Thursday, August 30, 2007

Nik Finishes 7th in a Jungle Poker Qualifier - Moves on to Finals

Come in 7th out of 463 players.
It's a $1000 tourney I qualified for this Saturday.
Had to make the final thirty I'm going to have to see if I can move the tourney to another weekend - like in December.
Less golf days in front of us than behind us.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Nik Finishes 4th in Full Tilt Qualifier

You had to win it to get the seat. Bested all but 3 of a 360 person field.
As the short stack, I went all-in with 66 and was called by KT suited. A Ten on the flop ended my dream of qualifying for the Aussie Millions satelite.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Nahanni Wins NPP Internet #33

We had six players as Boother and Beerhog were just a little too late to enter.

On hand #20, Aqualung (6th) took the bad hit of the night catching an eight’s over full house on the river but running into Nahanni’s ten’s over boat.

On hand #60, Rownder (5th) went all-in with (88) and got called by ArticBlast’s (TT) and got no help.

On hand #85, we got a rare three-player all in between ArticBlast (4th) with (77) and Duder and MikeNiks both with (A9) and a flop that was 9-high. No 7 for Blast and a split-pot for Duder and Niks.

That got us to the break after 90 hands:
Nahanni 3800
MikeNiks (Faldo) 3400
Duder 1800

On hand #95, Mikeniks grabbed the chip lead momentarily. But on hand #98 Duder (3rd) goes all in with (JJ) and is called by Nahanni with (K7) and a [7] on the flop. A [K] on the turn and it is all over for Duder. Nahanni now has the lead back.

Nahanni pecked away at my (Mikeniks) chip stack until I (2nd) went all-in with (AQ). Nahanni called with her winning (K7) and hit a [K] on the flop to end the evening.

1st – Nahanni
2nd – NikFaldo (Mikeniks)
3rd – Duder
4th – ArticBlast
5th – Rownder
6th – Aqualung

My heads up record took yet another hit. But credit goes to Nahanni who kept her cool as I went all-in many time trying to illicit a mistake. She didn’t take the bait.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Absolute Poker Has a New Look! - Very Nice!

Tolly tipped me off that the site had changed. It is not Internet Poker season so I am not playing near as much as I do when the snow flys. Couple that with work overload and I just have not played there in a month.

The look at the table is really cleaned up and easy on the eyes - at least my old eyes. Gone is the ugly orange end tables and the hard blue AP symbols. Plus you have a choice of three table looks to choose from - and they expand to a full size monitor if you so desire.

Another nice feature is that if you also have an account at Ultimate Bet, you can transfer money back and forth between the two. This is a great idea and other sites should get with it also.

Absolute Poker also takes ePassporte deposits and cashouts - the best new internet poker bank in town, now that NetTeller abandoned us. AP definitely moved up Nik Faldo's ranking scale of internet poker sites with these changes.

Another note: NetTeller may have abandoned us but at least they didn't cheat us. I got my deposited money back.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

A Hot ArticBlast Wins NPP Internet #32

Get it? Hot artic blast? Nevermind.
Seven players made it.
Boother and a new player Aqualung85 sat out in the beginning. Aqua joined the game at about hand #30. Boother never made it.

On hand #53 Nahanni (7th) gets (JJ) and runs into Duder’s (QQ). That was a rough return for our lone lady player to the NPP internet felt.

On hand #81 Matchy (6th) calls an all-in by Aqua with (93). Aqua had (AQ) and Matchy got no help.

This got Boother in the points.

Duder cripples Aqua when his (AJ) beat Aqua’s (KQ) suited on hand #86.

On hand #89 my (5th) (KK) gets beat by Artic’s (A3) when an Ace flops. I went ahead and bet my remaining chips after the flop, which was probably stupid. But Artic had position and I would of either had to fold or call anyway if he bet. The question was …did I think he had an Ace? No I didn’t but I should of.

Right at the break Boother (4th) blinded out. Chip count:
ArticBlast 7250
Duder 2300
Aqua 950

Two minutes in, our short-stacked new guy Aqua (3th) gets the worst bad beat of the night as his (AA) lost to Artic’s (J4). They bet and when a [J] hit on the flop, Aqua went all-in and got called. Artic hit a J on the turn.

It was not 2 minutes later that Duder (2nd) checks Artic’s small blind call.
The flop is [Kd 6h 9d] .
Duder bet, Artic raised, Duder re-raised and Artic called.
The turn is [Ts].
Duder bets and Artic called.
[4d]
Duder makes a big bet, Artic raised all-in and got called.
Artic hit the flush holding (7d 2d) to beat Duder’s pair of kings.

1st – ArticBlast
2nd – Duder
3rd – Aqualung
4th – Boother (DNP)
5th – Mikeniks
6th – Matchy
7th – Nahanni

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Boother Throws a Great Game! Tourney Won by Rounder

The Boother Invitational is a great night of poker!

One consistent for heads-up at final tables, whether it is on-line or on the actual felt - Boother
Boother and me Tuesday Internet - Boother wins.
Rounder and Boother Saturday in the Big Game and Rownder wins.

A great night of poker and a good bunch of mopes at the tables. The ring game during and after the tournament was alive and kicking.

I read Matchy's comment on the last post:
"What buy-ins do you guys prefer at tournaments? I know small buy-ins lead to all-ins every hand, but I don't need extra $ tagged on to a buy-in to get poker enjoyment. I am thinking of the loss rather than what I could win."

Ouch. Put me in Matchy's golf cart. And it is not a financial concern, but for some reason (age?), I have grown increasingly risk adverse - and that has killed my game.

I will still be in there because I love the competition - and the agony of defeat apparently.
But I now see myself as dead money, rather than a player.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Boother Returns and Wins NPP #31

Seven made it to the game and one just missed (Nahanni). Quite a lot of action and elevator rides for the players too.

Sev4TSev (7th) was getting the hands he was getting 2 games ago - again - and got short-stacked early. On hand #48 he goes all-in with A9 and gets called by Boother with TT. A T on the flop ends it.

On hand #50 ArticBlast takes out Duder (6th). Short-stacked Duder had AK and went all in with a flop with a K in it. Artic had K5 and hit a 5 on the turn.

The other five of us make the break after 70 hands:
Boother 3000
Mikeniks 3000
Rownder 2190
ArticBlast 1770
Matchy 540

On hand #80 Matchy goes all-in and gets called by ArticBlast and Rownder. Matchy had K7 and Blast had QT, with a flop of [6Q4]. A turn of a 5 and a river of a 3 saved Matchy with the straight.

On hand #102, Matchy makes a big comeback hitting a straight against Boother.

On hand #115 however, a once again short-stacked Matchy (5th) goes all-in with 74 with a [7] on a flop. Rownder takes him out hitting a flush.

On hand #128 Rownder (4th) is taken out by Boother who hits a flush, but his AK beat Rownder's K7 anyway.

On hand #144 ArticBlast (3rd) is another Boother victim as his K2 hits a [K] on the flop but Boother has KT.

That leaves only the worst heads up player on the planet between Boother and another win. He takes me (2nd) out on hand #183. It was hand #178, I hit top pair with A7 but Boother had two pair on the same flop. I thought he was taking a stab at a pot and stupidly called. That crippled me.

Boother took out 6 of the 7 players on his way to victory.

1st - Boother
2nd - NikFaldo
3rd - ArticBlast
4th - Rownder
5th - Matchy
6th - Duder
7th - Sev4TSev

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Sev4TSev Wins NPP Internet #30

We had five. And some conservative play happened throughout.

No real action happened until hand #76 when the two shorter stacks hooked up. Sev4T's AQ hit an A on the river to beat Matchy's 22. Matchy was crippled at that point. His night looked like 747's last week.

The next hand Matchy (5th) goes all in with 93 and I call with 44. The flop comes [A23] and that is not enough for Matchy to catch me. But a [9] on the turn gives him the lead. The torture ends for Matchy as my 4 comes on the river.

The four of us make the first break and after 95 hands:
Sev4TSev 2400
Mikeniks 2200
Duder 1950
ArticBlast 950

On hand #108, a short-stacked ArticBlast takes an all in stab at the pot with Q6s and I have Q9 with a [Q] on the flop. The flush gets there and now I am low man.

On hand #131, Duder and Artic Blast (4th) limp in. A flop of [8s 9s 5d] hits and ArticBlast goes all-in with (Qs 2S) and Duder calls with (8 5). No flush arrives and the Blast is out of air.

On hand #144, I am short-stacked and take a stab at a pot with 65s and a flop of [5A4]. Sev4TSev calls with his 34 and I get healthier. This sets up the next hand situation I think.

On hand #146, Sev4TSev goes all-in with 55 and runs into Duder's KK. But a 5 on the river shows it is the Airplane's night.

On hand #149, I (3rd) go all-in with my (AQ) when the flop is [A49], but Duder has A4 and it's all over for the host.

It was a long battle two-handed - close to 45 minutes - before Duder takes an all-in bluff stab with Q4, but Sev4TSev has T6s and hits the flush to close out the night.

1st - Sev4TSev
2nd - Duder
3rd - Mikeniks
4th - ArticBlast
5th - Matchy




On hand #146, Duder gets Sev4T

Friday, August 03, 2007

Neteller cashout worked!

Previously I wrote about the window of opportunity to *finally* cash out of Neteller.

Well my friends, I requested it a few days ago and it just arrived.

Since most NPP regulars lose and lose* this post is of no value but for those winning players with superior intellect** this is welcome news.

* = does not include Beerhog, Tolly or Herbavor - the lucky bastards.
** = Nik Faldo, Fourputt, Cigar John, Matchy

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

NPP Internet Standings - thru July

Here are the standings. I think making 2 out of 5 games is not too much to ask. Henceforth, only players who have 10 games played by July or are on track to get 20 in by December will be listed.

The first number listed is total points. The second is the average points per tourney.

1st - Nik Faldo 128 / 5.3
2nd - Boother 107 / 4.7
3rd - Rownder 89 / 4.9
4th - Sev4TSev 86 / 5.1
5th - Matchy 81 / 3.9
6th - Beerhog 50 / 4.5
7th - Momo 42 / 3.5
8th - ArticBlast 35 / 1.8
9th - Nahanni 28 / 4.7 (played 6 times in 10 weeks - on track)
10th - BonAir 28 / 3.5 (played 8 times in 20 weeks - on track)
11th - Duder 9 / 1.5 (played 6 times in 9 weeks - on track)