Poker World is a site I found that runs a few freerolls you can enter without having to deposit money first. They run them at 1 PM, 4 PM, 6 PM and 11 PM - which is not graveyard times at all!
I outlasted 225 of them, but got run down twice to lose a chance for victory.
The first time with about 40 players left, I was sitting in the middle of the pack in chips when a guy with only two-thirds of my chips goes all-in and it is folded to me on the button with AK. I honestly did not put him on a pair. I just knew he didn't have a pocket, let alone AA or KK.
So I call and he has AT. Of course the flop has two tens in it!
This cripples me, but I fight on and make the final table in 9th of 10.
I gather a few chips and even knock someone out. I move up to 5th in chips with eight players left.
I get (Kc Qc) on the button and see a small raise from the middle position player with the lowest chip count. I'm suspicious of that raise and only call as does the big blind - who has more chips than both of us.
The flop is [Kh Tc 3c]. The bettor checks and I decide if you have AK, good for you and I go all-in. I get called by both players! One with (KQ) and (AQ). Of course the [J] falls on the river to eliminate two of us.
Anyway, the lobby is good and the software is just ok. It plays well, but you cannot make the table full screen. This hurts if you are on more than one computer at a time as I often am.
But check out the site if you want to play on a small site or you are looking for Freeroll practice.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Online Poker Cheating Teaser
Usually the NPP gang suspects Beerhog, Herbavor and Aqualung as being guilty of this (given their obvious lack of poker skill). More importantly - maybe, just maybe, this lends validity to Nik Faldo's complaining/whining/weeping-like-a-grandma of how Poker is "out to get him". - Davethedog (aka Fourputt)
Watch CBS Videos Online
Watch CBS Videos Online
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Duder1123 Steamrolls to Victory #3 of the Year
Two new players added to the stable! Welcome LittleRedElf and Vbholdem! This gave us a twelve player tourney. Sirgash did not return tonight to go for the 2-peat.
15 min: ThePunk75 (99) raised and is called only by LittleRedElf {Elf}. The flop is [6h Kh 7h]. ThePunk bets and Elf calls again. The turn [7d]. Another bet and call. The river is the [7c]. Not believing the (AK) Elf is holding, there is another bet and call, and ThePunk75 is hurt bad early.
21 min: If Umichpoker (12th) wants to sue Poker Stars for ‘cruel and unusual punishment’, I’ll be a witness! It seems like the more you promote and support the site, the meaner it is to you.
Kind of like a wife, but I digress.
Umichpoker gets all-in with (QQ) only to run into Vbholdem (AA). This cripples her stack, but leaves her with enough for this hand.
She gets all-in with (88) against ThePunk75’s (55), only to see a [5] land on the flop. Ouch!
Umichpoker and I should play heads up on Poker Stars. Bet we tie for 3rd! It Hate Us!
22 min: While I am writing up the notes on this hand, a bloodletting happens on the other table. CrackBuyer ousts Tigercub8189 (11th) and 7Jokers (10th) with his (AA).
41 min: We played some poker before this hand. What is with the triple all-ins all of a sudden? They used to be rarer occurrences than me hitting any piece of a flop. But in the last two weeks – a bunch of them.
Not me hitting flops - the triple all-ins have been happening a lot. After all, don't get crazy on me.
The Punk75 (9th) (Ad Td) (29%), Doneill (8th) (KK) (54%) and Biglou93 (QQ) (17%) are off to the racetrack.
The flop is [38Q] and "Down the stretch they come! From the far outside – the winner, BigLou!"
47 min: Rennzzo (7th) makes his move when his (QJ) pairs with a flop of [J6T], but CrackBuyer is holding the over pair (QQ).
58 min: Duder1123 survives an all-in at the buzzer, beating the Poker Stars Break Monster! An omen of good things coming his way - and here we stand:
CrackBuyer 5480
Biglou93 3681
Duder1123 2994
Vbholdem 2375
LittleRed Elf 2225
Davethedog 1245
65 min: Duder1123 goes on a rush now!
Duder calls a raise with his (Jc Td) against Vbholdem (6th) with (JJ). When the flop comes [6c Js 8c], the shorter stacked Vbholdem (92%) is all but too happy to push. The turn and river are clubs and Duder steals it.
78 min: LittleRedElf (5th) goes all-in with (KK) (92%) and is called by Duder’s (TT) after a flop of [6Q5].
Was that not two back-to-back - almost 10 to 1 AGAINST - wins for Duder?
We play on now for a half hour. Great battle guys! CrackBuyer tried a couple times to eliminate the shorter stacks, but they kept surviving.
107 min: Davethedog (4th) has to make a move with (Ac Qc) and is called by BigLou93 with (33) and no A, Q or clubs arrive for the Dog.
113 min: Biglou93 makes his short stack move with (JT) (67%) and is called by Duder1123 with (43) after a flop of [QA2]. Duder makes the baby straight on the river!
Heads up: CrackBuyer 10000 – Duder1123 8000
115 min: CrackBuyer 10500 – Duder1123 7500
Break 2:
Duder1123 9671
CrackBuyer 8329
123 min: CrackBuyer (2nd) goes all-in with (99) and is called by the over cards of Duder1123 (KT). The coin flip is won by Duder who hits his [T] on the turn! Congratulations Duder1123 on your 3rd win of the year!
This clinches the last Quarter seat for Hlam14. Congratulations to Hlam14 also.
Still a battle for the last two seats granted for the most points won without winning a quarter! That race is posted on the right side of the blog.
1st – 10 pts Duder1123 18 pts
2nd – 7 pts CrackBuyer 7 pts
3rd – 5 pts BigLou93 9 pts
4th – 3 pts Davethedog 3 pts
5th – 1 pt LittleRedElf 1pt
6th – Vbholdem
7th – Rennzzo 8 pts
8th – Doneill (24 pts)
9th – ThePunk75 13 pts
10th – 7Jokers (32 pts)
11th – Tigercub8189 17 pts
12th – Umichpoker
Hlam14 (46 pts)
Mikeniks-Faldo (26 pts)
Sirgash 17 pts
Hammer1010 10 pts
McGuiness007 10 pts
Steveseam 10 pts
Matchy 3 pts
ArcticBlast1 3 pts
Nahanni (1 pt)
Bighousea2 1 pt
Tomservo2 1 pt
15 min: ThePunk75 (99) raised and is called only by LittleRedElf {Elf}. The flop is [6h Kh 7h]. ThePunk bets and Elf calls again. The turn [7d]. Another bet and call. The river is the [7c]. Not believing the (AK) Elf is holding, there is another bet and call, and ThePunk75 is hurt bad early.
21 min: If Umichpoker (12th) wants to sue Poker Stars for ‘cruel and unusual punishment’, I’ll be a witness! It seems like the more you promote and support the site, the meaner it is to you.
Kind of like a wife, but I digress.
Umichpoker gets all-in with (QQ) only to run into Vbholdem (AA). This cripples her stack, but leaves her with enough for this hand.
She gets all-in with (88) against ThePunk75’s (55), only to see a [5] land on the flop. Ouch!
Umichpoker and I should play heads up on Poker Stars. Bet we tie for 3rd! It Hate Us!
22 min: While I am writing up the notes on this hand, a bloodletting happens on the other table. CrackBuyer ousts Tigercub8189 (11th) and 7Jokers (10th) with his (AA).
41 min: We played some poker before this hand. What is with the triple all-ins all of a sudden? They used to be rarer occurrences than me hitting any piece of a flop. But in the last two weeks – a bunch of them.
Not me hitting flops - the triple all-ins have been happening a lot. After all, don't get crazy on me.
The Punk75 (9th) (Ad Td) (29%), Doneill (8th) (KK) (54%) and Biglou93 (QQ) (17%) are off to the racetrack.
The flop is [38Q] and "Down the stretch they come! From the far outside – the winner, BigLou!"
47 min: Rennzzo (7th) makes his move when his (QJ) pairs with a flop of [J6T], but CrackBuyer is holding the over pair (QQ).
58 min: Duder1123 survives an all-in at the buzzer, beating the Poker Stars Break Monster! An omen of good things coming his way - and here we stand:
CrackBuyer 5480
Biglou93 3681
Duder1123 2994
Vbholdem 2375
LittleRed Elf 2225
Davethedog 1245
65 min: Duder1123 goes on a rush now!
Duder calls a raise with his (Jc Td) against Vbholdem (6th) with (JJ). When the flop comes [6c Js 8c], the shorter stacked Vbholdem (92%) is all but too happy to push. The turn and river are clubs and Duder steals it.
78 min: LittleRedElf (5th) goes all-in with (KK) (92%) and is called by Duder’s (TT) after a flop of [6Q5].
Was that not two back-to-back - almost 10 to 1 AGAINST - wins for Duder?
We play on now for a half hour. Great battle guys! CrackBuyer tried a couple times to eliminate the shorter stacks, but they kept surviving.
107 min: Davethedog (4th) has to make a move with (Ac Qc) and is called by BigLou93 with (33) and no A, Q or clubs arrive for the Dog.
113 min: Biglou93 makes his short stack move with (JT) (67%) and is called by Duder1123 with (43) after a flop of [QA2]. Duder makes the baby straight on the river!
Heads up: CrackBuyer 10000 – Duder1123 8000
115 min: CrackBuyer 10500 – Duder1123 7500
Break 2:
Duder1123 9671
CrackBuyer 8329
123 min: CrackBuyer (2nd) goes all-in with (99) and is called by the over cards of Duder1123 (KT). The coin flip is won by Duder who hits his [T] on the turn! Congratulations Duder1123 on your 3rd win of the year!
This clinches the last Quarter seat for Hlam14. Congratulations to Hlam14 also.
Still a battle for the last two seats granted for the most points won without winning a quarter! That race is posted on the right side of the blog.
1st – 10 pts Duder1123 18 pts
2nd – 7 pts CrackBuyer 7 pts
3rd – 5 pts BigLou93 9 pts
4th – 3 pts Davethedog 3 pts
5th – 1 pt LittleRedElf 1pt
6th – Vbholdem
7th – Rennzzo 8 pts
8th – Doneill (24 pts)
9th – ThePunk75 13 pts
10th – 7Jokers (32 pts)
11th – Tigercub8189 17 pts
12th – Umichpoker
Hlam14 (46 pts)
Mikeniks-Faldo (26 pts)
Sirgash 17 pts
Hammer1010 10 pts
McGuiness007 10 pts
Steveseam 10 pts
Matchy 3 pts
ArcticBlast1 3 pts
Nahanni (1 pt)
Bighousea2 1 pt
Tomservo2 1 pt
Thursday, November 20, 2008
How About an NPP Heads-Up Tournament on PS?
Nahanni writes into NPP headquarters with this idea:
“Can we do a heads-up bracket tournament for the first 16 RSVP’s between Dec. 17 and the start of the new league? Like the heads up NBC Championship? Here is what I am thinking…
[Ed. Note: Not responsible for the content of women thinking or the damage wrought by same]
“Can we do a heads-up bracket tournament for the first 16 RSVP’s between Dec. 17 and the start of the new league? Like the heads up NBC Championship? Here is what I am thinking…
[Ed. Note: Not responsible for the content of women thinking or the damage wrought by same]
- First 16 who send in email to npokerp at yahoo get in.
- Faldo draws 4 bracket (named by the suits) with 4 people per bracket and posts it on the site.
- People comment on the site to each other to schedule their match. Faldo makes tourney on PS and emails the passwords to the players for the match.
- As the matches get completed, Faldo updates with a new post. Players are responsible for reading the site and the correct post.
- Faldo has forfeit power for lack of response or delay of play – even if he is in tourney. (heh-heh-heh!)
- Final should try to be completed before new league season begins.
Comment if you would like to try this. We can go the first 8 or 4 or 2? 32?
Maybe Michele and UMichPoker can promote this one too to draw more players. – Faldo.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Sirgash is Not Denied This Time! Gets 1st NPP Win
Tigergub8189 took him out in second place last round. And NPP sent the NPP tourney victory leader - 7Jokers - out against him this time, but Sirgash prevailed. Nice job.
A big field too! It was tied for the most players ever, as 15 players took to the Poker Stars felt. Three new players added: Douge2, Crackbuyer and Tomservo2. Welcome to NPP - or as Tigercub8189 calls it - The Shark Tank!
17 min: Beerhog takes a bit of a pounding in his boys as his (AQ) runs into ThePunk75’s (AK). The Hog is crippled.
28 min: Fighting on, Beerhog (15th) goes out soon after as his paired Queens run into the paired Kings of Duder1123 on the flop.
31 min: Douge2 (14th) gets the standard NPP welcome – a kick in the pants – as his (AT) runs into Nixi44’s (AQ).
32 min: UMichpoker (13th) raises with (JJ) and is called by Tomservo2. The flop is [K6T]. UMichpoker bets again and is put all-in by Tomservo2 with (AA). Poor UMichpoker keeps running into hands every week! Stop sitting in Faldo’s seat UMich, and that won’t happen.
48 min: Low-stacked (and welcome back by the way) Boother stays alive as his (AK) runs into Tigercub8189’s (KK), but hits an [A] on the flop.
51 min: ArcticBlast1 (12th) gets a bad beat as he has to make his move with (A4) and a flop of [A64]. Duder1123 correctly calls with a bigger stack and (AK). Duder gets his [K] on the turn.
56 min: The Poker Stars Break Monster was on a feeding frenzy tonight. A short-stacked Nixi44 (11th) goes all-in with (77) and is called by Tigercub8189 with (KJ). A flop with [JJ] kind of ended the suspense early.
59 min: All-in before the break is always scary for the short stacks. A rare (but not tonight) threesome all-in, as Duder1123 (10th) (33) and Biglou93 (9th) (98) make a move at the buzzer and run into Tomservo2 with …surprise, surprise (AA).
Break:
ThePunk75 6200
Tigercub8189 4025
Tomservo2 3540
Crackbuyer 2360
Rennzzo 2285
7Jokers 1575
Sirgash 1435
Boother 1080
(Faldo analysis written at the break) The Punk is playing well, but with 7Jokers and Boother still breathing at the stretch drive, it is always a concern. Always!
62 min: Crackbuyer (8th) deserved a better fate as his bad beat involved his (33) tripping on the flop, but Rennzzo – who correctly called with (KK) – managed to hit a flush on the river, crippling Crackbuyer, who went out shortly.
65 min: Boother survives when his all-in with (AT) survives against Rennzzo’s (AJ) by hitting a full house [K2K][T][K].
79 min: Tigercub8189 (7th) is gone when his short-stacked (A3) runs into 7Joker’s (A7).
82 min: Sirgash survives as his short stacked all-in (Ks 6s) hits the [KJ8] flop, only to see Tomservo2 holding (Js 8s). But a [6] comes on the turn! Now the hunted becomes the hunter!
85 min: ThePunk75’s lead is dashed as his (AT) has him switch chip positions with 7Jokers, with his (AQ).
92 min: Another threesome all-in as the short stacked Boother (6th) with (A6) is called by a small stack Rennzzo with (Ks Qs) and 7Jokers with (TT). 7Jokers tags trips on the flop, but Rennzzo makes a flush on the river. Boother is gone.
97 min: Tomservo2, who has amassed a lot of chips without taking players out, trips his (88). Unfortunately, 7Jokers tripped his (AA) on the same flop! Ouch!!!
Tomservo2 (5th) is crippled to less than a small blind, but he fought on! As the big stacks try to take him out, he doubles up once and triples up once, and is back in it.
107 min: Finally, Tomservo2’s (A7) runs into Sirgash’s (AQ).
109 min: The worst torture of the night (not really a bad beat until the river) in an evening loaded with them happens when the short stacked ThePunk75 (4th) moves in with (86). He is rightfully called by 7Jokers with (33). The flop of [AA5] looks promising for both players. The turn [5] gives ThePunk the lead, with a split very possible. But the two-outer winner for 7Jokers [3] comes on the river!
111 min: Rennzzo (3rd) makes his move with (AQ) and finds Sirgash holding (JJ).
Heads up between 7Jokers and Sirgash and they are about even in chips.
115 min: Sirgash 13600 – 7Jokers 8900
118 min: Sirgash 7700 – 7Jokers 14800 – but they just about switch chip stacks as Sirgash’s (AK) makes a straight against the Joker’s pocket sevens!
The next few minutes are not good for 7Jokers either!
2nd Break:
Sirgash 20500
7Jokers 2000
121 min: Sirgash pairs a (9) on the flop to beat 7Jokers (2nd) (A8). Congratulations Sirgash on the win and a 2nd – back to back!
1st – 10 pts Sirgash 17 pts
2nd – 7 pts 7Jokers (32 pts)
3rd – 5 pts Rennzzo 8 pts
4th - 3 pts ThePunk75 13 pts
5th – 1 pt Tomservo2 1 pt
6th – Boother
7th – Tigercub8189 17 pts
8th – Crackbuyer
9th – Biglou93 4 pts
10th – Duder1123 8 pts
11th – Nixi44
12th – ArcticBlast1 3 pts
13th – Umichpoker
14th – Douge2
15th – Beerhog
Hlam14 46 pts
Mikeniks (26 pts)
Doneill (24 pts)
McGuiness007 10 pts
Hammer1010 10 pts
Steveseam 10 pts
Matchy 3 pts
Nahanni (1 pt)
Bighousea2 1 pt
Total points race is listed on the side of the blog. ( ) denotes already has seat in the Finals.
A big field too! It was tied for the most players ever, as 15 players took to the Poker Stars felt. Three new players added: Douge2, Crackbuyer and Tomservo2. Welcome to NPP - or as Tigercub8189 calls it - The Shark Tank!
17 min: Beerhog takes a bit of a pounding in his boys as his (AQ) runs into ThePunk75’s (AK). The Hog is crippled.
28 min: Fighting on, Beerhog (15th) goes out soon after as his paired Queens run into the paired Kings of Duder1123 on the flop.
31 min: Douge2 (14th) gets the standard NPP welcome – a kick in the pants – as his (AT) runs into Nixi44’s (AQ).
32 min: UMichpoker (13th) raises with (JJ) and is called by Tomservo2. The flop is [K6T]. UMichpoker bets again and is put all-in by Tomservo2 with (AA). Poor UMichpoker keeps running into hands every week! Stop sitting in Faldo’s seat UMich, and that won’t happen.
48 min: Low-stacked (and welcome back by the way) Boother stays alive as his (AK) runs into Tigercub8189’s (KK), but hits an [A] on the flop.
51 min: ArcticBlast1 (12th) gets a bad beat as he has to make his move with (A4) and a flop of [A64]. Duder1123 correctly calls with a bigger stack and (AK). Duder gets his [K] on the turn.
56 min: The Poker Stars Break Monster was on a feeding frenzy tonight. A short-stacked Nixi44 (11th) goes all-in with (77) and is called by Tigercub8189 with (KJ). A flop with [JJ] kind of ended the suspense early.
59 min: All-in before the break is always scary for the short stacks. A rare (but not tonight) threesome all-in, as Duder1123 (10th) (33) and Biglou93 (9th) (98) make a move at the buzzer and run into Tomservo2 with …surprise, surprise (AA).
Break:
ThePunk75 6200
Tigercub8189 4025
Tomservo2 3540
Crackbuyer 2360
Rennzzo 2285
7Jokers 1575
Sirgash 1435
Boother 1080
(Faldo analysis written at the break) The Punk is playing well, but with 7Jokers and Boother still breathing at the stretch drive, it is always a concern. Always!
62 min: Crackbuyer (8th) deserved a better fate as his bad beat involved his (33) tripping on the flop, but Rennzzo – who correctly called with (KK) – managed to hit a flush on the river, crippling Crackbuyer, who went out shortly.
65 min: Boother survives when his all-in with (AT) survives against Rennzzo’s (AJ) by hitting a full house [K2K][T][K].
79 min: Tigercub8189 (7th) is gone when his short-stacked (A3) runs into 7Joker’s (A7).
82 min: Sirgash survives as his short stacked all-in (Ks 6s) hits the [KJ8] flop, only to see Tomservo2 holding (Js 8s). But a [6] comes on the turn! Now the hunted becomes the hunter!
85 min: ThePunk75’s lead is dashed as his (AT) has him switch chip positions with 7Jokers, with his (AQ).
92 min: Another threesome all-in as the short stacked Boother (6th) with (A6) is called by a small stack Rennzzo with (Ks Qs) and 7Jokers with (TT). 7Jokers tags trips on the flop, but Rennzzo makes a flush on the river. Boother is gone.
97 min: Tomservo2, who has amassed a lot of chips without taking players out, trips his (88). Unfortunately, 7Jokers tripped his (AA) on the same flop! Ouch!!!
Tomservo2 (5th) is crippled to less than a small blind, but he fought on! As the big stacks try to take him out, he doubles up once and triples up once, and is back in it.
107 min: Finally, Tomservo2’s (A7) runs into Sirgash’s (AQ).
109 min: The worst torture of the night (not really a bad beat until the river) in an evening loaded with them happens when the short stacked ThePunk75 (4th) moves in with (86). He is rightfully called by 7Jokers with (33). The flop of [AA5] looks promising for both players. The turn [5] gives ThePunk the lead, with a split very possible. But the two-outer winner for 7Jokers [3] comes on the river!
111 min: Rennzzo (3rd) makes his move with (AQ) and finds Sirgash holding (JJ).
Heads up between 7Jokers and Sirgash and they are about even in chips.
115 min: Sirgash 13600 – 7Jokers 8900
118 min: Sirgash 7700 – 7Jokers 14800 – but they just about switch chip stacks as Sirgash’s (AK) makes a straight against the Joker’s pocket sevens!
The next few minutes are not good for 7Jokers either!
2nd Break:
Sirgash 20500
7Jokers 2000
121 min: Sirgash pairs a (9) on the flop to beat 7Jokers (2nd) (A8). Congratulations Sirgash on the win and a 2nd – back to back!
1st – 10 pts Sirgash 17 pts
2nd – 7 pts 7Jokers (32 pts)
3rd – 5 pts Rennzzo 8 pts
4th - 3 pts ThePunk75 13 pts
5th – 1 pt Tomservo2 1 pt
6th – Boother
7th – Tigercub8189 17 pts
8th – Crackbuyer
9th – Biglou93 4 pts
10th – Duder1123 8 pts
11th – Nixi44
12th – ArcticBlast1 3 pts
13th – Umichpoker
14th – Douge2
15th – Beerhog
Hlam14 46 pts
Mikeniks (26 pts)
Doneill (24 pts)
McGuiness007 10 pts
Hammer1010 10 pts
Steveseam 10 pts
Matchy 3 pts
Nahanni (1 pt)
Bighousea2 1 pt
Total points race is listed on the side of the blog. ( ) denotes already has seat in the Finals.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Faldo Wins Qualifier on Full Tilt!
It was a 180 player field with a 20 FPT (frequent player point) entry and I somehow bested them all!
I now have a seat in the “Satellite to the Sunday Brawl” – which will be played Saturday at 2:30 pm. It is Tourney #65904612 and I go by “DagnyT” on that site, if interested in sweatering.
If I finish in the top 36 in that one, I make it to the “Sunday Brawl” on Sunday at 2pm, which has a prize pool of $350,000!
One-third of the way to a $70,000 pay day. Wish me luck!
PS: I called Full Tilt and asked, "Since I am a third of the way to $70,000 and ...after all...Nik Faldo, can I just take...let's say $30,000 and let the rest of the players live and at least make $40,000 for first place?"
Somehow, we got disconnected before the Full Tilt guy could answer. Must be my cell phone acting up. Yeah, that's it.
I now have a seat in the “Satellite to the Sunday Brawl” – which will be played Saturday at 2:30 pm. It is Tourney #65904612 and I go by “DagnyT” on that site, if interested in sweatering.
If I finish in the top 36 in that one, I make it to the “Sunday Brawl” on Sunday at 2pm, which has a prize pool of $350,000!
One-third of the way to a $70,000 pay day. Wish me luck!
PS: I called Full Tilt and asked, "Since I am a third of the way to $70,000 and ...after all...Nik Faldo, can I just take...let's say $30,000 and let the rest of the players live and at least make $40,000 for first place?"
Somehow, we got disconnected before the Full Tilt guy could answer. Must be my cell phone acting up. Yeah, that's it.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The Secret to Success...Never Give Up!
Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the light bulb. If he had quit at attempt 9,000, we might be playing internet poker by candle light.
Ok, that made no sense, but you get my drift.
The chase for heralded and coveted Nik's Poker Palace Player of the Year title is a marathon and not a sprint. A year is a long, long poker game my friends. Twists and turns in life, health, jobs, kids, relationships, friendships - as well as the cards - all play a part in determining the winner.
You may or may not have noticed the changes to the current "Seat in the Final" list, as well as the new standings in the Total Points Seat race.
I want to explain what happened. The NPP Tournament Committee met at the secret underground bunker - safe from any form of espionage. These geniuses from all over the world came together to decide how the December 16th Final would be populated. The greatest minds in the world, mind you, determine the fate of 30 of the best poker players (and nicest people) in the world! An awesome responsibility!
1st Quarter - Winner Mikeniks-Faldo
Committee said he is ineligible due to his lame attempts at humor all year long.
So the seat goes to the 2nd place finisher in Qtr I - Aqualung. But Aqualung informed the Committee he may not be available for the game on that date. So the Committee awarded the seat to the 3rd place finisher in Qtr I - 7Jokers!
The lesson here is to always play hard and play every round you can every quarter. As I said earlier - life happens!
2nd and 3rd quarters are set as Doneill and Nahanni are ready to play for poker immortality!
That leaves Qtr 4. Hlam14 has a strangle hold on it right now, but he is still catchable!
The exciting news is that the Committee is awarding TWO SEATS from the Total Points standings - unless there is a tie in Quarter 4 - then there will only be one seat.
But with four tourneys left and a possible 40 points possibly added to a player's total, a lot of players are still alive for a seat in the finals!
The plan was to have a 6-person Final, but sometimes plans change. We will have six and possibly seven.
The exciting news - and the other lesson here is, as Yogi Berra says - "it ain't over til it's over!"
Keep in mind, we could have cancellations once the seats are set, so you never know! All I know is - it is all very exciting!
Ok, that made no sense, but you get my drift.
The chase for heralded and coveted Nik's Poker Palace Player of the Year title is a marathon and not a sprint. A year is a long, long poker game my friends. Twists and turns in life, health, jobs, kids, relationships, friendships - as well as the cards - all play a part in determining the winner.
You may or may not have noticed the changes to the current "Seat in the Final" list, as well as the new standings in the Total Points Seat race.
I want to explain what happened. The NPP Tournament Committee met at the secret underground bunker - safe from any form of espionage. These geniuses from all over the world came together to decide how the December 16th Final would be populated. The greatest minds in the world, mind you, determine the fate of 30 of the best poker players (and nicest people) in the world! An awesome responsibility!
1st Quarter - Winner Mikeniks-Faldo
Committee said he is ineligible due to his lame attempts at humor all year long.
So the seat goes to the 2nd place finisher in Qtr I - Aqualung. But Aqualung informed the Committee he may not be available for the game on that date. So the Committee awarded the seat to the 3rd place finisher in Qtr I - 7Jokers!
The lesson here is to always play hard and play every round you can every quarter. As I said earlier - life happens!
2nd and 3rd quarters are set as Doneill and Nahanni are ready to play for poker immortality!
That leaves Qtr 4. Hlam14 has a strangle hold on it right now, but he is still catchable!
The exciting news is that the Committee is awarding TWO SEATS from the Total Points standings - unless there is a tie in Quarter 4 - then there will only be one seat.
But with four tourneys left and a possible 40 points possibly added to a player's total, a lot of players are still alive for a seat in the finals!
The plan was to have a 6-person Final, but sometimes plans change. We will have six and possibly seven.
The exciting news - and the other lesson here is, as Yogi Berra says - "it ain't over til it's over!"
Keep in mind, we could have cancellations once the seats are set, so you never know! All I know is - it is all very exciting!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Tigercub8189 Wins His 3rd NPP Tourney!
It took an epic heads up battle, but he did it!
We picked up another new lady player – the lovely Mrs. Sirgash – Nixi44. Welcome to the game! Nahanni and UMichPoker will tell you we are not that bad a group of guys – and they are lying!
Nine players started. On to the action:
I sat out due to a crowded house at the time of the start of the tourney, but was able to record the action.
11 min: UMichPoker (9th) hit the flop of [7JT] with (AJ), but 7Jokers was holding (KK).
45 min: It took a little while for the next casualty. Then a couple oustings happen in a row.
Last week’s winner ThePunk75 (8th) got cold-decked as his (Q9) hit a flop of [57Q] and a turn of [9], only to run into a slow-played (QQ) of Sirgash.
54 min: A short-stacked Hlam14 (7th) goes all-in with (JJ) and is called by Tigercub8189 with (TT). The flop is [TAT]! Ouch!
58 min: A short-stacked Nixi44 (6th) goes all-in with (53) and a flop of [634], but cannot run down Doneill’s (77).
Break:
Sirgash 4028
Tigercub8189 3300
7Jokers 2635
Doneill 2577
Rennzzo 960
65 min: Rennzzo (5th) makes his move with (99) and is called by Sirgash’s overcards (KQ) for a coin flip. A [Q] on the flop ends the night for the Hudson native.
68 min: Doneill (4th) has to go when his (A9) hits a flop of [7AT] only to find Sirgash has (AJ).
75 – 77 min: 7Jokers (3rd) breathes new life into his stack as his panic all-in with (A9) hits a [9] on the flop to beat Tigercub’s (AK).
But just a couple of hands later, Poker Stars taketh away as his (KK) gets run over by Sirgash’s (77) as a ten-high straight arrives on the river. Ouch! Cruel cards tonight for everyone.
So, heads up with Sirgash and 10,500 chips and Tigercub8189, with 3000 chips.
85 min: Sirgash 11000 – Tiger 2500
90 min: Sirgash 5300 – Tiger 8200
95 min: Sirgash 10000 – Tiger 3500
100 min: Sirgash 10500 – Tiger 3000 (back where we started!)
105 min: Sirgash 4650 – Tiger 8850
Then Sirgash goes all-in on a flop of [9Q6]. Tiger goes into the tank and then calls with (A4)!!!!
Who does he think he is…me? Nobody air-locks like that, except me. All he could beat was a pure bluff that doesn’t hit a pair by accident. It was all blanks that showed up and Sirgash held (JJ).
Sirgash 9800 – Tiger 3700
110 min: Sirgash 11,400 – Tiger 2100
Then the Card Gods got cruel to Sirgash!
115 min: Sirgash 3500 – Tiger 10000
117 min: The long struggle ends as it usually does – two similar hands hoping for a flop. Sirgash (2nd) is holding (AT) and Tigercub (Ah8h). The [8] on the turn gives Tigercub8189 his 3rd NPP win. Congratulations to Tigercub and to Sirgash for the entertaining battle!
1st 10 pts – Tigercub8189 17pts
2nd 7 pts – Sirgash 7 pts
3rd 5 pts – 7Jokers 25pts
4th 3 pts – Doneill (24pts)
5th 1 pt – Rennzzo 3 pts
6th – Nixi44 0 pts
7th – Hlam14 46 pts
8th – ThePunk75 10pts
9th – UmichPoker 0 pts
Mikeniks-Faldo (26 pts)
Hammer1010 10 pts
McGuiness 10 pts
Steveseam 10 pts
Duder1123 8 pts
BigLou93 4 pts
Matchy 3 pts
ArcticBlast 3 pts
Nahanni (1 pt)
BigHousea2 1 pt
Total point race is on the right side of the blog. ( ) = clinched seat winners
We picked up another new lady player – the lovely Mrs. Sirgash – Nixi44. Welcome to the game! Nahanni and UMichPoker will tell you we are not that bad a group of guys – and they are lying!
Nine players started. On to the action:
I sat out due to a crowded house at the time of the start of the tourney, but was able to record the action.
11 min: UMichPoker (9th) hit the flop of [7JT] with (AJ), but 7Jokers was holding (KK).
45 min: It took a little while for the next casualty. Then a couple oustings happen in a row.
Last week’s winner ThePunk75 (8th) got cold-decked as his (Q9) hit a flop of [57Q] and a turn of [9], only to run into a slow-played (QQ) of Sirgash.
54 min: A short-stacked Hlam14 (7th) goes all-in with (JJ) and is called by Tigercub8189 with (TT). The flop is [TAT]! Ouch!
58 min: A short-stacked Nixi44 (6th) goes all-in with (53) and a flop of [634], but cannot run down Doneill’s (77).
Break:
Sirgash 4028
Tigercub8189 3300
7Jokers 2635
Doneill 2577
Rennzzo 960
65 min: Rennzzo (5th) makes his move with (99) and is called by Sirgash’s overcards (KQ) for a coin flip. A [Q] on the flop ends the night for the Hudson native.
68 min: Doneill (4th) has to go when his (A9) hits a flop of [7AT] only to find Sirgash has (AJ).
75 – 77 min: 7Jokers (3rd) breathes new life into his stack as his panic all-in with (A9) hits a [9] on the flop to beat Tigercub’s (AK).
But just a couple of hands later, Poker Stars taketh away as his (KK) gets run over by Sirgash’s (77) as a ten-high straight arrives on the river. Ouch! Cruel cards tonight for everyone.
So, heads up with Sirgash and 10,500 chips and Tigercub8189, with 3000 chips.
85 min: Sirgash 11000 – Tiger 2500
90 min: Sirgash 5300 – Tiger 8200
95 min: Sirgash 10000 – Tiger 3500
100 min: Sirgash 10500 – Tiger 3000 (back where we started!)
105 min: Sirgash 4650 – Tiger 8850
Then Sirgash goes all-in on a flop of [9Q6]. Tiger goes into the tank and then calls with (A4)!!!!
Who does he think he is…me? Nobody air-locks like that, except me. All he could beat was a pure bluff that doesn’t hit a pair by accident. It was all blanks that showed up and Sirgash held (JJ).
Sirgash 9800 – Tiger 3700
110 min: Sirgash 11,400 – Tiger 2100
Then the Card Gods got cruel to Sirgash!
115 min: Sirgash 3500 – Tiger 10000
117 min: The long struggle ends as it usually does – two similar hands hoping for a flop. Sirgash (2nd) is holding (AT) and Tigercub (Ah8h). The [8] on the turn gives Tigercub8189 his 3rd NPP win. Congratulations to Tigercub and to Sirgash for the entertaining battle!
1st 10 pts – Tigercub8189 17pts
2nd 7 pts – Sirgash 7 pts
3rd 5 pts – 7Jokers 25pts
4th 3 pts – Doneill (24pts)
5th 1 pt – Rennzzo 3 pts
6th – Nixi44 0 pts
7th – Hlam14 46 pts
8th – ThePunk75 10pts
9th – UmichPoker 0 pts
Mikeniks-Faldo (26 pts)
Hammer1010 10 pts
McGuiness 10 pts
Steveseam 10 pts
Duder1123 8 pts
BigLou93 4 pts
Matchy 3 pts
ArcticBlast 3 pts
Nahanni (1 pt)
BigHousea2 1 pt
Total point race is on the right side of the blog. ( ) = clinched seat winners
Boother's Nephew Scores a Natural Hat Trick!
Wow, this is cool! From Yahoo Sports:
"If David Booth had to pick a favorite, his first goal Sunday would probably get the nod.
Booth scored three straight goals for his first NHL hat trick.
Booth was able draw the struggling Panthers even 2:19 later, lofting a backhander past Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
“It was good to get that first goal, we’ve given up the first goal a lot lately and haven’t come back until the third, so to get one right away helped our team out,” said Booth, the former Michigan State star who added two more goals in the second period."
Aqualung and I have a nephew, Michael Repovz, who will be making noise for the CMU football team in the near future.
Nuts! Youth is wasted on the wrong people!
"If David Booth had to pick a favorite, his first goal Sunday would probably get the nod.
Booth scored three straight goals for his first NHL hat trick.
Booth was able draw the struggling Panthers even 2:19 later, lofting a backhander past Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
“It was good to get that first goal, we’ve given up the first goal a lot lately and haven’t come back until the third, so to get one right away helped our team out,” said Booth, the former Michigan State star who added two more goals in the second period."
Aqualung and I have a nephew, Michael Repovz, who will be making noise for the CMU football team in the near future.
Nuts! Youth is wasted on the wrong people!
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Matchy, Aqualung and Beerhog Attack the Shark Club
Matchy reports Saturday night live action - NPP boys venture out:
"Myself, Beerhog and Aqualung all met out at the Shark Club in Howell lastnight. There was not enough interest for a tournament but there were 3pretty full cash game tables.
All 3 of us got assigned to different $1/2Hold 'Em tables, and the place was well run. It felt like a casino with nicetables, lighting and excellent dealers.
No smoking at the tables, but peoplejust stood up and fired up their Cigs and Cigars, and my shirt had thatnasty "bar" smell when I got home last night, reminded me of the old days!
I bought in for a modest amount and it lasted all night. I will letAqua and Fred talk about their play if they wish, but I don't think the NPPwas hitting on all cylinders for most of the night. I also learned about many inadequacies in my game, especially playing with mostly sober peopleand a dealer. I managed to announce "re-raise $20" when it was only a raise,and I did that out of turn.
I also folded and called out of turn. And I was scolded for grabbing chips when I won a pot! The guy next to me, who wasnice, said "You don't play much with dealers, do you?" He was right, I'vegot lots to learn in that department!
I did win and lose some nice pots, andwent out with fives full, all in against tens full. It was 11:30 so I calledit a night. Fred was still going so hopefully he won some dough.
It is tough to stay ahead in the long term with the rake, but all and all it, was 2.5 hours of fun, and I would probably go back.
The other rake is the bar right next to the tables, it was 8 bucks for 2 PBR's after tips, I couldget like a 30 pack for that at home! It is mighty close to home andaccording to the regulars generally stays crowded.
Also a dude at our tablemade quad kings and was leading the high hand of the day jackpot, which theysaid paid $230 the day before, and you don't have to be there to collect." - Matchy
Thanks for the review Matchy!
"Myself, Beerhog and Aqualung all met out at the Shark Club in Howell lastnight. There was not enough interest for a tournament but there were 3pretty full cash game tables.
All 3 of us got assigned to different $1/2Hold 'Em tables, and the place was well run. It felt like a casino with nicetables, lighting and excellent dealers.
No smoking at the tables, but peoplejust stood up and fired up their Cigs and Cigars, and my shirt had thatnasty "bar" smell when I got home last night, reminded me of the old days!
I bought in for a modest amount and it lasted all night. I will letAqua and Fred talk about their play if they wish, but I don't think the NPPwas hitting on all cylinders for most of the night. I also learned about many inadequacies in my game, especially playing with mostly sober peopleand a dealer. I managed to announce "re-raise $20" when it was only a raise,and I did that out of turn.
I also folded and called out of turn. And I was scolded for grabbing chips when I won a pot! The guy next to me, who wasnice, said "You don't play much with dealers, do you?" He was right, I'vegot lots to learn in that department!
I did win and lose some nice pots, andwent out with fives full, all in against tens full. It was 11:30 so I calledit a night. Fred was still going so hopefully he won some dough.
It is tough to stay ahead in the long term with the rake, but all and all it, was 2.5 hours of fun, and I would probably go back.
The other rake is the bar right next to the tables, it was 8 bucks for 2 PBR's after tips, I couldget like a 30 pack for that at home! It is mighty close to home andaccording to the regulars generally stays crowded.
Also a dude at our tablemade quad kings and was leading the high hand of the day jackpot, which theysaid paid $230 the day before, and you don't have to be there to collect." - Matchy
Thanks for the review Matchy!
Monday, November 03, 2008
ThePunk75 Wins in His Second Try at NPP
The talent pool only gets deeper here. I don't know if saying this helps or hinders recruitment.
It seems to me, if you can practice here for a lousy $5, you should do well everywhere else you play - whether on line or live.
The word I'm getting is that NPP players are a force outside of this league. Not me of course, but the other players. More on this in later posts.
Only eight players made it to the felt tonight, and one of those got blinded out. I think some of the players either can’t make Mondays, or forgot about the change. Back to Tuesdays next week! On to the action:
21 min: 7Jokers (8th) had a rough time card wise early. He goes all-in with (J9) and a flop of [JT6] and he runs into ThePunk75’s (AJ).
37 min: Rennzzo (7th) goes all-in with (AJ) and runs into Hlam14’s (QQ), who hit an unnecessary full house for over kill.
49 min: Tigercub (6th) gets chewed up by Mikeniks-Faldo this evening.
First Faldo hits a big hand to shrink Tiger’s stack. Then when Tiger goes all-in over Faldo’s raise with (AJ), Faldo is pot committed and calls with (JT). Tiger is a 7 to 3 favorite – a little over 2 to 1.
Mikeniks-Faldo hits the [T] on the river to end Tigercub’s evening before the break.
Biglou93 is severely short-stacked, but he has not been waiting for Duder to just blind out to move up in points. He gamely tries to pick up chips and get back in this thing. Nice fighting Biglou!
Break:
ThePunk75 5011
Hlam14 4275
Mikeniks-Faldo 2105
Biglou93 334
Duder1123 275
61 min: Right back at it! Biglou93 (5th) goes all-in with (AQ) and ThePunk75 calls with (99).
62 min: Duder (4th) finally runs out of chips.
75 min: Hlam14 (3rd) starts playing aggressively and goes all-in with (Ks Js) and gets called by ThePunk75 with (AJ).
77 min: Another quick finish. Mikeniks-Faldo (2nd) goes all-in with (Ah 5h) and ThePunk75 calls with (AK). Congratulations ThePunk75 on your first NPP win!
1st – 10 - ThePunk75 10 pts
2nd – 7 - Mikeniks-Faldo (26 pts)
3rd – 5 - Hlam14 46 pts
4th – 3 - Duder1123 8 pts
5th – 1 - Biglou93 4 pts
6th – Tigercub8189 7 pts
7th – Rennzzo 2 pts
8th – 7Jokers 20 points
Doneill (21 points)
Hammer1010 10 pts
McGuiness007 10 pts
Steveseam 10 pts
Matchy 3 pts
ArcticBlast 3 pts
Nahanni (1 pt)
Bighousea2 1 pt
Total points race is listed on the right side of the blog! ( ) means that player has already won a seat in the Championship.
It seems to me, if you can practice here for a lousy $5, you should do well everywhere else you play - whether on line or live.
The word I'm getting is that NPP players are a force outside of this league. Not me of course, but the other players. More on this in later posts.
Only eight players made it to the felt tonight, and one of those got blinded out. I think some of the players either can’t make Mondays, or forgot about the change. Back to Tuesdays next week! On to the action:
21 min: 7Jokers (8th) had a rough time card wise early. He goes all-in with (J9) and a flop of [JT6] and he runs into ThePunk75’s (AJ).
37 min: Rennzzo (7th) goes all-in with (AJ) and runs into Hlam14’s (QQ), who hit an unnecessary full house for over kill.
49 min: Tigercub (6th) gets chewed up by Mikeniks-Faldo this evening.
First Faldo hits a big hand to shrink Tiger’s stack. Then when Tiger goes all-in over Faldo’s raise with (AJ), Faldo is pot committed and calls with (JT). Tiger is a 7 to 3 favorite – a little over 2 to 1.
Mikeniks-Faldo hits the [T] on the river to end Tigercub’s evening before the break.
Biglou93 is severely short-stacked, but he has not been waiting for Duder to just blind out to move up in points. He gamely tries to pick up chips and get back in this thing. Nice fighting Biglou!
Break:
ThePunk75 5011
Hlam14 4275
Mikeniks-Faldo 2105
Biglou93 334
Duder1123 275
61 min: Right back at it! Biglou93 (5th) goes all-in with (AQ) and ThePunk75 calls with (99).
62 min: Duder (4th) finally runs out of chips.
75 min: Hlam14 (3rd) starts playing aggressively and goes all-in with (Ks Js) and gets called by ThePunk75 with (AJ).
77 min: Another quick finish. Mikeniks-Faldo (2nd) goes all-in with (Ah 5h) and ThePunk75 calls with (AK). Congratulations ThePunk75 on your first NPP win!
1st – 10 - ThePunk75 10 pts
2nd – 7 - Mikeniks-Faldo (26 pts)
3rd – 5 - Hlam14 46 pts
4th – 3 - Duder1123 8 pts
5th – 1 - Biglou93 4 pts
6th – Tigercub8189 7 pts
7th – Rennzzo 2 pts
8th – 7Jokers 20 points
Doneill (21 points)
Hammer1010 10 pts
McGuiness007 10 pts
Steveseam 10 pts
Matchy 3 pts
ArcticBlast 3 pts
Nahanni (1 pt)
Bighousea2 1 pt
Total points race is listed on the right side of the blog! ( ) means that player has already won a seat in the Championship.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Faldo Makes Two Final Tables Almost at the Same Time!
Fighting one of the worst headcolds ever, all I can do is sleep....and play poker on-line.
Using the Zicam, tea, chicken soup, Vicks and sleep approach gets me feeling good enough to sit up for a while.
I have a set up of four laptops in a semi-circle here at NPP. How I ended up with four is a story unto itself (maybe I will tell in the comment section if somebody is interested). And no, they are not set up for porn, porn, porn-porn chat and email/poker/porn.
I know that the cold will be back to hurt me in just a little while, so time is of the essence.
I decide that if I am going to play poker - lets play some poker! So I get in five tourneys at once.
From left to right I got Absolute Poker, Full Tilt, Poker Stars (2 tourneys) and Ultimate Bet.
I make the breaks everywhere but one Poker Stars tourney, then lose the other Poker Stars tourney and get bubble boyed on Ultimate Bet.
I make the final table on Full Tilt (180 players), and finish 5th when my (AK) loses to (JJ). I pick up ten times my entry.
Then almost at the same time, I limp into the final table on Absolute (400 players). I proceed to panic all-in bad beat the table 3 times, while the big stacks knock each other out! I am out-chipped by a gazillion when finally my (A3) fails to hold up and I finish 4th, picking up seven times my entry.
I might be on to something. There was no time to wonder around and look at emails, blogs or TV with that many games going. I had to get into the zone and actually concentrate a little.
Hey, anybody got a laptop they are not using that I can 'borrow'?
Using the Zicam, tea, chicken soup, Vicks and sleep approach gets me feeling good enough to sit up for a while.
I have a set up of four laptops in a semi-circle here at NPP. How I ended up with four is a story unto itself (maybe I will tell in the comment section if somebody is interested). And no, they are not set up for porn, porn, porn-porn chat and email/poker/porn.
I know that the cold will be back to hurt me in just a little while, so time is of the essence.
I decide that if I am going to play poker - lets play some poker! So I get in five tourneys at once.
From left to right I got Absolute Poker, Full Tilt, Poker Stars (2 tourneys) and Ultimate Bet.
I make the breaks everywhere but one Poker Stars tourney, then lose the other Poker Stars tourney and get bubble boyed on Ultimate Bet.
I make the final table on Full Tilt (180 players), and finish 5th when my (AK) loses to (JJ). I pick up ten times my entry.
Then almost at the same time, I limp into the final table on Absolute (400 players). I proceed to panic all-in bad beat the table 3 times, while the big stacks knock each other out! I am out-chipped by a gazillion when finally my (A3) fails to hold up and I finish 4th, picking up seven times my entry.
I might be on to something. There was no time to wonder around and look at emails, blogs or TV with that many games going. I had to get into the zone and actually concentrate a little.
Hey, anybody got a laptop they are not using that I can 'borrow'?
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