Bubbling In Biloxi

Just got home from a fun 3 days in Biloxi covering the WPT event for Poker Pro magazine. While there, I played two tournaments...Second Chance events that went on in the evenings during the WPT. The events started at 7 each evening, players got 200 chips, levels were 30 minutes and blinds started at 25/25. The event I played had 118 players and 10 spots paid.

I busted out 11th at around 2 a.m. I'm sure you all know how that feels and it ain't good. When we were down to 2 tables of 9 each, we voted to give the bubbler their money back. but the payouts were all good and worth fighting for. The prize pool was a little over $20K.

I was in pretty good chip position and there were several stacks at my table that were short. When the blinds were 800/1600 and I was in the bb, a very patient man (the only one at our table....tomorrow was the women's event and lots of women there....more about that in a minute), went all in for 5,800. I folded my K10 (I know I should have called) and a very good woman at the table (the tournament director actually) said "How could you not call". After that I had pocket sixes, raised UTG to 4,500 and the now more chipped up guy went all in again. This time, sorry I didn't call last time, I called and was facing aces. Now I was the short stack and probably tilting.

In the small blind with only one limper and the big blind to get past, I raised all in with J8s...a dumb move, and the bb called with Q10 and I was gone while everyone else moved on to the final table.

I seem to be the bubble girl a lot these days and am trying to determine my mistake. I either think I'm too aggressive, or not aggressive in folding to short stack all ins. Playing the last two tables is a difficult situation because you're still 9 handed so it isn't short handed play, but the blinds are big in relation to the chips on the table, especially in an event that starts with 2,000. Any advice from readers on how to play at the last two tables in this type of situation is welcome.

Now about the women. Man, were they aggressive. Middle pairs were reraising UTG raisers. These aren't the women I played last year at the Bike. They were crazy, some good, some just waiting to be gone, but different. I'd rather play men.

The Beau Rivage was great and I made up for my buyin on the other tournament in the cash games which were juicy and diverse. A good quick getaway for us Florida players.

I interviewed John Cernuto while I was there. He's a terrific guy and nothing like I would have expected. Check out Poker Pro in a few months for more about John.

Biloxi And The WPT

Leaving today to meet up with John Cernuto in Biloxi for an interview. While I'm there, Poker Pro has asked me to cover the final table of the WPT event which should be fun, especially since my poker coach Linda Johnson will be there.

Busy with my real job and probably shouldn't take the time, but poker...and friends call, so I'm on my way. Stay tuned for updates.

Poker Pros And Poseurs on the WSOP.

Watching the recent televised WSOP event with Phil Hellmuth was enough to make me question playing poker at all. And Beth Shak didn’t help. She’s living proof that anyone can make a final table. It seems that the true ambassadors of poker these days are the really young players who show skill and polish way beyond their years.

Hellmuth :

His constantly running to Phil Ivey to make side bets that totaled over $80,000 focused on a scary part of the insatiable need gamblers have for action….and to lose. He and Ivey are like poster boys for Gamblers Anonymous.

Really, are Dan Shak and Phil Ivey so close. How much did that cost? (Or Johnny Chan and Jamie Gold for that matter.) This is a new form of hookerdom. Buy a pro for the night.

Hellmuth is a boring guy. Why in the world do producers continue to give him air time?. Most viewers come to watch poker, and when he’s on that’s hard to do. What am I missing here? We know…he’s won bracelents, but there are many better players that make for better viewing and certainly showcase a more interesting part of the game. PRODUCERS: Give us a break. Don’t insult our intelligence. We like poker, not listening to people we wouldn’t even have lunch with.

Beth Shak :

Did she ever actually think about a hand..you know, analyze it. Like, what might my opponent have?. Watching her said, poker’s basically a mindless game. Hey, I can do that. I’ll get a hat.

Did she have a clue about how to bet? She couldn’t seem to figure that out. Instead she had the basic move recommended for all amateurs when they don’t know what to do i.e. “I’m all in” with the threatening hand wave. Lot’s of posing, but not much playing. She even bought some friends to bring and paid top dollar for the right to high five them I’m sure.

Why wasn’t she penalized for acting like a 12 year old and yelling “I’ve got them” to her husband while another player was in the hand trying to decide whether or not to call? She was embarrassing to watch and set a bad example for how to behave, but she got away with it.


The good examples at the table were the young guys who outplayed the bracelet winner and tolerated and wannabe. At least Norman and Lon were informative and entertaining as usual.

Finally, No Limit Cash Games in Florida

After financing my tournament play with cash games in Vegas, Atlantic City and California, I'm glad to say we can now play in Florida. Or am I? So far I've only played at the Dania Poker Room, and what a crazy game!

Let me explain. I'm in a $1/$2 no limit game that is going along as you might expect when the following gentleman enters the game: he's wearing a sleeveless shirt, three bracelets that look kind of WSOPish but aren't, lots of rings, a cowboy hat and a cigar. He has a high voice and a kind of Cajun accent. The dealer seems to know him and a few regulars at the table are excited to see him. The buyin is maximum $100 so he buys and for the first hand, literally THROWS in $25. A few callers and after the flop, without looking at his hand, he THROWS in the rest of his stack. . Unfortunately his K4o didn't hold up so he rebuys and it all starts over.

I definitely didn't bring enough money for this game. His pocket 33 didn't do any better against a board that had KJQA with 3 to a flush. And now the table is playing totally different naturally. Everyone wants to bust this guy and get their share of his rebuys, but rather than playing tighter, they're loosening up...even I am. I play a 9 10 on the button and the flop is 8J2 giving me an open-ended straight draw which I don't make.

I've never seen this in any of the places I've played. California has lots of gamblin' guys who will call you to the river with nothing, but they generally are cautious enough to look at their cards at some point.

So I wonder, and I ask you....is this poker? Is this ATM a gift or should I have asked for a table change. Actually I just left. I'll be back though, and I hope this cowboy is there.

World Poker Showdown in Nassau, Bahamas

Just got back from three days in Nassau to play some events in the World Poker Showdown at the Wyndham Cable Beach Resort.

I played three events and won the first one. Actually, chopped with a Canadian player but I had the chip lead so was listed as the winner. Whatever....it was fun.

The tournaments were a good format: not many chips (1,500), but long levels (35 minutes) and good blind structure: 25/25, 25/50, etc. so there was time to play right. I really chipped up during the first hour, then lost half my stack when my pocket AA were cracked by AK suited who flopped a flush. Flopped! Didn't even have to wait for the turn. I maintained a good attitude and still had chips which I managed to rebuild. I came to the final table as the short stack, but took the lead after some good calls.

First, a woman I never played but who had lots of chips, made a big raise UTG. I had QQ. She hadn't played a hand yet, and I thought she might have KK or AA, but I was here to win at this point. At the showdown, she showed J10 and I was so glad I was aggressive. I later called an all-in by the short stack when I had KQs and it was pretty much smooth sailing from there on. I went from just being glad to getting into the money, to thinking, "I can win this thing."

The event was well run and fun, but the other poker action at the hotel was awful. Their small poker room of about 6 tables, never had more than 2 open...and for awhile on Saturday night 3. Even with a big waiting list, they had no more than three dealers although they DID have three people at the podium who were basically ignoring the waiting players. Also, the "poker room" was only open from 7 p.m. until 2 a.m., and there was smoking, so considering all of those factors, I'd never go there to play poker and I don't think there's any other action on the island. The only reason for poker in the Bahamas is if there's a good event, which the World Poker Showdown was

Poker Fantasy Camp With Linda Johnson

Just returned from a week I knew would be great, but was even better than I expected. I was in Las Vegas to be coached by Linda Johnson who you probably know as the announcer on the WPT and as a world-class poker player.

Here’s what my training included:

I watched Linda play at the Venetian. Somewhat limited in usefulness since the game was mixed and included many games I don’t play (like Omaha and Razz).

Linda watched me play a $2/$5 NL game at the Venetian. Hard-to-imagine useful! Reading books is good. Watching poker on television helps. Playing and getting experience is a must. But having someone like Linda critique your play beats everything. She took notes (which she didn’t really need since she remembered every card, bet and nuance of every hand), then she gave it to me straight. If our training ended right there, I’d consider it one of the best poker experiences possible .

Linda tells me one millionth of what she knows. Sitting on the swing in her relaxing yard on a beautiful day, Linda shared as much of her knowledge with me as she thought I could take. It was mind-boggling and she knew it, so she told me what she thought I could absorb and use. Again, priceless.

Linda’s for a party…and poker. This was fun! A really terrific group of people. I don’t think I’ve ever met such a friendly, interesting, fun collection. I wanted to spend an evening with each of them. We had a great dinner then sat down to a poker game which, to my surprise, everyone took seriously. We played $1/2 NL and, again, it was a great learning experience. I won $135 which was nice, although over the long run I don’t think this would be a winning table situation for me. Short term, luck was on my side.

Dinner with Linda and Jan Fisher at the Venetian. More information and some follow-up questions. Nice to spend time with Jan who I met before. She's very funny. She's partners with Linda on Card Player Cruises cardplayercruises.com

Binion’s for a Wednesday poker club meeting. Again, fun and useful. These players meet every Wednesday and have been for 6 years. They discuss…..more like dissect… poker hands. I wish I could do this every week. It would be one of the great benefits of living in Las Vegas. You really see how many ways there are not just to play a hand, but to think about it. Also, it was interesting to notice the difference in outlook between the people who played for a living and the more recreational players. If you’re ever in Vegas on a Wednesday at 2 p.m., go! These are smart people willing to share what they know.

Linda’s for online play. I watched her, she watched me. It was stressful. I had lots of new thoughts loaded in my brain over the week and was caught somewhere between what I would have done before and what I knew I should do now….with a timer going and not being used to using a PC (I’m a Mac person unfortunately since I’m in a graphic-oriented business). I think I scared Linda and I could see her re-evaluating any positive thoughts she might have had about me as a player!

I won’t go into detail here about specific tips since that’s a whole article in itself (and will be in Poker Pro and hopefully some other publications).

If you’re lucky, at some point you can have a coach like Linda. She’s a generous, fun, kind person who included me in her life for a great week. The downside when you play with someone as talented as Linda is you realize how far the road is to just be competitive. I’ll never be near the level of Linda and many of the people I met, but I’ll be good enough to have a great time and win a few sessions, even with a few pros at the table.

What kind of player (and person) are you?

I played in a tournament last night and could have cashed but didn't. There are several ways to look at why, which I find instructive.

Here was the situation briefly. Three tables left, one cashes, I have an average decent stack and the table is acting about how you'd expect given the situation. I'm UTG, blinds are 500/1000, and I have KJs. I raise to 3000 and it folds around to the big blind who thinks, then calls. The flop is Jxx, two diamonds. The BB goes all in (he had Q8d) and I call. He catches the flush on the river and I'm gone

The three ways to look at it, all of which tell you something about your playing style (and probably something about you as a person which is why I love poker).

1) How could that moron call me? (It's the other player's fault)
2) I'm so unlucky (Poor me)
3) What did I do wrong? (I immediately realized the play was to go all in pre-flop. I wouldn't have been called and picked up the antes and blinds and we would have moved on...the blind wasn't going to call with that hand...we were close in chips.)

I was so aggravated with myself to be in such a good position (i.e. almost down to one table, decent stack and nice hand to play with) and to have made that mistake in such an unforgiving game, but I was glad I accept that I'm generally responsible for what happens.

Borgata Open 07. Or, How Could I Play So Good...and So Bad?

First, the good part. That's me at one of the last four tables (out of 23 to start) at the Borgata Open's Last Chance Cash Tournament. I played well and didn't embarrass myself at all, busting out 34th with 27 spots paying (1st was $16,000).

So here's my question, and I WELCOME YOUR INPUT!! Do you ever find that, even though you know better, you do the dumbest things for which there is no good reason? This seems to be true mainly when playing poker....why do we do it??

Here are a few examples:

1) Cash game at the Tropicana (where I have never been able to win despite my winning record in Vegas and California, supposedly tougher places to play). It's a $2-$5 NL game and I'm holding AQ. I raise pre-flop to $15 and get 4 callers. The flop is QJx, and I make it $60 and get two callers (one loose, the other a very good player...I'm worried about him). The turn is a blank . I bet $100 and they both call . The river is an A (I have two pair, but now there's a straight on the board). I'd like to say I was thinking...they don't have K10 (by the way, they BOTH did). I called another $138 all in to see the straight.

What could I have done differently. Did I play it poorly, or did I just get unlucky? I think both players had the right odds to gamble (they had 11 outs since the K would also beat me and they knew that). I lost $400 on that hand. This hand was played when I came back from my lunch break and 1) the table had changed; 2) I was tired and 3) I had a friend with me. I shouldn't have played...that's the bottom line.

2) Multi-table tournament, 170 players, I have some chips. I flop two pair, K10, and slow play it with two to the flush on the flop and allow someone to catch the flush when 4 clubs appear.

3) I sit down in a very loose cash game with all hard to read bluffy guys and I have only an hour and play very weak and scared looking. That's just not long enough to get a read on a table and you can't play with confidence until you do.

Here are some questions for you:

-Do you think you can regain the table's respect after making a complete fool of yourself. The only thing I can think of is to try to use that to your advantage later.

-Do you ever make a play totally against what you know to be the right play? Why do you think we do that?

All in all, except for the one hand in the cash game, it was a good trip. My room in the NORTH TOWER at the Tropicana was excellent and I highly recommend that as a place to stay. The Hilton has a tournament with a great structure. And the scene at the Borgata was major and fun .

Poker on the Princess

For the second time, I took a Princess cruise out of Palm Beach (Riviera Beach more precisely). The "cruise" is just 5 hours , just long enough to get out far enough for real gambling. The first one I took was on a Saturday evening; this one was SunDAY. Both are pretty nice. They start with a great buffet. On Sunday, it was a brunch....and was terrific with everything from eggs to roast beef, and if you like pastries....you'll be very happy.

The poker room is off by itself and away from some very hectic casino action. This time they only had two tables, one stud and one $3/$5 no limit. Cards are in the air around 11 and the game ends at 3 and the table doesn't change much....the players you start with are pretty much the players you end up with.

My table was crazy! Everyone was in every pot and it was pretty hard to get rid of anyone, even if they had nothing. I thought they were some of the worst players I've seen. All in all, a good game if you had a monster hand, but hard to see many flops cheaply. I'm not used to playing 9 handed so it was interesting to adjust my game. Thre were many pots where I was the only person not playing, but when the odds were good, I came in too. A deuce/four turned out to be one of my biggst pots when I flopped two pair. Then a guy with an ace/four chased me all the way until my ace/J beat him.

I wish we had longer. People were willing to loose a lot of money, but they also got lucky and it takes time to come back from the hands where someone sucks out. At the end of the session, I was down about $120 which wasn't bad. There were guys (I was the only female) who lost well over $1,000...I'm only sorry it wasn't to me!

When the poker room shuts down, there's a nice deck to sit on and listen to old Credence and Eagles music while watching the ship come in. Basically, a very nice day. If you're in the area, I recommend it, not necessarily for the poker, but for the total experience.