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Run it Twice — Brian Rast

March 28, 2009

Brian "tsarrast" Rast is a professional cash-game player who regularly competes in the highest hold’em and pot-limit Omaha (PLO) games online. Rast sat down with Card Player to talk about an interesting pot-limit hold’em hand he played at a mixed $500-$1,000 table.

The Game

Date: 02-03-09
Type: Cash games
Game: Pot-limit hold’em
Blinds:  $500-$1,000

The Lineup

Seat 1: tsarrast ($101,485) — Button
Seat 2: OnTheRize ($107,971.50) — Small blind
Seat 3: SxMxF ($17,000)  — Big blind
Seat 4: Howard Lederer ($53,979)
Seat 6: IAmSoSo ($18,497)
Seat 7: durrrr ($132,270)
Seat 8: Gus Hansen ($40,186)
Seat 9: trex313 ($39,955)

Key Concepts

  • Go through proper thought process on three-bets preflop in position
  • Put players on hand ranges to get max value on big hands


Run it Twice — Review of the Hand

Preflop Action: Gus Hansen raises to $3,000, and tasarrast reraises to $10,500 with J 8. OnTheRize calls from the small blind, and Gus Hansen calls. The pot is now $32,500.

Kristy Arnett: How is your table image up to this point, and why did you decide to reraise with this hand preflop?

Brian Rast: I’ve been playing pretty knitty against Gus. I was wondering whether or not he was adjusting to me, but I really thought that if I three-bet him, even in position, he would probably give me a lot of credit. Even if he calls, it’s OK, because I still have a pretty playable hand in position. I have a little room to maneuver a bluff, since we are so deep, and I might get him to fold a better hand, like if he had a hand like K-J, he would fold to a continuation-bet on a low flop. I thought it was a good spot to three-bet, because I feel like I play pretty tight preflop in the no-limit hold’em portion in $500-$1,000. When OnTheRize calls out of the blind, Gus obviously calls, which he will with most of his hands that he opens, because, well, he’s Gus, he doesn’t like folding [laughs].

Flop Action: The flop comes K 3 2. All players check. The pot is still $32,500.

KA: Obviously that’s a great flop for you. How did you decide whether to fast- or slow-play?

BR: Right, I obviously flop gin. Now the only question is, “What am I going to do to get max value?” When it checks to me, I felt like there was a good chance that OnTheRize had a strong hand like tens, jacks, queens, or even a king. If he had a king, pocket aces, A-K, or kings, he’s not going fold, but if he has queens, jacks or tens, he might fold if I continuation-bet here, because he’s a afraid Gus might squeeze, or that I have A-K. I thought if he did have a hand like that, he might put in one more bet if I checked. So that’s the biggest reason why I decided to check. I wanted to squeeze one more bet from medium-strength hands.

Turn Action: The turn is the 4. The board reads K 3 2 4. OnTheRize bets $14,000, Gus Hansen folds, and tsarrast calls. The pot is now $60,500.

KA: Why did you decide to just call the turn instead of raise?

BR: When OnTheRize bets the turn and Gus folds, I thought that raising here would look really strong, and I wouldn’t do that with almost all of my range. If I wasn’t slow-playing and checking a very strong hand like a flush on the flop, then I was checking behind for pot control. He can only beat the hands I’m checking behind for pot control, and I would never raise on the turn with those hands. So, if I raise on the turn, I’m basically screaming that I flopped top set or a flush. I pretty much have to call, because that is what I would do with almost all of my range.

River Action: The river is the 2. The board reads K 3 2 4 2. OnTheRize bets $42,000, and tsarrast goes all in for $76,985. OnTheRize folds. tsarrast wins the pot of $144,497 (-$3 after rake).

KA: You decided to go all in on top of his bet for the last $13,000 for extra value. Were you sure he didn’t have a full house?

BR:
No, I wasn’t completely sure, but I was trying to think of the hands that beat me. He never has pock fours here. He might have kings full. Now, the king of hearts is on the board, and I have the jack of hearts, so it’s unlikely that he has an ace with a low card of hearts, since he called a raise and a reraise preflop. He’s either got A Q or kings full, so there are only four combinations of hands that he could have that beat me. The other hands he could have are A-K, or maybe even pocket aces that he was trying to play tricky. I thought there was enough value in raising just the last $13,000, since he would probably call me with aces or A-K.

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Black Belt Poker Boot Camp – Phil Laak to lead Black Belt Poker Boot Camp

March 28, 2009

After the announcement of Neil Channing and Nik Persaud’s exciting new venture Black Belt Poker last month, the guys have revealed details for an exclusive boot camp aimed at turning talented prospects into poker ‘black belts’. Not only that but there’s a special guest from across the pond joining them to help out…

He may be renowned for his eccentric personality and impromptu press-ups, but this May, Phil ‘Unabomber’ Laak will be deadly serious as he swaps hoodie and sunglasses for camouflage attire and braces himself for a weekend of hardcore poker drills.

Taking place on Saturday May 16 and Sunday, May 17, 2009 at the Loose Cannon Sports Club in London, Black Belt Poker are proud to announce our first ever Live Boot Camp, in which US superstar Phil Laak will be sharing his pearls of poker wisdom and revealing some of those secrets that have helped him become a titan of the green baize.

With almost $ 1.5 million in tournament winnings including a WPT invitational title, multiple WSOP final tables and a £150,000 win in the 2005 William Hill Grand Prix, Laak is regarded as one of the game’s most talented players, and has enjoyed several spells on the highly acclaimed cash game show, High Stakes Poker.

Joining Laak at the Boot Camp will be Black Belt Poker founders and established poker pros Neil Channing and Nik Persaud, as well as PokerPlayer’s Nick Wealthall who will be on hand to deal out his trademark witty banter as prestigious host of the weekend.

Tickets for the Boot Camp are selling at £700 and will include food, drink and two night’s accommodation. What’s more, a tournament will be staged on the Saturday evening in which participating players will fight it out for a $ 5,000 Vegas package including flight, accommodation and entry into a $ 1,500 WSOP event of their choosing.

There will be limited space on the Boot Camp, so for your chance to work closely with some of the game’s leading pros, be sure to register your interest at bootcamp@blackbeltpoker.com.

For more information regarding Black Belt Poker, please visit their preview page at blackbeltpoker.com and be sure to check out the site when it launches on Monday, April 27, 2009.

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Bugsy’s Club Becomes Latest to Close Virtual Doors

March 28, 2009

Another online poker website has shut down. The last of the better known sites to do so was Chan Poker, which had been run under the name and featuring the likeness of Johnny Chan. While many other smaller sites have closed their virtual doors in the past year, Bugsy’s Club is one of the more notables, which just joined the ranks of the defunct in late March of 2009.

Founded in 2003, Bugsy’s Club was owned by Quadri Holdings and seemed to be run by the same private investors behind PokerPages and Poker School Online. It was licensed in the Netherlands Antilles but operated in English, catering to a primarily U.S.-based audience. The site was popular with those who played there but lacked the player base to run larger cash games or tournaments with reasonable payouts. Thus, without enough new players or high stakes games, the site lacked profit and subsequently closed.

A message from the management and staff of Bugsy’s Club is now the front page of the website, which starts by thanking players for their support. Then it reads:

“Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control with regards to banking facilities, it is with regret that we have to announce it is no longer viable for the Bugsy’s Club Poker Room to continue our business operations. However, we are delighted to inform you that Bugsy’s Club have [sic] reached an agreement with the world’s largest online poker site, PokerStars.com, to allow all Bugsy’s Club players to transfer your account balance over to their site… Regrettably, your Bugsy’s Bonus Points (BBPs) are not able to be transferred from the Bugsy’s Club Poker Room.”

It seems that 180,000 players are not allowed to simply cash out their accounts, though they will be able to do that once the transfer to PokerStars is complete. And any bonus points accrued at Bugsy’s Club seem to be lost, as the agreement struck between Bugsy’s Club and PokerStars did not include the award of corresponding Frequent Player Points.

Former CEO of Bugsy’s Club Brian Baker noted, “We are saddened by the events that have led to the closing down of the Bugsy’s Club card room. However, we are delighted that PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, has come forward to continue taking care of our players personally.”

With that, the online poker market thinned slightly, and PokerStars presumably gained even more players for their ever-expanding customer base.

To join in the massive influx of players heading to PokerStars, download now and use the bonus code “Stars50” and marketing code “POKERWORKS” to receive a 100% bonus on new deposits of up to $50. Those codes will also qualify new players for weekly $2,000 freerolls on PokerStars.

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Bugsy’s Club Becomes Latest to Close Virtual Doors

Another online poker website has shut down. The last of the better known sites to do so was Chan Poker, which had been run under the name and featuring the likeness of Johnny Chan. While many other smaller sites have closed their virtual doors in the past year, Bugsy’s Club is one of the more notables, which just joined the ranks of the defunct in late March of 2009. Apr 1, 2009


 

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Peter Eastgate and Ivan Demidov Join Team Poker Stars Pro

March 28, 2009

PokerStars has recently announced the signing of World Series of Poker champion and runner-up Peter Eastgate and Ivan Demidov to its team of pros. Both players will promote the PokerStars brand in online and live events and will represent the site at various global poker tour circuits.

Eastgate (pictured left), from Denmark, became the youngest-ever WSOP main-event champion at the age of just 22, beating out a record previously held by Phil Hellmuth when he won at the age of 24 in 1989. Eastgate put college aside to focus on his online play, and it is clear that the move paid off handsomely to the tune of $9,152,416. Eastgate proved he was no fluke in January of this year when he pocketed $343,000 for winning the $5,000 event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

Despite finishing second, it was Demidov (pictured right) who really turned heads throughout the year, thanks to his unheard of accomplishment of final-tabling both the WSOP main event and the WSOP Europe main event in the same year. The 27-year-old Russian earned $608,995 for his third-place finish in Europe and then weeks later took home $5,809,595 at the Rio in Las Vegas.

Both players represented PokerStars throughout the WSOP final table and continued to do so in a limited capacity in the months after. They have since been upgraded to Team PokerStars Pro and bring the number of pros on the roster to 35, joining the likes of Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Vanessa Rousso, Chris Moneymaker, Joe Hachem, and Greg Raymer. Click here to see the entire team.

Both players will be playing on the site under their own names.

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Rivalries fuel Dream Team competition

March 22, 2009


Joe Sebok tells it like it is.The trash talk has begun as we count down the minutes to tomorrow’s Dream Team Poker event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The sellout event will see 170 teams of three throw down for a share of an estimated $250,000 prize pool.

The cash, and a cheap shot at felting the likes of Phil Hellmuth, has generated an altogether unexpected buzz surrounding this tournament.

Unlike traditional tournament poker, the team format fosters a real sense of camaraderie. Players are rallying behind their team flags and, as one might expect, taking every opportunity to deride the opposition.

Leading this exhibition of maturity is Joe Sebok, who will be representing PokerRoad.com.

“To think that any of the other aforementioned ‘teams,’ if you can even call them that, have any chance of beating PokerRoad Radio is laughable,” Sebok asserted when asked how he likes his team’s chances.

Sebok goes on to call out one team in particular.

“WickedChopsPoker? What the hell is a wicked chop anyway? An angry sushi chef?” he said.

Firing right back was Matt “All In At 420″ Stout, who will be representing Team PokerListings along with poker diva Liz Lieu and 2005 WSOP bracelet winner Quinn Do.


So far no one's found fault with Liz Lieu.

“Sebok going deep in this tournament is about as likely as Gavin Smith folding a gut-shot straight draw,” he said.

Stout joined Sebok in his skepticism regarding Team WickedChops’ likelihood of success, citing their preoccupation with the female form as the major obstacle they’ll need to overcome.

“It’s going to be tough for them since they’ll barely be able to focus on playing cards between snapping photos of girls on the rail and trying to convince the cocktail waitresses to take off their clothes,” Stout said.

Chops, one of the three entities who are WickedChopsPoker, was unfazed by the criticism.

He chose to go after the reigning Dream Team champions from Bluff Magazine rather than dignify his detractors with a response.

“Really, if Bluff Magazine won the previous Dream Team Poker event, can’t we all agree this is just a crapshoot?” he said.

“Wouldn’t a team consisting of Scott MacIntyre, Bernie Lomax and Robert Varkonyi have just as good of a chance?”

Lampooning aside, the tournament is shaping up to be the most publicized $500 buy-in event in the history of live poker.

Former World Champions Phil Hellmuth, Jerry Yang, Jamie Gold and Tom McEvoy are all confirmed, along with a long list of name pros and celebrities.

PokerListings.com will be on location to bring you live updates and photography starting tomorrow at 12 p.m. PT.

You can follow Team PokerListings and everyone else who’s playing in our Live Tournaments section.

 

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‘durrrr Challenge’ Update: Swingy Session Switches Lead to Antonius

March 22, 2009

One hour into Thursday morning’s session of the ‘durrrr Challenge’, Tom Dwan found himself on a serious heater. After booking wins in his last two meetings with Patrik Antonius in their 50,000 hand, $200/400 pot-limit Omaha match, Dwan finally started to open up a significant lead on his opponent. Within forty minutes of sitting down, he captured four pots worth over $70,000 apiece, putting him over $250,000 ahead of Antonius for the life of the challenge. However, as is often the case in pot-limit Omaha, all of that profit… and then some… rapidly bled out of his stack just as quickly as he got it in there. Antonius went on a rush in the second half of the match, completely wiping out Dwan’s gains and leaving things nearly even again. With the $92,021 he took off Dwan in this, the tenth official session in the “durrrr” Challenge, Antonius is now in the black to the tune of $23,467 after 7,093 total hands.

At last, a pattern may be emerging when it comes to the timing and frequency of the challenge sessions–this is the third time in nearly as many days that Antonius and Dwan have met up in the near-dawn hours of Eastern Daylight Time, each session lasting between 90 minutes and two hours.

Dwan felted Antonius on “durrrr Challenge “Table 2 only minutes after play began. Antonius opened for $1,200, Dwan made it $3,600 to go, and Antonius called. Dwan bet out $4,800 on the flop and Antonius smooth-called. The on the turn earned a check from Dwan and a $16,800 bet from Antonius. Dwan, though, came over the top for a pot-sized raise to $50,400, setting Antonius all in. The Finn called the $16,000 he had behind, holding for a pair of aces and a gutshot royal flush draw while Dwan revealed for top two pair. However, Antonius missed all of his outs on the river, the landing to give the $82,398 pot to Dwan.

Ten minutes later, Dwan claimed two more back-to-back monsterpottens. In the first, all the money went in on a flop. Antonius was unfortunate enough to have flopped the bottom end of the straight and a flush redraw with while Dwan flopped the nut straight and a higher flush draw with . The on the river sealed things up for Dwan and he dragged the $79,594 pot. Shortly thereafter, on a different table, they were all in on a flop, Dwan with for top set and Antonius with for middle pair and an open-ended straight draw. The turn was the , the river was the , and Dwan’s hand held, good for the second-largest pot of the session at $97,591.

The see-saw started tipping the other way, however, when Antonius took down this key hand. Dwan raised to $1,200 on the button and Antonius called from the big blind. The flop came down , Antonius checking the action to Dwan, who bet $1,750. Antonius fired back with a raise to $7,650 only to be reraised to $16,900. Antonius re-potted to $53,100, setting Dwan all in and he called off the $33,195 he had behind. Antonius had hit top set with but Dwan, with , had flopped an ace-high flush. Antonius needed to pair the board, and he got there when the came on the turn. The was the inconsequential river card and Antonius was back on track after scooping that $102,589 pot.

Soon afterward, Dwan found himself on the losing end of another costly set vs. two pair showdown, Antonius flopping a set of fives to Dwan’s aces up in a $71,200 pot. After being forced to fold to pot-sized bets from Antonius on the river in two subsequent pots, Dwan decided to nip his tilt in the bud and call it a night.

durrrr: i think im done for now
durrrr: too tilted
Patrik Antonius: k

The session exemplified the swings inherent within pot-limit Omaha. These two are professionals of the highest caliber and still managed to experience a five buy-in swing in each direction within less than 90 minutes.

Stay tuned as PokerNews continues to closely follow the “durrrr” Challenge.

Editor’s Note: Nicole Gordon’s continuing reports on the “durrrr Challenge” highlight PokerNews.com’s coverage of the latest in online poker. To railbird the “durrrr Challenge” yourself, open up an account at Full Tilt poker today.

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Online Poker — OPOY Update, Mar. 27, 2009

March 22, 2009

Thanks to recently discovered information, Card Player’s Online Player of the Year race has a new leader. You can click on the links to read about this week’s Sunday majors and the $1K Roundup.

After discovering that frtk on PokerStars and fyrtuk on Full Tilt are the same player, he has moved into the top spot on the leader board with 3,556 points. The anonymous frtk, from Hungary, has had quite an amazing year, winning event No. 22 of the FTOPS XI, the Sunday Warmup, and the Sunday Second Chance for a total of $815,177 in OPOY-qualifying events.

Until we discovered the true leader, Chris "Moorman1" Moorman held the top spot in the rankings after finally passing former top-spot resident Steve "gboro780" Gross. Moorman finished third in a $100 rebuy for $14,234 to move into second place overall.

Other than frtk, the hottest online player in the world last week was Shaun Deeb (pictured above right). Deeb went on an absolute tear, winning the $100,000 guarantee on PokerStars, the $100 rebuy on Full Tilt, and then the Nightly Hundred Grand. His five OPOY-qualifying cashes this week earned him a little under 1,000 points and vaulted him from unranked all the way to third place in the rankings.

Dropping three spots this week from leader to fourth place is Gross. It’s been three weeks since his last cash, which was a win in the $100 rebuy on Full Tilt for $38,038.

Even though he made two final tables on the week, Mohsin "chicagocards1" Charania still fell one spot to fifth place. Charania finished third in the Nightly Hundred Grand and then eighth in the $75,000 guarantee on Full Tilt.

Sixth and seventh place belong to Adam "Roothlus" Levy and Adam "csimmsux" Geyer, both of whom failed to earn any points this week.

Aditya "Intervention" Agarwal sits in eighth place after a small cash this week in the Absolute Poker $100,000 guarantee.

Ninth- and 10th-place residents Jonathan "xxjondxx" Delong and Dan "Wretchy" Martin each failed to cash in any OPOY qualifying events.

Scott "stpauli111" Hall and Joe "ender555" Ebanks both fell from the rankings this week and currently sit in 11th and 12th place overall.

Here is a look at the current top 10:
 

Player Name Rank OPOY Points 2009 Winnings
 frtk 1st  3,556  $815,177
 Chris "Moorman1" Moorman 2nd  3,362  $315,155
 Shaun "shaundeeb" Deeb 3rd  3,338  $359,507
 Steve "gboro780" Gross 4th  3,324  $526,831
 Mohsin "chicagocards1" Charania 5th  3,124  $259,733
 Adam "Roothlus" Levy 6th  2,928  $505,662
 Adam "csimmsux" Geyer 7th  2,888  $519,627
 Aditya "Intervention" Agarwal 8th  2,864  $241,558
 Jonathan "xxjondxx" Delong 9th  2,652  $221,034
 Dan "Wretchy" Martin 10th  2,636  $223,937

 

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Jimmy Fricke — What’s My Line?

March 22, 2009

One of the most likeable, yet feared players on the tournament circuit is 22-year-old Jimmy Fricke. The former Mahomet, Illinois, resident dropped out of college at the age of 18 to focus on his online career, playing as gobboboy. After turning 19, Fricke began to concentrate on the live-poker scene and pocketed $800,000 for his runner-up finish in the 2007 Aussie Millions main event. At the 2008 Bellagio Cup IV, Fricke won a $5,000 event for $443,155. Since turning pro, Fricke has earned nearly $1.5 million.

Recently, Fricke competed in the Wynn Classic $10,000 main event and finished in 11th place. During the play-down just before the money bubble, Fricke played a pot with Sorel Mizzi which perfectly illustrates his thought process when deciding whether or not to call what he believes is a bluff.
 

Event – Blinds/Antes Wynn Classic 800-1,600 with a 200 ante  
Player Shawn Glines Sorel Mizzi Jimmy Fricke
Chip Count About 55,000 About 235,000 About 170,000
Hand K-J ? Q-10

The Hand

Shawn Glines raised to 4,200 on the button, and both Jimmy Fricke and Sorel Mizzi called in the blinds. The flop came out Q-J-3, and Fricke bet 8,500.

Mizzi and Glines both made the call, and the turn was an ace. Fricke checked, Mizzi bet 25,500, and Glines folded. Fricke made the call, and the river paired the board with another trey.

Fricke checked, and Mizzi bet 40,000. After some thought, Fricke made the call and showed Q-10 for second pair. Mizzi tapped the table and mucked his hand.


The Interview

Julio Rodriguez: Jimmy, can you take us through the hand you played with Sorel Mizzi (pictured below right) where you picked off his bluff?

Jimmy Fricke:
Sure. Shawn Glines (pictured left) raised to 4,200 on the button, and I had Q-10 in the small blind. The thing about Shawn is that he plays pretty straight-forwardly, he’s definitely not bad, but I feel like I can exploit him in a lot of spots. So, I don’t think calling with Q-10 from out of position is necessarily a bad play. Against a really good, tricky player, I would probably either fold or three-bet a large percentage of the time.

JR: Were you worried at all about Sorel behind you in the big blind?

JF: I do think Sorel would three-bet with a decent amount of frequency, but I know that he also likes to call a lot. At this table, however, it seemed that for some reason he was trying to target the good players and wasn’t really messing with the bad players. So, I call, and he decides to call, as well.

The flop came down Q-J-3. This is a spot where if I check, Sorel is probably going to check, and if Shawn bets, I don’t really want to put in a check-raise, because it pretty much crushes Sorel’s range behind me. Not to mention that Shawn is going to check behind a lot of the time because this flop hits our cold-calling range quite a bit.

JR:
Did Shawn’s short stack factor into your decision at all?

JF: Shawn opens the button very lightly, and he only had about 50,000 behind, so I was fully committed to getting it in against him. I played with him deep in a $2K event before, and if I remember correctly, he was opening the button around 90 percent of the time, which is fine. He should be doing that, but when a player makes a habit out of that, you can’t give up a hand as strong as two Broadway cards.

So, anyway, I decide to lead out for 8,500, and Sorel calls. I wasn’t quite expecting that, but I still feel like I had the best hand most of the time, unless he had a hand like K-Q or maybe even Q-J. The problem with those holdings is that I think he’d raise, trying to get Shawn out behind him to get it heads up and keep position over me.

But he decided to just call, and Shawn overcalled behind him. At this point, I don’t think I’m crushed here. I expect Shawn to have a jack most of the time. He could have a draw like 10-9 or K-10, but I really think he would just shove with those hands, given his stack size. So, unless he has something huge like top set, I really don’t think his call is anything to worry about yet.

The turn is an ace, putting two spades on board. It isn’t a great card, but I really don’t think it hits their ranges very well, either, unless one of them has A-J. So, I check, and Sorel bets 25,500. Shawn quickly folds.

JR: What do you think Shawn held?

JF: He actually told me afterwards that he had K-J, which I believe. K-J makes perfect sense. Shawn definitely understands the dynamic between Sorel and I, knowing we were going at it a lot, and he was trying to take advantage of that.

JR: What do you think about Sorel’s hand at this point?

JF: I still kind of feel like he has a queen here, maybe he’s semi-bluffing with it. K-10 is really the only thing I’m afraid of here, unless he has exactly A-J.

I decided to call, and the river was another 3. That’s a good and bad card for me. It’s good because now I chop the pot if he had me beat with K-Q. But, of course, the opposite is true where I chop with a worse queen. A lot of the time in this spot, I expect it to go check-check, and he shows me something like Q-9. So, now I have to share half of the pot with a worse queen, as well.

JR: Instead, you checked, and he bet.

JF: Right, he bet 40,000. I just feel like he should be checking behind here with most of his hands. He has to have a pretty specific hand in order to bet the river, and that is K-10 or A-J. I thought there were plenty of hands I was chopping with, and plenty of hands I could win the pot outright with, so I made the call. He tapped the table and mucked, and I took in the pot.

JR: Well, that means he didn’t have a queen. What do you ultimately think he had?

JF: I think he called me pretty light on the flop. He could have had 10-9, but it’s also possible that he turned a jack into a bluff. He could have had J-10 or something like that.

JR:
It seemed to me that he really didn’t want to go to a showdown, and after you made the call, he really didn’t want to show his hand. Doesn’t that rule out a paired hand with showdown value like J-10?

JF: Maybe. He could have definitely had a hand like 10-8 or 10-9 and missed entirely, but I also think he would’ve known his jack was no good once I made the call, which would explain why he was avoiding turning his hand up.

Keep in mind, I called this bluff and won the pot, but half an hour later I called another one of his river “bluffs” and he showed me the nuts. I know it sounds weird and really results-oriented, but I can tell the difference in my mind between my good calls and the calls I make where it’s like, “Screw it, I just want to win this pot.” I can justify this particular call with this hand analysis knowing there was a concrete reason for calling. In the later hand, where Sorel showed me the nuts, my mistake was that I was calling out of frustration and stubbornness. That’s the key for players to understand. You need to be calling because a series of events lead you to believe you may have the best hand. You can’t just randomly call to satisfy your curiosity.

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Charity Report: Lederers Host April Fools Hard Rock Fundraiser

March 16, 2009

It seems to have become a personal mission for Howard and Suzie Lederer to attach themselves to important causes and set about throwing fundraising events accordingly. They typically do it several times each year in the name of various charitable organizations, and they are starting off 2009 with an April Fools Charity Poker Tournament to benefit the Las Vegas Springs Preserve.

The Hard Rock Hotel Casino Poker Lounge in Las Vegas will be the location of the April 1st charity tournament. Players are encouraged to come early and enjoy the drinks provided by Patron Tequila and Sense Nectar, along with appetizers and the chance to peruse the multiple items in the silent auction. Eco-friendly gift bags will also be handed out, courtesy of Nevada Energy, Whole Foods Markets, and the Hard Rock Poker Lounge.

The mingling will be followed by a $200 + $30 poker tournament at 3pm, where players will be contributing to a worthy cause and qualifying for amazing prizes, like a Curtis & Co. Watch, a Legacy Alliance crystal trophy, and the grand prize of a $10,000 seat into the 2009 World Series of Poker. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Las Vegas Springs Preserve.

The Springs Preserve in Las Vegas is a 180-acre, non-gaming cultural and historic attraction that has become a gathering place for students and those seeking a beautiful recreational getaway. The preserve is a place to learn about the history of Las Vegas and view the exhibits that show a forward-thinking and environmentally friendly future. There are museums, botanical gardens, galleries, trails, and dining available on site. Years ago, the Native Americans called the area around the springs their home, and the preserve is now a place of history and, potentially, the future. More information can be found at www.SpringsPreserve.org.

To reserve your seat at the Lederers’ April Fools Charity Poker Tournament, send an e-mail info@AprilFoolsCPT.com.

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SportsBook Poker is giving out Huge Jackpots

March 16, 2009

People always say money won is better than money earned and there is no greater way to win money than through poker jackpots.  In fact, hitting a poker jackpot can instantly put thousands of dollars in a player’s pocket with little effort involved.  In the case of winning SportsBook Poker’s most recent poker jackpot, it can put over $52,000 in your pocket!  That’s because SportsBook has started their all-new Series III jackpot race where the winner will earn $52k.

All you have to do to be in the running for the $52,000 jackpot at SportsBook is earn Gold Cards in their ring games and poker tournaments.  Gold Cards are dealt randomly through hole cards once a hand meets the required rake and if you’re dealt one you’ll get to keep it even after folding out of the hand.  Once you’ve secured a Gold Card it will be added to your personal collection and the goal is to earn the entire 52 card deck.  After an entire 52 card deck of Series III Gold Cards is made you’ll be $52,000 richer. With over 5 million Gold Cards available, accomplishing this is entirely possible.

In order to get your shot at the $52,000 in the Series III jackpot race and earn a deposit bonus of 100% up to $1,000 you need to sign up for SportsBook Poker using the POKERWORKS bonus code.  After doing this you’ll not only be eligible to win the $52k, but you’ll also have a chance to use your Gold Cards for numerous other things.  

One of the best ways that you can utilize a Gold Card is by using it to gain entry into a tournament.  The more Gold Cards you have, the higher the tournament buy-in you can purchase with it.  And since Gold Cards are randomly given out for free when you’re participating in ring games, tournaments, poker freerolls, and poker satellites it’s basically like earning a free tourney buy-in.

Another thing that you can do with the cards is win the Daily Gold Card Lottery with them.  All you have to do is log into your SportsBook account and look under the Rewards tab to find out if your Gold Cards match the ones in the Daily Gold Card Lottery.  If they do match then you’ll be in line for some major money!

After checking out the Daily Gold Card Lottery, you might want to head on over to the Gold Card 500 Weekly Race to look at that too.  The Gold Card 500 Weekly Race gives out over $2,500 in prizes each week and the winner will earn an extra $500 in their pocket.  To win the Gold Card 500 Weekly Race you just need to move 500 miles around the race track by having the right Gold Cards.

With all of the things you can do with Gold Cards it’s definitely a good idea to sign up for SportsBook Poker with the POKERWORKS bonus code so you have a chance to win $52k and get the 100% deposit bonus up to $1,000.

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