emails are piled up so will spend next day or so sorting them out but really want to concentrate on Titan Poker's bonus. (100% up to $500 using code TeamPFT)

So, there is poker in my future right after Easter. I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday and see you at the tables!


Till Next Time!

I need some blogger help!

OK, it all started with some friends needing help with some forums and ended up as WAC.

We are offering some free services:

Forum Builders
Article submissions for back links
SEO Tools
Link exchanges
and have more ideas coming


Here is were I need someones help here in the blogger community. I you can tell by old posts and lately, lack of posts, I use this media to express ideas, get things off my chess and is mainly for release and some of my poker learnings along the way. Of course with three websites now and managing a 4th and very active in a 5th, time will be dwendling but I beleive that this blog will help me maintain some sane"ness".

Since WAC is not a players forum, I would like for someone to contact me at support@webaffiliatecreators.com about submitting an article about successful marketing and profiting from a blog. I want to be able to offer bloggers a voice in the forum directly to the affiliate programs.

Besides the obvious linking process, how else would a site like mine help bring affiliates and bloggers in the same circle. How can we help? Since I have had this experience here, would a thread in the marketing category for just bloggers be a benefit? Would it get used?

Let me know. WAC had not been officially launched yet but will be this week or beginning of next. Already getting great participation.

Bloggers....let me know IF this is something that might help!


Till Next Time!

P.S. Me - Playing Poker - LOL!

Sun and Done!

Cleared it.

By my calculations it was 12 hours and I only played 1 table at a time mostly. did open up a second when the tables got tight, but less than 2 hours of two tabling.

I'm was impressed by the speed in which it went. My first time playing at Sun Poker and I liked it. It's cryptologic so pretty much the same as all the others so it is probably because I won and cleared bonus that I liked it so much! I will be going to Titan next and get the 100% up to $500 (Bonus code:TEAMPFT500). I haven't played too much there (couple freerolls) so really not sure of the game selection.

Hopefully some PL Omaha H/L, really is a raked hand consumer of a game! Look me up at the tables!

I guess I will now continue to wait for the pin from Ecash for Sun Poker. Thats about the only part I really hate but at least it is a one time deal. Then wait for the calendar month to turn and go at it again.

I will keep eveyone informed about how the Titan bonus clears.

Till Next Time!

Poker Poker Poker

I'm playing regular again. Since Poker Freeroll Tour is having their tournaments at Sun Poker and Titan Poker , I thought I would start clearing the bonus and qualifying for the big freerolls.

Sun Poker won the coin flip and I am clearing bonus there now. Been real easy so far. It is a cryptologic site so it is $40 a month bonus for 200 MPP's and $50 first deposit for $250 MPP's. SO $90 for clearing 250 MPP's on first deposit. I have played this weekend for about 7 hours all together and have 175 MPP's already. Will clear $40 tonight and rest tomorrow I am sure.

Playing mostly $25 PL Omaha H/L. Find that Omaha H/L clears bonuses a lot faster because of the tendency to limp more; it gets more raked hands in. Also good game because no one plays it right but most think they do! Just clearing bonus and making money!!!

The forum has a bonus code for Titan (TEAMPFT500) that will get me 100% up to $500 so I will be there a while longer I am sure. The Titan forum freeroll is in April but this month if you clear 250 raked hands at Sun Poker you qualify to play a $500 freeroll at end of March. I'll be there for that.

It is hard to explain but I feel comfortable again. I'm in the house, everything is settled down and I'm more relaxed. Moving back home was a good move but when we first came back we stayed with my mom in her apartment. It wasn't to cramped but tight all the same. I knew all along we were going to move again as we were all looking for a house. The plan was to find something big enough for all of us and mom would stay with us. So never really felt comfortable at apartment. Just never seemed settled because the "other" move was always looming I guess. Now, everything seems right again. Hopefully this will turn into better playing time.

To be such an easy conceptual game, poker has a lot of idiosyncrasies. (DUH!) Being comfortable in the environment you play in never was at the forefront of my mind playing online. Your home mostly playing poker, pretty relaxed and comfortable environment. Now I realize that even though I didn't consciously experience it, I wasn't really comfortable at the apartment so I never felt like playing. The computer was upstairs, in the bedroom, away from everyone and isolated. Now my wife would say that was the perfect environment for me but that is another story all together. I am in the living room now and the den is next door and everyone is in the same area at night when I play. It makes a difference that I didn't think was possible. I guess it was just more obvious to me playing live that being uncomfortable and nervous in your surroundings could cost you money, just never related it to online. I told you it was hard to explain!

I will be a Sun Poker for next couple days and then off to Titan. Let you know about the Titan bonus when I get there.

Till Next Time!

WOW

Been a long time since I have had anything to say. Well, not true but has been a while since I have taken the time to write it down. Pretty sure no one is interested in my "other life" besides poker, but I will get to it all in due time.

The new house is great, it is now getting to be warmer and I am beginning to do a little yard work. I know for some it is a dread and by the end of the summer it will be for me also but for now, after apartment living for 6+ months, having a yard is great! This one was vacant for a while before we came so have some (a lot) of raking to do. Just having an excuse for Lowes and Home Depot is good enough for me!

Recently came back from Atlantic City. Played poker mostly at the Sands. Arrived Friday and they had a $20 + $10 tournament. I finished 60ish out of 135 and don't feel I played to badly in my first live tournament. Went card dead BAD and nothing ever came around.

Went to a $1/$2 NL cash game and made a killing. I had a friend who came back from Vegas and said the table play was worst than anything you would see online. If you just sat there till you got THE hand you could make money. I thought that was a bit of an exaggeration but come to find out..NOT! Of course there was exceptions and you saw who they were pretty quick but for the most part, the fish were biting. One weekend doesn't make for a solid scientific defense of this theory I know. If I hadn't made money ALL weekend, maybe I would chalk it up to an anomaly but it was the truth all weekend. If I could have stayed away from the other games, would have brought home a lot more money! As it was I had a great time, and brought home money. Since there are little junkets from here going about every other weekend, think I will make it a habit to keep going up. Besides, if Congress has its way, maybe only way to go real soon!

So to put this in chronological order for those trying to keep up: I moved, went to Atlantic City, got the flu, gave it to the kids, took care of the kids and now everyone is back to school and work. So let’s play poker! I still think I am going to stick to my guns this time and stay with the NL end. With my new forum getting busier, I will start this at Sun Poker and Titan Poker since most of my tournaments will be held there over the next few months.

Funny how time has a way of dulling goals and motivations. It wasn't long ago I was talking about my schedule and sticking to it and the problems I was having staying focused and working all them out. Now, it is getting back into the routine that is the big issue. I am finding it easier to come up with the "Why I can get started tomorrow" excuses than actually doing something. I think once I finally start, i will be OK. Of course I got the estimate on getting the side door fixed on my Van today so that just might be enough to get me motivated again...OUCH!

Not enough to start now though! I am going to hit some golf balls on this first fabulous day of the year here. 70+ degrees! I will do better with the posts from now on that will also help me get going. Can't have a very good poker blog if there is no poker to write about. (As you can see)

Till Next Time!

And the Journey Begins...

I remember a while back, a long while back, a promised myself a walk on the no limit side. I think that time has come.

Moving on the 6th of February, so until after the dust settles, I am going to read the Harrington book's and SS2. Then I am going to the $25 NL tables and see if I can make it. Of course along with that come the tournaments. I do real well till it comes close to the end and either finish at the bubble or just inside the bubble. I have an apparent flaw and I am bound to find it.

So, I am off to learn and then try the NL side of the game. I have dabbled before but this will be my first real attempt to play more than just a few sessions. I hope it doesn't turn into a painful lesson.

Let's see....page 1

Till Next Time!

Got to Believe!

See, sometimes even giant creatures need a change in scenery. Doesn't mean you stop believing!!

Well, you guessed it. I have been real busy trying to get the forum off the ground but it seems to be working. I have another site interested in becoming a sponsor so will be expanding at the end of March. Thanks to all that have visited, it looks like I have some good members that are knowledgeable and willing to help so far.

Have added a few things to 4flush and the freeroll calendar and they have gotten a good response so far. It amazes me that I sit here with a goal to do this and update that and make sure this is posted and then look and the day is over. I even bought a digital recorder to keep track of everything. I like it! I even remembered my wife’s birthday!!

Good thing 72os Tour is on hiatus between seasons. If you haven’t signed up for Season 8 there is still time!

So that leaves my poker time and I can wrap that up pretty quick…NADA! Well, not exactly nada. I have played about 4 Omaha H/L SnG’s at AP. Won 1 and moneyed in two more…not bad ratio huh!! Nothing really big on that front but I have a good reason other than the above.

We have found a house to rent and come to find out she would like us to move Feb. 1st! Not a lot of time to think about it. We sign the lease Sunday. It is right down the road, I made an agreement that I would stay close to town if we can buy some land and move to the country upon our “Golden Years”. All agreed, but some how I think I will get screwed here.

So don’t stop believing, I will get to poker soon again. In the mean time, stop by the forum and say Hi! $100 members only freeroll Feb 28th just for doing so!

Till Next Time!

A Lot Happening!

I (4Flush.com) have teamed up with a new forum. You can find it at Poker Freeroll Tour and the forum directly here. What they have established is a forum that will reward your play at the sponsored sites by having big reward tournaments each month. The more players they get the better the monthly tournaments. Like pooling money for a big game, they are trying to pool players for bigger rewards.

Right now Sun Poker is the first sponsor and is offering a $100 freeroll for all new members on Feb. 28th at 20:15. Just sign up and you qualify. Next month there is a bigger freeroll planned with raked hands as a requirement for forum members. Pretty low requirement also. I like the idea, anyone can qualify each month for tournaments that you might not normally get a chance to play in.

Anyway, visit, comment, sign up and support. My freeroll calendar is linked as well as my site, hoping it will be something good.

Between that and 72os, guess I will be busy playing poker. What a great season 7 there this time. First and second seperated by 27 points. Play is for the most part great and the final tables are tough! I have been a part of that league since the beginning and it is fun to see the players getting better and better. I can see my tournment play getting a lot better also. Tournaments are not my bread and butter but playing at 72os had greatly increased my skill in them.

Yep, gonna be busy...this blog, 4Flush, PFT, 72os and oh yea, I have to play some poker also!

At least I will have plenty to talk about!

Till Next Time!

Thank You Interpoker

Back in Sept. I beleive, Interpoker ran a contest that for so many racked hands I got a cap and Super System 2. I like the cap, I were it occasionally but onto the book.

It is great. I am reading the limit section written by Jennifer Harman. It is not earth shattering as far as information about play. Tight is right! It is interesting to here her point of few on some situations as well as hands to play and how far to go with them. A small example is that she may one of the first I have seen that says lay down AKo on the flop MOST of the time in a multi way pot if you miss. As in everything poker "it depends" and she covers that but I like her approach here and with other examples that vary a little from popular views.

I haven't finished this section yet much less the whole book, but I like it so far. Get it, read it, you won't regret it.

Again I find myself having to concentrate on the aggressive side of my limit game. I have let that slide a little lately and it is showing. Have had some bad sessions in a row as of late but that it to be expected. I have been running extremely well. To the tune of about 7 bb's/hour over the last 3 1/2 weeks or so. It's about time for a variation swing I just don't want to introduce bad habits and losing aggressiveness is definately one I don't want to start messing with.

One of my goals this year is to stay on top of my poker. I had a lot going on towards the end of last year with moving back home, new computers, growth in my site and of course grandpa dying. It took a lot out of me as far as competitive spirit and drive. I want to stay on top of that this year and really work on progressing up the food chain a little. I am working on something that may help me do that by posting a starting dollar amount here and making myself update it daily. Of course I have done this before and it lasted about a week. Not real good at keeping up with stuff like that. I know it will not make for good reading so I will keep it in a small section and try not to make a big deal out of it.

Guess we'll see if I can keep up with it.


Till Next Time!

It's Up

I wrote this as a guide for beginners as well as a guide for players to "get back to basics". 72os thought enough of it to post it.

72os.com

Here is a sample:

PAY ATTENTION

There are only two things you have to pay attention to while playing limit holdem; yourself and the other players. That’s it, that’s all the
information you will need to play good limit holdem. So let’s start with the easy one first…..yourself.

Are you mentally ready to play the game?
Are you focused?
Have you set enough time to play a solid session?
Are there any distractions?

As you know, emotionally, poker is tough. The suck outs, unreal
calls, luck and just bad play can stress you to the maximum level in a short time. You have to be prepared for the inevitable and try to stay on as smooth an emotional level as possible. You never know when that next opportunity will arise to take advantage of bad play.

That is a lot easier said than done. Hand after hand of losing to pure dumb luck can work on a person. So during a session, re-evaluate yourself and make sure you are still emotionally “in the game”. If not, sit out a few hands, take a break, switch tables or whatever it will take to calm you enough to play solid poker again. Be honest with yourself, whether you have played 2 minutes or 2 hours, if you are getting emotionally out of control QUIT! From our example above, if you can lose an hour of profit from one misplayed hand, imagine what tilted play will cost you over the long term.

Till Next Time!

Ready to Go!

Holidays over and kids back to school. All things calming back down and normalizing again. Had a great Christmas. Got an Ipod Shuffle, new computer (FAST) and the WSOP PS2 game. My shuffle is full, my computer is humming and I have had some good finishes in the game BUT no bracelet! Still working on that one.

WOW - What a college football game last night. That is what the BCS has wanted for a loooong time. Finally a game that lived up to the hype. Helped I had a little money on Texas. Mr. Young is my new hero :), I ought to send him half.

NAAAAH

I am also writting a little article on limit poker that may get posted at 72os.com. If it does I will link it up. I am not a great communicator but I hope it is received well. As some of you know that have been around some, I like to ramble. Should be done with it this weekend, so we will see.

There has been a wrinkle introduced in my calm and cool waters of poker lately. I hope it is just the odd occurance but it seems that my $3/$6 game is getting creamed as soon as a sit down and I can't loose at $2/$4. As far as my Poker Tracker numbers go to the unreal good side at $2/$4 there are polar opposite at $3/$6. Uncanny and to be honest a little disturbing to see this numbers that are so out of norm being so consistent. So I fixed it, I quit playing $3/$6.

I know, not exactly a permanent fix. I will dive into the numbers and try to see if it just the way the planets are aligned or if I am doing something terribly wrong at $3/$6. Right now I am just enjoying the feeling of Superman at the $2/$4 tables. We all know that will not last so I am basking while I can.

Looking forward to a great 2006. Plan on a couple trips to A.C. and hopefully at least one to Vegas to meet some bloggers. Playing live at a weekly home game now and though it may not be the big time, I am practicing on staying calm and keeping my tells down to a minimum. Thats is when I haven't started taking shots and continue to do so every 1/2 hour till the game is over. Man, that next morning sucked. Been a long time since I have had a night or morning like that.

Till Next Time!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year All!

Just to keep mine on a positive note I am quitting poker for the rest of the year.

Last day of 2005 SUCKED!

45 minute session:

KK four times in 7 hands - Won 1
Best hand on flop 8 times - Beat on Turn 7
Best hand on Turn 16 times - Won 3

All in all, 2005 was a great year for poker. Made more this year than last which is always good. Think I have made some strides in the understanding of the game and thankfully there are still plenty fish in the sea and I am not the smallest one. Granted I am not the biggest either but I am growing.

I hope everyone has a great and SAFE New Year's Eve and see ya next year!

Merry Christmas

Hope everyone has a great Christmas. For some neat stories about the Vegas blogger trip, read some of the people on my blog roll. Looks like all had another great time.

I have had a couple downturns where variance has caught up with me but overall still up good and playing good poker. I must pause and pat myself on the back for some great patience shown lately after what was an abnormally great run of cards started to get caught on the river by some not so abnormal bad play. The best was when one player called three bets blind versus my AA with 64 sooooted and hitting runner runner flush to beat my set. I could only laugh though and ended up getting even with him later with another set that busted him so all was right in the universe again.

The holidays have consumed most of my time lately. I love Christmas time but I hate shopping, go figure! I have done well this year, I'm done with all the shopping and I haven't given one early gift yet! That is a weakness of mine. Go get the perfect gift and end up shopping again at the last moment because I cracked and gave it early.

The only "down" about this year is that my 8 year old finally figured out Santa. Damn school system. It was a good run though huh? 8 years old before he figured it all out. He was cool though, he still sent a letter to Santa and told me he was just "making sure". I about died laughing. I can't wait, I think I am worst than the kids. I know I am getting an Ipod (I picked it out) and the new Chris Ferguson WSOP game for PS2. With my son getting the PSP, I might just sit down Christmas day and shuffle me up some tunes and win a bracelet!

Speaking of winning, I play at what is turning out to be a regular Friday night game with some family and friends. $10 tournament with anywhere between 9-16 players on any given night. I have had numerous third and second place finishes and finally broke through with a win Friday. I told them about the Head Hunter tournaments at JetSet and everyone brought $2 extra for their bounty. I ended up taking out 5 and winning it all. Not a bad little pay day.

Well I guess that is it, maybe till after Christmas.

Happy Holidays everyone and Be Careful!

Till Next Time!

What a Run!

Ok, while must of you were living it up in Vegas (hint of jealousy), I have literally been doing no wrong for about a month. I am up HUGE!. What do I contribute it to?

A little bit to the fact that I understand what I am doing better, a little bit more because I am playing well, a bit more because I am getting hit in the face with the deck every other session and A LOT more because of luck.

Understanding - I am laying down second best hands and rarely been wrong.
Playing Well - Hammering strong hands on missed flops and forcing folds.
Hit with deck - Unbeleivable starting hands holding up over and over.
Luck - Me (KsQh) Opponent (KdQs) both flop a inside straight draw and the 4th spade hits on the river. :)

In the same vain as not boring you with bad beat stories, I will not bore you with top pair holding up on flush boards. I will leave you with this joke my mother-in-law sent me:

The Bridge


A man walking along a SanFrancisco, beach was deep in prayer. Suddenly, the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, the Lord said, "Because you have TRIED to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish." The man said, "Build a bridge from SanFrancisco to Hawaii, so that I can drive over anytime I want." The Lord said, "Your request is very materialistic. Think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking. The supports for the bridge required to reach the bottom of the Pacific! The concrete and steel it would take! It will nearly exhaust several natural resources. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of something that would honor and glorify me."

The man thought about it for a long time. Finally he said, "Lord, I wish that I could understand my wife. I want to know how she feels inside, what she's thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries for no reason, what she means when she says nothing's wrong, why she is sniping at me for no reason, why she is all anger one moment and all love the next, and
how I can make her truly happy?." The Lord replied without pausing for a moment, "You want two lanes or four on that bridge from SanFrancisco to Hawaii?"

Till Next Time!

Winning and Losing

Winning ang losing is a constant battle for poker players. Running bad or good, playing well or not, is it just variance, all come up in one way or another. This is a VERY good read in my opinion on the subject posted on 2+2. I like some of the points this player makes:

We poker players always think we are better than we actually are. We think we are farther along than we actually are. That is why losses hit us so hard. We think we are invincible. We don’t “deserve” to lose. Well guess what, everyone deserves everything they get in poker. Luck doesn’t exist in the long term. If you lose over a proper sample size it’s because you didn’t have the edge you thought you had.

I think this was well said and overlooked must of the time by most players. Everyone seems to understand "the long term" but most miss the point about losing over a sample size. This is where varience seems to catch the most flack. Variance is a part of poker life but you can still work to control how big a swing it is.

Winning at poker is dangerous. Very dangerous. We are all more results oriented than we think we are. We think if we win its because we were supposed to, and when we lose its because of variance.

The fact is that good and bad runs will come and are you good enough to take advantage of them both. It takes a lot of study time for both. Did I get the max value out of my cards during the good run and did I lose the minimum amunt during the bad run.

Losing is a part of winning. Throughout the long streaks, where the right-most column in your spreadsheet will keep reading “0,” you have to be able to be objective. Don’t assume you are playing bad, but don’t assume its only variance. The only way you can know what it is, is to be super critical with yourself. Even when you are playing well, you will make stupid plays, but how often?

This is where I need the most work at. Studying my play during the good runs. I think we all tend to take too much credit in the good run and forget to look back and see the tiny mistakes that missed us a bet here and a bet there. Maybe the hand that we made a "good fold on" that had the pot odds to go on with and we would have won with on the river. Didn't matter much at the time because we where up big but when the ugly end of variance raises its head, those bets here and there and pots dropped will make a difference. If you stop and think that 1-2 BB/hour is the average, it doesn't take that big a mistake to wipe out a whole hour of work.

Studying during the bad runs is probably what most players do normally. Even then I think we sway towards studying the unbeleivable draws that came in against us and trying to figure out where it went wrong. Not only will that happen but I am glad it does. That's how money is made. I need to study harder the hands that I played wrong altogether and start working on those areas.

I could probably ramble about this forever. Most subjects that hit close to home I can ramble on about. Go read the article, it was a great look inside a poker players summer.

Till Next Time

Peaceful Easy Feeling

….and I feel better about my limit hold'em game now than I ever have, and I know I'm learning again, which is fantastic.

-EV

In a zone, focused, on a run or whatever you want to call it, I’m there. I’d like to think that –EV nailed it though. Though I have had more winning sessions than losing, I can not honestly say I am winning more than my fair share. I am winning at an alarming BB an hour rate that will eventually level itself out for sure. There is a difference though in my game. What do I think it is? I have come to an understanding.

I am not as articulate as Hank, or a good communicator like Pauly, or the master of the uber-post or even good under So-Co. That’s why I like this blog. It makes me try to put into words what I have learned and I think I am getting better at it.

I have reached another plateau in my poker career. This one came quietly and without much fan fair or fireworks. I didn’t wake up and say “A HA!” or shout from the mountain top. To be up front about it, I missed it all together. I can not tell you when it happened but ironically can tell you it happened while I was not playing poker a lot.

All the information I have put into my head has finally gelled together into a usable mass of information. I finally have a solid foundation of the poker basics I can call on when I need it. I found this out over the last couple weeks when I would not only make a certain play but I caught myself explaining to myself why this play was the right play. I found that the hands I would put my opponents on were getting more specific and I am getting more accurate.

It as taken me over a year to confidently write this and get to this comfort level but I can now say I am top 1 or 2 at every limit table I sit at in my level. Looking back, I can see that I pushed limits a little to fast. Though I am not sure anyone could have told me any different at the time, but I will agree that money is not the only reason you move up limits.

I wish I could say that is that but we all know it doesn’t work that way. I believe now I am ready for more information and to expand my horizons a bit more. I know I have higher limits to obtain. As –EV said, I am learning again, which is fantastic!

Till Next Time!

Dynamically Speaking

I started my time back to poker at Pacific Poker like I said before, because it was new to me and I wanted to come back to something new and different. Having no Pacific hands in Poker Tracker and starting fresh, I bought the $10 Hand Grabber program for Pacific and started to go to work. Also found out I could data mine with the Hand Grabber program which came in real helpful!

I started at $1/$2 and had a big winning streak right off the bat. I then decided to move up to the $2/$4 tables and my winning streak continued until recently and the “leveling off’ begun. I was at a ~7 BB pace for 700+ hands so I knew it was coming. After studying my play, I decided that it was still solid and improving so I moved up to $3/$6 which I was at before I took my hiatus. Currently up at the $3/$6 level.

I am telling you that story so I can tell you about this observation. While playing and data mining at the $1/$2 level, I would play with 3-4 auto rated “fish” at every table. Sprinkle in a couple Taz’s (Loose/Aggressive), a good player and the rest calling stations.

Moving up to $2/$4 I expected a little better play and got just that, a little. Take out a Taz and add an eagle and that was it. Fish population seemed to stay the same. The last table had 6 auto rated fish at it! That was tooo many. Everyone was drawing at something at that table. I should have left….’nuff said.

Moving up to $3/$6 I really expected a bump up in play. I just left a table with 3 fish, 2 Taz and a calling station. Made good money and the reads are easy.

Funny how there was an exponential rise in table minimums and table pots but the table dynamic stayed the same through 3 levels. Every now and then a thread will pop up or article will appear that suggests the boom is over and poker is diminishing in numbers. I’m no expert and can not argue either side of that point. I can comment on my little sample and say that there are still plenty of people out there willing to throw away money to a decent player with a little patience.

For all those mired in the micro limits working there way up and saying, “Can’t wait to play higher so people will not call my raises with crap”, wish on. It is happening here also. By the way, that is terrible logic, but that will be another post. There are plenty here willing to call $6+ on any two soooooted and ANY draw. That’s why we play poker though.

So tonight as I close the books and tally up the score (in my favor this time), I raise a glass to all of those that called my value raises versus my nut hands and called me down with ace high. I salute you for missing that gut shot though you paid dearly for it and just falling short with that bottom pair. I know tomorrow is another day and you will be armed and ready to battle again, so until then………Thank You!


Till Next Time!

Empire Strikes Back

I can sum up last nights session like this:

Fold 25 straight hands
Get a hand and miss flop
Fold 25 straight hands
Get a hand and miss flop
Fold 25 straight hands
Get a hand and get sucked out
Win a small pot
Repeat for 4 hours


So to not bore you to death, looks like Empire wants to strike back!

Empire Online sues PartyGaming
By Miles Costello

Internet gaming website Empire Online has acrimoniously cancelled takeover talks with PartyGaming and launched a legal action against the operator of PartyPoker after it ringfenced its customers from rival sites.

Empire Online, which runs Empirepoker.com, said it had "terminated discussions" with PartyGaming after the group came back to the company with a second takeover proposal "at a level that cannot be recommended".

Having initially tabled an all-share offer that valued Empire Online at 10 per cent of an enlarged group - approximately £400 million - Empire said PartyGaming "made a revised proposal that is significantly different both in terms of the price and structure".

Although Empire did not state the level of PartyGaming's offer - which it said came after "a protracted due diligence process and continued delays in the timetable" - the second tilt was almost half the first and also contained a cash element.

PartyGaming later confirmed its offer for the business and assets of Empire Online was worth roughly 60p a share, valuing the company at about £175 million.

Of the proposed legal action it said: "To the extent that any action is forthcoming, PartyGaming is highly confident of a successful outcome."

John Shepherd, director of corporate communications at PartyGaming, added: "They're clutching at straws."

But as it pledged to investigate "commercial strategic opportunities" and reiterated its profits targets after the collapse of the talks, Empire said it planned "to institute and vigorously pursue legal proceedings" against PartyGaming.

This comes five weeks after PartyGaming took steps to end its formal links with its "skins" - the websites such as Empire Online that make money by directing gambling traffic to its group websites.

"The directors of Empire Online have explored whether legal action might be taken ... in relation to damage caused to it by the conduct of companies within the PartyGaming group in separating the poker system used by PartyGaming players from that of its skins," Empire said.

"Having received legal advice, the directors intend to institute and vigorously pursue legal proceedings as soon as possible."

It has already warned that profits for the full year will fall by 10 per cent as a result of PartyGaming's move.

Empire, led by chief executive Noam Lanir, said it has received several "commercial strategic approaches" over the past few months and said it would pursue talks with the parties involved, which it did not name. It said its strategy in relation to Empirepoker.com would depend on the outcome of any legal action against PartyGaming.

It said that its businesses that have no relationship with PartyGaming, including Club Dice and Noble Poker, are on course to make profits after tax of about $37 million (£21.5 million).

It said profits at Empire Poker, which as a poker website does have a relationship with PartyGaming, "could be impacted" by the commercial changes and by the outcome of the proposed lawsuit.

Just last week, PartyGaming redrew its relationships with its other skins - parting company with Coral Eurobet and effectively buying out Multipoker.com and IntertopsPoker.com.

Shares in Empire Online dropped nearly 5 per cent (down 3p) to 60.5p in early deals. PartyGaming lost 1.5p (a fall of more than 1.5 per cent) to 96.5p

Till Next Time!

Still Going!

Just like the bunny.

Pacific has been great so far. I am about half way through with the wagering requirements and really have nothing bad to say about the site other than you can not multi table.

I have had the losing sessions and the bad beats (One two outer on river and one 94 sooooted calling my three bet cold vs. AA only to flop 4x4) All in all though I am up and the site is paying off well. You will definately need the stomach for it though. I must say I like my little fish bowl!

Bet365 is having a $25K freeroll on the 26th of November at 15:00. Entry is free, there are no raked hands requirements and there are cash prizes for the top 1000 places. 10,000 max entrants but the winner gets $3,000. Probably a huge crap shoot till first break but how do you not try this for free!

Saw this this weekend...hmmmm, someone is getting fired!

Coupon Misprints Could Cost Casino Millions

JOLIET, Ill. -- A misprint may end up costing an Illinois casino millions of dollars.Harrah's Joliet Casino said there was a mistake in about 11,000 coupons mailed to customers last week. Instead of being worth $15 or $20 apiece, each had a face value of $525 in cash. The company blames the error on a third-party vendor.Dozens of gamblers crowded Harrah's customer service desk on Friday, and got angry when the casino refused to redeem the coupons. Customers were encouraged to trade the coupons for reward points. Some did, but others decided to keep their slips of paper.The Illinois Gaming Board ruled that Harrah's must honor the coupons. All told, the company could be liable for as much as $5.8 million.

Hope all had a great weekend!


Till Next Time!