Wednesday, October 31, 2007

October Standings for NPP Tourney

A couple things I noticed:

A. We got a dogfight for the NPP Internet Player of the Year Crown, with four people realistically still in the hunt!

B. Cigar4John and/or BonAir to play in at least one more tourney to break their tie.

C. Matchy's fears of having "too many players" on a given night - I don't ever think will materialize. We had 20 players make appearances so far this year and yet we only average 6.8 per round. I know from hosting private games, I needed a list of 14 to get 7 to the table every time. Looks like it is triple that for the internet. I think a players list of 27 to 30 players would get us 8 to 14 a night. Points would really be worth something then!

D. The points per round averages are all close for the most part. If the 'middle point people' had played more, the standings would be much MUCH closer. How much fun and trash talk could we milk out of that??

As you know, the points for each week's tourney are awarded like this:
1st - 10
2nd - 7
3rd - 5
4th - 3
5th - 1

The format of the standings this month is this:

Name - (Points) - [Points per Round Average] - {Wins this Year}
Nik Faldo - (181) - [5.0] - {3}

1 - Boother - (137) - [4.3] - {5}

2 - Rownder - (133) - [5.3] - {9}

3 - Sev4TSev - (133) - [4.9] - {7}

4 - Matchy - (105) - [3.5] - {3}

5 - ArticBlast - (63) - [2.2] - {1}

6 - Beerhog - (52) - [4.0] - {3}

7 - Nahanni - (50) - [3.6] - {3}

8 - Momo - (42) - [3.5] - {3}

9 - Aqualung - (33) - [3.3] - {1}

10 - Duder - (31) - [1.9] - {0}

11 - Cigar4John - (28) - [3.5] - {0}

12 - BonAir - (28) - [3.5] - {0}

13 - Bronco76 - (27) - [3.9] - {2}

14 - Hlam14 - (14) - [2.8] - {1}

15 - DavetheDog - (9) - [3.0] - {0}

16 - Chiefsfan - (7) - [7.0] - {0}

17 - 1stout - (3) - [1.5] - {0}

18 - SpartyToJo - (1) - [.5] - {0}

19 - Tigercub8189 - (0) - [0.0] - {0}

Nik Faldo Wins NPP #42

Strange night at the Devil’s Night table. New player joins the fray after my brother gives him the password. But the new player "Chiefsfan17" seemed to fit right in. He didn’t know it but he gave an “Hlam14” impression by announcing his holdings DURING the hand! More on that later.

In addition, we had more railbirds than we had seated players it seemed. At least when we got to ‘heads up’. DavetheDog was a sweater, and Nahanni and Matchy stuck around. Thanks people. Some of the Chief's friends were in attendance also.

Chief, as nice of a guy as you seemed to be, to stay in the tourney, you have to send me an email to the npokerp address, and tell me a little about yourself. Well, stuff I can tell these mopes on the blog about, anyway.

I WILL be sending out a NEW password for the tourney, so everyone get your emails to me. And for gosh sakes recruit for next year.

Chief, you seemed to have a big following at the table. Tell them to send emails, and get into the trash talk on the blog.

Onto the game:

The action was subdued by the discussions with the ‘new guy’, Chiefsfan. That is natural that this group of sharks would want to feel out the new guy. I peg him as a combo Hlam14-Nahanni – and that is a compliment to the Chief!

On hand #51, Tigercub, with (77), calls an all-in by Sev4TSev with (AQ). A [Q] on the flop and the current chip leader is reduced to middle of the pack status.

On hand #54, Nahanni throws a raise out there. Tigercub, who spilled the password to the Chief, is the only caller. The flop was [4c Jc Td] and they both checked. The turn [Ah] got a bet from Tigercub and Nahanni called. The river is the [Qs]. Nahanni bets big with (Kd Js) and the straight, which ended Tigercub’s (6th) night.

By hand #70, I have been reduced to low chip guy. Sev4TSev and Nahanni had been destroying my chip stack with their perfect play. So I needed to catch a break – like them going to war. The stars must have aligned.

On hand #75, Sev4TSev takes a hit from Nahanni to slide slightly below me in chips. Nahanni has the chip lead.

On hand #78, I throw in a small raise with (Ah 8h) and am called by the ever dangerous Sev4TSev (5th) with (Kh 7s). The flop is great for me [887]. I make another small bet and Sev4TSev pounces with his two pair and it is over for him.

On hand #82, the Chief (JT) and Nahanni (AT) get all-in after a flop of [66T]. Played perfectly by both, it is up to the PS gods. They like the Chiefs over the Leafs in this one as a J on the river evens up the chips nicely at the break.

Matchy 2740
Chiefsfan 2160
Nahanni 2065
Mikeniks (Faldo) 2035

As you can see I am literally in a “chip and a chair” situation. No mortal could ever come back from such a deficit! It is impossible. Johnny Chan stopped by and told me it was hopeless! Phil Ivey and Negreanu recoiled in horror at my situation! No one has ever come back from such a low position before they cried!

Ok, that’s enough sauce on the ribs.

On hand #98, the ever aggressive Nahanni (4th) goes all-in with (33) and gets called by the Chief with (AJ). The Chief hit the pair to beat the squaw.

On hand #106, Matchy (3rd) reads it right and calls with (K9) against the Chief’s all-in bluff with (J6) suited. But the flush appears and the flame goes out on the Match.

That sets up the heads up play between (heads up record in parenthesis) The Chief (14-3) and Mikeniks-Faldo (2 – 3411).

On hand #106, I get close to even as my (A8) doubles me up.

On hand #117 is where the Hlam14 impression stars. The Chief announces his hand at now-railbird Nahanni’s request that he tells. The Chief announces (75) unsuited and that he is not lying. I am holding (76). What would you do?

I go ahead and go all-in. If he has me, he has me. But he is telling the truth. But the Poker Stars gods said, “No angle shooting Faldo. You two are splitting this pot! Go back to war!”

On hand #119, my (AJ) gets me the chip lead.

We battle, but on hand #130, the Chief (2nd) calls my all-in with (A9), but my (44) holds up and I win my third NPP tourney this year.

1st – Mikeniks (Nik Faldo)
2nd – Chiefsfan
3rd – Matchy
4th – Nahanni
5th – Sev4TSev
6th – Tigercub

Monday, October 29, 2007

Nik Qualified for Poker Stars Weekly 2nd Round - But Fails to Cash

I finished 22nd out of over 5000 players in an Omaha Hi/Lo tourney to qualify for a $1000 purse tourney Sunday.

That tourney was a 7-stud tourney. About 2400 were entered in this one.
I started out HOT hitting two quad hands, a full house and a flush early. That got me some chips but not all that much since it was a Limit tourney and still very early.

Then a half-hour in, my two full houses and a straight lost and I was now short-stacked.

I battled for a while but finally finished around 440th - well short of the cash.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Re-Buy Tournament Strategies

My anti-swing mindset automatically turned me against re-buy tournaments for a couple reasons. First, I didn’t know what the tourney was going to end up costing me – one or ten buy-ins? Second, the all-in maniacs would either knock me out early and broke. Or gather so many chips I would be bullied the rest of the tournament. Naw, I skipped them.

My negative outlook ignored the positive aspect - the prize pool is much larger - with fewer actual opponents. Can we dare say the word ‘overlay’?

I just needed a different strategy than the one I had for Freezeout tournaments. So here is the one I found thru Todd Arnold at Card Player Magazine;

To counter the fear of what it is going to cost, mentally accept that it may spend up to seven times the original buy-in amount. You may go over - or under - that seven number, depending on your attitude at the time, the table dynamics and the blind level when re-buying, but at least the budget is consider.

Secondly, start with the automatic re-buy and mentally accept that you will buy the add-on.
Third, plan on being ‘active.’ Raise with any playable hand – pre-flop - and note who is ‘gambling’ and who is sitting on the sidelines getting frustrated and waiting for a monster to break you. After the flop, play normal poker.

If you don’t get all your chips in the middle at least three times before the re-buy session ends, you are playing too tight. Chip stacks and table image is much more important than cards. If it is a coin-flip situation or better, gamble at every opportunity.

The goal is to grow your stack exponentially during the re-buy time and not let the blinds or the other player’s chips intimidate you yet.

Now let’s look at the negative aspect [Ed. Note: which I usually tend to do].

Let’s say you lose every coin flip and are sitting there with only the initial buy-in amount and spent the seven entries budgeted. Are you in a world of hurt?

Not really. You still have enough chips in relation to the blinds to not be in serious trouble to where you have to play all-in poker at this point. You can now settle in and play some serious poker because…

Secondly, there is a mountain of chips at your table just waiting to be collected!

Third, you maniac image will get paid off at least once or twice if you start winning some pots. - end

I plan on trying this strategy this winter. – Nik Faldo

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Rownder Wins NPPIT #41 – That’s 3 in a Row, and Four Out of His Last Five!

NPP is being dominated like never before - except for stretches in ring play by Hlam14 and Aqualung. But no one has dominated the tourneys like Rownder. Let’s see how we all got run over this time:

Seven of us were on the felt this night. Rownder started off aggressively stealing and winning pots. Intimidation factor? – I think so. On hand #14 he got slowed down a little when Bronco took over the chip lead as his (AQ) beat Rownder’s (KQ) with a [Q] on the flop.

On hand #16, unlucky Duder (7th) had (KK) and went all-in, just to run into Mikeniks-Faldo’s (AA). That is just bad timing for him and luck for me.

On hand #38 a short-stacked Aqualung (6th) got all-in with (AJ) and was called by Bronco76 with (A5). A five on the flop ended Aqua’s night. This was not the last time the lesser hand would win out tonight.

On hand #41, Boother raises Sev4TSev’s (5th) blind and he calls. A flop of [6c Ah 4d] gets another bet by Boother and another call. The turn is a [5h] and both players check. The river looks like a harmless [9s]. Sev4TSev bets, Boother raises and gets called. Boother had (99) for trips for the win. That left 747 with one chip and he was gone the next hand. Second week in a row the "chip and a chair" strategy failed.

On hand #43, Boother hit quads to beat my full house. Nice hand, but this was getting monotonous. We tangled 4 times and I got rivered three. The fact I was not out of chips after this hand is only because I smelled it. But if it is not Boother, it is Aqualung. And if it is not Aqualung, it’s Sev4TSev.

I can’t beat those guys, and I am about to add another ‘can’t beat them’ to the list. I suck at backgammon and chess. I'm running out of games!

I was hurting chip wise and on the very next hand was able to hit a flush to gather some chips back. Feeling better, but I go a little card dead at this point. Meanwhile, the other three were at war.

On hand #61, we get three way action as the blinds are called. A flop of [3s 2c Js] gets a bet by Bronco, and call by Boother and a fold from Rownder. The turn is the [2s]. Another bet from Bronco and called. The river is the [Qs]. Bronco checks. Boother bets big. Bronco goes all-in and Boother calls. A full house for Bronco (3 2) and a flush for Boother (Ks 4s). This gives Bronco the chip lead.

Wonder if Bronco would have called an all-in from Boother on the turn. I'm guessing yes.

On hand #73, Boother gets the chip lead back from Bronco as they both over-bet their hands and Boother’s (A8) beat Bronco’s (A6). But this is poker. Chips won with small hands count the same as chips won with monsters.

On hand #82, as the slightly smallest stack, Mikeniks-Faldo goes all-in after a raise from Rownder, who is the next stack. I have (QQ) and I was happy to see that that raise. Now if he only doesn’t have KK or AA. The pot-committed and 3rd in chips Rownder decides to gamble here and calls with (A3). An [A] on the flop and I am out. Add another guy to the list I can’t beat!

The break arrives and all are about even. Rownder slightly in 3rd place at this point.

Fifteen minutes into the renewal of hostilities, Boother calls Rownder’s blind. The flop is [Ah 6s 3c]. Checks. The turn, [Jd]. Checks (I think somebody’s lying!). The river is the [3d] and they both get all-in! Well no one was really fibbing as Rownder’s weak two pair turned into a full house (3s6h) and Boother (Th 3h) unluckily tripped his threes. Rownder has the chip lead now.

Five minutes later, Bronco76 (3rd) goes all-in with (KQ) and is called by Rownder with (77). A [7] on the flop and the horse is out of the barn.

Rownder grinds more and more chips from Boother (2nd) who finally gets all-in with (82) and gets no help and loses to Rownder’s (98). What a streak by Rownder!

1st – Rownder (10 pts)
2nd – Boother (7 pts)
3rd – Bronco75 (5 pts)
4th – Mikeniks-Faldo (3 pts)
5th – Sev4TSev (1 pt)
6th – Aqualung
7th – Duder

Monday, October 22, 2007

NPP @ Matchy's - Live Action

While I am up at deer camp for bow season, watching 'Brokeback Mountain' and 'Deliverance' (but only 3 times each), you guys have a poker game without me? No Bambi's were injured. I brought the wrong type of arrows. Nobody elses arrows had the rubber suction cups on the end of them.

Matchy reports that Beerhog, Boother, Aqualung, Sev4TSev, Dave and Kevin made the show! Nice! I missed a good one.

The game went for six or seven hours, with no tourney at the end. Beerhog, Dave, Kevin and Sev4TSev finished on the plus side.

Note to Boother: Hope everything is ok with your nephew and he is not hurt too bad. I didn't know how much to say about that on the blog. Can you give us an update in the comments?

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Man Wins $250,000 But Loses His Mind!

Hat tip to Cigar4John for this one.

From the AP - NEW YORK - Pamela Anderson says she and Rick Salomon took their 17-year friendship to the next level during a poker game. "I left the table and Errol (Lyon, Anderson's driver) played in my place," the 40-year-old ex-"Baywatch" star tells OK! magazine. "I came back to find myself $250,000 in the hole to Rick!"

So Salomon _ best known for making a sex tape with ex-girlfriend Paris Hilton _ struck a flirty deal.

"Rick, being the gentleman, said he would wipe my debt if I gave him a kiss, so I have to thank Vegas for our relationship switching gears!" Anderson says in the magazine's latest issue, on newsstands Thursday. "It evolved into spending every day _ and then nights _ together."
Salomon weighs in, telling OK!: "I've been plotting and scheming for the past 15 years, and I finally got the girl."

The couple tied the knot Oct. 6 in a villa at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, squeezing in their vows between Anderson's performances as an assistant in Hans Klok's magic show at a nearby casino.

It was the third marriage for both Anderson and Salomon. The couple met when she was dating one of Salomon's friends.

Anderson was previously wed to Kid Rock and Tommy Lee. Salomon's ex-wives are actresses Shannen Doherty and E.G. Daily.

"There has always been chemistry, but mostly it's been camaraderie," Anderson says. "We have been there for each other through everything. We have seen each other through it all _ that's tough to find."

She adds: "I don't just love him, I like him. We are an oddly good match."

Uhhhhh, I would of taken the money.
She's got more miles on her than a space shuttle.
She has seen more wood than a 1000 lumberjacks.
She can't go out in the sun anymore because the bottoms of her feet get sun poisoning.

Any other comments, guys?

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Rownder Wins NPPIT #40 for Two in a Row and the Win Lead!

Eight players made it to the felt on a night that turned into the Battle of the Titans!

We started with two tables of four players but didn’t lose anyone (and didn’t gain anyone either), and after 20 hands we merged to one table when late registration closed.

It was a cautious night as the first one out did not happen until hand #53.

Tigercub (8th) on what had to be a bluff, goes all-in on a flop with an Ace in it with (77). Sev4TSev calls with an Ace in his hand and Tiger is tamed.

ArticBlast (7th), who sat out some of the tourney, went all-in on hand #70 with (44) and was called by Aqualung with (TT) and did not improve.

Card, flop and river dead, MikeNiks-Faldo (me)(6th), finally has to go all-in with (As 9s) and is called by Matchy with (Ad Kd). The flop of [T87] and two spades looks promising, but my hand doesn’t flush, straight or pair.

Break comes and the totals looked something like this:

Aqualung 3500
Sev4TSev 3300
Matchy 2000
Rownder 1700
Boother 1000

The game goes on for 10 minutes or so before Aqua (AQ) calls an all-in from Sev4TSev (AK) and gets crippled down to $1. Will a 'chip and a chair' comeback make history repeat???
Uhhhhh, no. Aqua (5th) leaves when his (A8) does not improve against Rownder’s (99).

The game goes on now for a half-hour. A great display of poker by everyone – back and forth.

Boother (4th) calls Matchy’s big blind. The flop is [Kc Jc 2s]. Boother checks, Matchy bets, Boother re-raises, Matchy re-raises, Boother goes all-in (Jd 8c) and of course the pot committed Matchy calls (Jc 2c).
The turn is [Ts] and the river is [Ac] - a flush for Mathcy and Boother is gone.

Fifteen minutes later Matchy’s (3rd) (QQ) runs into Sev4TSev’s (KK) and does not improve.

That sets up the dream SHOWDOWN!

Rownder and Sev4TSev were tied at this point with the most NPPIT wins with SEVEN each!

Rownder had 7000 chips and Sev4TSev had 5000.

As the blinds increase, the airplane (747 – get it?) could not get off the ground and was getting blinded out. A tough call with a second-best hand had him severely short-stacked.

Sev4TSev (2nd) finally has to go all-in with (84) and is called by Rownder’s (44) and does not improve.

Win #2 in a row and the current win leader – Rownder!

1st – Rownder [10 pts]
2nd – Sev4TSev [7 pts]
3rd – Matchy [5 pts]
4th – Boother [3 pts]
5th – Aqualung [1 pt]
6th – Mikeniks
7th – ArticBlast
8th – Tigercub

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Rownder Wins NPP Internet #39

Ten players to the felt this evening. Love it! Remember to recruit for next year – this year! How great would it be to have 18 to 24 regular players?

On hand #14, Bronco (10th), our two in a row winner, was the first one out as Aqualung got him.

On hand #22 Nahanni (9th), who got extremely short-stacked early, had to go all-in with Q9 and lost to Duder’s pair of kings.

I had some great luck early – NOT!
My JJ gets killed in two places when an Ace flops.
My flopped trip 9’s get run down by a straight and a flush held by Rownder.
My AK gets re-raised all in on a low straight flop, and I have to fold.

How is that for an early tourney start?

Lucky I was playing from my home in the basement and not my sometimes 6th story Cleveland hotel room. Me or the computer might have sailed out the window. On the other hand, I was out of beer at the house and didn’t have room service. It’s a toss up as to where it was better to be.

I should explain why my tilt index was up prior to our tourney. I was in a 550-player tourney on World Poker Exchange. I was in 3rd with 40 players left and my AA lost to an all-in middle size stack with QQ when his queen hit on the river.

That prompted a 45 minute drought of cards before my JJ running into KK and my similar long shot didn’t hit. I finished 17th and they were only paying the final table. I had visions of explaining my final table trials and tribulations in that tourney while playing in ours. So much for that plan.

I know that is life at the poker tables, but still my attitude was not the best before our game. Then Poker Stars decided to kick me some more. Well, if you can’t take the shots, stay out of the ring I guess.

On hand #31, a short-stacked Boother’s (8th) AT and flopped pair of aces had to move all-in, just to run into Rownder’s AA. Ouch!

On hand #40, Tigercub’s 99 (7th) runs into Aqualung’s TT.

On hand #50, I (6th) get run down by Aqualung and on hand #62 my pair of kings with higher kicker gets beat by Duder as his pair of kings gets a second pair on the river. My showdown record in this tourney was {1 – 6} and {2 – 8} counting the last hands of the previous tourney - with the lead in eight of the hands [2 – 6]. Not my night obviously.

On hand #63, a short-stacked Sev4TSev (5th) goes all-in with AT and Rownder calls with 33 and no Ace or Ten show up.

That took us to the break and it stood like this:
Matchy 6386
Rownder 3649
Duder 2695
Aqualung 2270

After the break Duder (4th) gets critically crippled as his JJ gets run down by Aqualung’s 77 as a 7 hits the turn. Aqua ended Duder’s suffering by having his AQ outlast Duder’s A8.

At this point a three-way match goes on for quite a while. Congrats to Aqualung, Matchy and Rownder. There was plenty of well played poker, with no quit in any of them.

Aqualung grabs the chip lead from Matchy as his all-in 88 gets called by Matchy’s KK and Aqualung does it again by hitting an 8 on the turn! I have company this night I see, so I guess it is NOT all about me.

Matchy got lucky for his tourney life a few hands later as his all-in AJ is called by Aqualung’s AQ. But a board of [ATTA] splits the hand.

Matchy (3rd) has to go all-in as he pairs his K on the turn with a hand of KJ. Rownder calls with KQ. The kicker carries.

Heads up with Aqua up about 8500 to 6500 over Rownder.

They went back and forth for about 30 hands before Aqualung’s 44 ran into Rownder’s JJ and that switched the chip lead to Rownder 10500 to 4500.

Aqualung fought back to even the chip count to about 7500 each! Nicely done.

But then the ever-aggressive Aqualung (2nd) moved all in with A6 and was called by Rounder with A7. A seven on the flop and it was soon over after that. Rownder ties Sev4TSev for the most internet tourney wins this year (7) with this victory!

A great 3-handed battle and a greater heads up one too!

1st – Rownder
2nd – Aqualung
3rd – Matchy
4th – Duder
5th – Sev-4T-Sev
6th – Mikeniks (Faldo)
7th – Tigercub
8th – Boother
9th – Nahanni
10th – Bronco76

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Bronco76 Wins NPP #38

Bronco76 wins his second NPP Internet Tourney and his second in a row!!!
Well done!

I was not able to attend. In Grand Rapids, MI on business. Got to the hotel way late after a business dinner. I was not supposed to make last week and did because of a schedule change.
This week, supposed to make it and missed because of a schedule change. Supplier insisted on taking me out to dinner.

Anyway, here were the results. Maybe some stories about the tourney guys?

1st - Bronco76
2nd - Aqualung
3rd - Sev-4T-Sev
4th - Boother
5th - Beerhog
6th - Duder1123