Just got word over the poker satellite that Gregg Merkow and Jamie Gold are currently engaged in some high stakes action — $50/$100 NLH with a $200 straddle. I can only presume in Tunica, where there’s a WSOP Circuit main event and a big WPT event going right next to each other. Don’t know who’s got what kinda stacks in front of them, but you know who we’re rooting for … 2008 baby, it feels good to run good!
Donkey Bomber Pokerati Tom — my words, not his — is at another final table today. That’s about all we know. I think it’s in a $2,500 Venetian/NPL Vegas Open event — I know it’s not at one of the preliminary Bellagio 5-Diamond tourneys where most of the pros are playing — but can’t be sure because, frankly, Tom tends to slack off from his frontline tournament reporting duties whenever he’s playing well (or vice versa). Too bad Goldfarb’s not making more final tables, because even if he can’t post directly from the table, he loves to send me the suckout-by-suckout recaps.
Tom Schneider starts today third in chips … I do know that much. And yeah, looking again, it’s gotta be event #3, because that’s one that counts toward Player of the Year. He really wants to win it, and thinks he can. Personally, I don’t think he stands a chance — though I suppose technically it’s possible and the Arizona Cardinals could win the next Super Bowl, as neither have been mathematically eliminated from contention.
In the meantime, keep up the good work, Tom (6)! We’re rooting for you against David Pham, Jonathan Little, Scott Clements, Bill Edler, JC Tran, David Fox, James Van Alstyne, Jared Hamby, and Danny Wong! Actually, I’m kinda rooting for Danny Wong, too … because he’s on my fantasy team. And Travis Rice, who is Dallas Poker’s highest ranked player in the CardPlayer standings at #11 — 5 spots, and 680 points behind Tom.
UPDATE (from Tom):
Belagio 2500 started yesterday 247 players
Hmm, OK, so I guess it was not one of the Venetian tourneys … it was a 5-Diamonder. Oops! But can we say sic.?
CORRECTION: Despite his own reports to the contrary, Schneider starts the day second in chips, not third. Click below to see who’s at the final table …
We probably shoulda mentioned this earlier, but there’s been a pretty big series of tournaments going on at the Cherokee Casino in Upper Oklahoma. The main event of the Scotty Nguyen Classic IV just finished up … another quarter-million first-place payout from our good friends north of the Red River … and TJ Cloutier won it, avenging the two-outer that cost him the top spot in WinStar‘s big-daddy event.
He defeated Houstonian Ray Henson, whom you may recall went deep in the 2007 WSOP main event — the last Texan standing, finishing in 12th place before being knocked out by, interestingly enough, Scotty Nguyen.
124 players bought in to this $5,000 NLHE event, including a handful of names and faces you may recognize from tables around North Texas and elsewhere:
TJ Cloutier, Richardson, 1st place — $241k
Ray Henson, Houston, 2nd place — $138k
Brant Hale, Norman, 3rd place — $72k
Gavin Smith, Las Vegas, 4th place — $42k
Noah Nodine, Norman, 5th place — $33k
Daniel Robertson, Alma, AR, 6th place — $27k
Gil George, Dallas, 7th place — $21k
Scotty Nguyen, Las Vegas, 8th place — $15k
Bill Edler, Las Vegas, 9th place — $12k
One of the other major tournaments going on this weekend took place in Aruba — a slightly more scenic destination than New Jersey. The $5,500 buy-in event drew 548 players, and in the end, after enduring a semi-difficult outdoor final table (complete with sun, wind, and bugs) Fort Worth’s Travis Rice was the last player standing — winning $800,000 and providing further proof of the old adage about the success of the Dallas Cowboys being tied to the Ultimate Bet Aruba Classic.
Mean Gene was there ogling the bikini-clad following the official action, as was PocketFives. While a handful of big-name pros competed (Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, Robert Williamson, Mike Matusow, Kristy Gazes, et al.), by the time this thing got to the money, the online qualifiers were clearly dominating.
Online players know Travis as “TravestyFund” … but some of you may remember him as a dealer at the now defunct Sixth Street. He has since turned pro, and thus far in 2007 banked nearly $1.2 million in tournament winnings. He celebrated his most recent victory by jumping in a pool.
More photos here.
Louis Lee continues to kick arse at the US Poker Championship in Atlantic City. They’re down to three and he’s the middle in chips. Go Louis!
By the way, one hand that deserves mention … Louis knocked out Victor Ramdin, who was previously belittling his play and claiming he would take all of Lee’s chips. From PokerListings:
Sickening!
Louis Lee raises to $68,000 on the button and Victor Ramdin comes over the top all-in for another $205,000 from the small blind. Ed Brogdon gets out of the way in the big blind and the action’s on Lee, who ruminates for a few minutes, saying, “This would be the sickest thing in the world if I called this.”It is the sickest thing in the world, because Lee calls with [cards]Kd 7c[/cards] and is way behind Ramdin’s [cards]Ah Ks[/cards]. The flop is cruel, coming [cards]Qc 7d 6c[/cards], and after the turn is the [cards]Qs[/cards] the river is the [cards]9s[/cards] and Victor Ramdin, who yesterday told Lee he’d take every last one of his chips before the tournament was over, has been eliminated at the hands of the man he’d trash talked.
Ramdin is out in fifth place and will take home $71,586 to add to the coffers.
Awesome. You can see why I am such a big Louis Lee fan.
UPDATE: They’re down to heads-up. Louis is guaranteed $318k … winner takes home $606k. He has 1.6 million chips, to Adam Gerber‘s 3.8 million.
UPDATE: Rough hand … but Lee couldn’t lay down his boat and he got 2nd place:
Louis Lee limps-in and Adam Gerber pops it to 125,000. Lee makes the call and the flop comes [cards]6d 6c 5c[/cards]. Gerber checks and Lee bets 200,000. Gerber immediately pops to 500,000 and Lee makes the call. The turn is the [cards]6h[/cards] and Gerber moves all-in, putting Lee to a decision for his tournament life.
Lee tanks for a good five minutes, standing and pacing and trying to figure out his move. After an agonizing deliberation he makes the call, shoving his stack into the middle and turning up [cards]5s 3s[/cards] for the boat. Gerber has a better boat, however, with [cards]8s 8h[/cards] and Lee is drawing dead. After the [cards]Kc[/cards] hits the river it’s official; Adam Gerber is USPC Champ!
While Louis may be rethinking the call for a while, one thing that probably makes it a little more stomach-rumbly is the chop he turned down. When they got to heads-up, Gerber (the 2.5x bigger stack) offered him $450,000 and they’d play for the bracelet and a Rolex. Very fair, he agreed, but Louis wanted to play it out.
Still, nice debut performance on the high-stakes circuit. Big congrats to LL.
The story of Louis Lee has made the USPC entertaining for some of us to follow — moreso than, say, Gavin Smith, who busted out in 9th place when his two-pair couldn’t hold up against a flush draw. With eight players remaining, Lee, who has just $4,000 in major tournament winnings prior to this event, is 2nd in chips with 1.35 million. His trash-talking next-door neighbor Victor Ramdin (last week’s cover of CardPlayer, by the way) is 5th with 322k. Fun!
While this tournament hardly qualifies as a “major,” it still offers potentially life-changing money to the winner. $32k to the next player out; $600k to the last man standing. That’s a big-time sit-n-go no matter how you look at it. (Can we say chop?) For a not-so-winning player like yours truly, it’s kinda extra cool to see a guy sitting next to me at a 2/5 table at WinStar just a month ago in this situation.
Louis and his poker buddy Dale were kind enough to keep us updated throughout Day 4. Click below to see how he got to the final table in such a strong position, where he can theoretically weather a bad beat or two, and totally dominate if he happens to get a tad lucky:
An update on the US Poker Championship at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City as they get near the money bubble. For all you Louis Lee fans out there:
Up to 460,000 chips. 22 players left. Ramdin crippled Bill gaze. Pocket 10 held up to pocket 7. Gaze out. got most of my chips from ramdin.
Excellent. Final table in his sights.
Coverage from PokerPages here.
Coverage from PokerListings here.
UPDATE: From PokerListings:
As we start hand-for-hand play, Victor Ramdin turns to seatmate Louis Lee and tells him, “I promise by the end of the tournament I’m going to take every one of your chips. I promise. And you know why? Because you play bad. You’re playing bad poker. And people who play bad poker, I take all of their chips.”
Awesome … Ramdin sounds like a break-even online player.
NOT THACKERVILLE, Okla.–Crap. Did I say that already? You can’t be a good poker player if you let going bust upset you too much … always sucks … but man, does it really suck to go bust after sunrise. Hurts even more when the winner of your final hand turns his cards up in disgust after seeing the turn and the river and says, dejectedly, “you got it,” when in fact you don’t.
So my experiment has come to an end. Brought $1,000 to play with, and finished down $837. I’d like to say I got average cards and played them below-average. But considering my results of late, I think I might have to admit that I was playing them full-on average for me.
To be good at poker you’re supposed to see the action just in terms of chips, not dollars. But I sometimes wonder if that’s 100 percent true. Because it is real money you’re playing with, and perhaps keeping that in mind can help you make better decisions. Regardless, as part of my punishment for 15 hours of poker sloth, here’s a list of what else I could’ve done with $837 besides hanging out on an Oklahoma Indian Reservation with a bunch of mostly Asian guys not getting any sleep:
Numbers Game
OK, for some reason that last one makes me feel better about everything. Guess I won’t quit poker after all. Baby don’t need no shoes.
UPDATE: I forgot I had three one-dollar chips in my pocket. So really, I only finished down $834. Movin’ on up!
Well that went fine but not great. Out early in level 4. (Posted two updates earlier, but ran into technical difficulties with my non-iPhone.) Anyhow, all I know is that i will be a better player when I learn how to lay down trips when I suspect I might be outkicked and the all-in big stack really has a flush.
But not all is lost. Saw lots of friendly faces here and one has owed me $388 since February. I knew he was good for it — had just been awhile since we had seen each other, and indeed he paid me. So despite the early bustout, I am so far up $163. Cool, ish.
UPDATE: They are at the final table … Como is alive and healthy, and Fubu is the chip leader! No cash game got rolling, however, so I am heading north … to Oklahoma. Should be there in an hour or so. You know, from Mexico.
I’ve got a plan in place — a test really — and am ready to embark. I’ve got a specified wad of cash, two packs of cigarettes and some breath mints in my pockets, a change of shirt in the bag, and am fixin’ to hit the tables. We’re going to see how much I can return home with by the time most of you are reading this Monday morning.
First stop: a $225 “deep stacks” tourney somewhere in “Mexico.” 7,500 starting chips and 30 minute levels. Should be fun.
If I bust out early I will probably play some cash in the nearest 1/2 game. If I last long enough that I need a little break before action resumes, I am headed to Oklahoma — to WinStar, to try a little 2/5 no-limit hold’em. Not sure what the weekend tournament scene is like there, but that’s part of what I’m looking to go find out.
Will try to update as I go along, but as always, that is often internet-dependent … so I make no promises there.
I’ve thought this all through clearly, thoroughly, and rationally. Worst case scenario I am home early this evening and kicking myself while doing real-world work to recoup my losses. Best case scenario I’ll come home significantly more phizzat having finished off the extra-pokery weekend with a late-Sunday night amateur victory at the Lodge … where I hear the (tournament) action is still good. It will be a test of discipline, focus, and fortitude. Wish me luck!
THACKERVILLE, Okla.–TJ Cloutier made a raise, and Vikram Vijay folded 2-7o face-up. Greg Raymer, announcing the action, says, “Folding the Hammer.” I think I was the only one cheering on the inside … not for the fold, but for the Raymer recognition. (Otis must have taught him well.)
On the very next hand, they got it all-in … Cloutier had A-J, an Vijay called with 3-3. An ace came on the flop … no straight or flush draw on the turn … and congratulations to the New Yorker-cum-Oklahoman Vikram Vijay, who wins the 3rd annual Red River Roundup with a red 3 on the river.
Perhaps just as it should be?
THACKERVILLE, Okla.–North Texas player Abteen Vaziri just said now that I know his name I can delete it. He is out. He wins $2,500 for finishing in 55th place. Much of Abteen’s recent success has come from study of Joe Navarro’s book on tells. But he misread a pulsing neck vain for weakness when in reality it was pocket queens.
Sorry dude.
Looks like it’s up to Josh, Troy, and/or TJ to do the Dallas gamers (whose names Pokerati knows) proud.
UPDATE: Troy “Darling” Phillips is out. He got pocket jacks on the button and raised. The ever-aggressive big blind pushed all-in … Troy called … and would learn the sad news that he was up against aces. Ouch!
50th place. $3,000. Still, nice job by the Batfaces favorite sugar daddy curly haired representative. It’s only a matter of time before he runs out of money makes another final table.
UPDATE: Josh Evans also appears to be out. Turned away for a second and his table was gone … and he couldn’t be found elsewhere in the field.
Interestingly enough, while Kido Pham and Greg Raymer were brought out here (and presumably bought in) by WinStar … TJ Cloutier simply showed up on his own and plunked down $1,100. Definitely not a charity event for him. And to think, they don’t even have craps in Oklahoma. Can we say positive EV?
With 45 players left and blinds at 4k/8k+500, Cloutier has about 165,000 chips. Average stack is 111,000.
UPDATE: Just learned that Cloutier was bought into this event by a heretofore unnamed military-ish backer in Dallas … who has 50 percent of the poker hall-of-famer.
THACKERVILLE, Okla.–Still anybody’s game in the WinStar tourney. Though in the parking lot, the Okies seem to be mounting a comeback. Our unscientific license-plate spot-check today:
Texas – 184
Oklahoma – 14
Pennsylvania – 1
South Dakota – 1
Kansas – 1
Missouri – 1
Mexico D.F. – 1
That’s really all there is to it. He got some chips and then lost them. “You gotta win your races,” he said.
UPDATE: They are down to about 100 players, and Merkow, Randack, and Sanbob all appear to be out, too. Vandy Krouch is still alive but nursing a tiny stack.
One player still alive with about 20k I know I know but I can’t seem to place his name. He keeps saying, “Hi Dan,” when I walk by and asks me how “our guys” are doing.
“Dude, you’re the last man standing. Dude.”
Feel semi-assy for not knowing. And though I’m sure he’ll be only minorly bummed when he doesn’t see his name on the internet, I don’t want to disturb his game by saying, “Sorry, man … you look familiar, but no clue about your name … I used to smoke a lot of pot.”
For the record, by the way, it’s really tough to live-blog without the internet!
UPDATE: La Sengphat and her “honey” DC both busted out early today. Flopping two-pair to a set repeatedly can do that to you. Dallas poker seems to be getting its ass KICKED today!
THACKERVILLE, Okla.–Some chip counts from the Red River Roundup, Day 2-Day 1:
TBR – 10k
Gregg Merkow – 20k
Webber Kang – 3500
Robert “Sanbob” Sanchez – 3k
Jerry Randack – 2500
UPDATE: Webber is out. Now playing 5/10 nlh.
Spot-check of license plates on my walk from the parking lot:
Texas – 92
Oklahoma – 9
Kansas – 1
In the cash room:
Omaha games running – 2/5 and 5/10 PLO
Full 5/10 NLH tables – 4
Number of players in the smoke room playing for their very first time – 2
Amount one of these players is up playing 4/8 – $840
Watched Game of Thrones, now I am playing Sensible Soccer on the 360, for some reason. #Monday
Great crAAKKer post by @Grange95: http://t.co/KcaobMfP) I wish I could write like Michael. Maybe someday. #poker #onlinegaming
