Gamblegambel and I were talking online today and he asked me what my biggest downswing in tournament play has been. I realized I really don't know, as I have only been a real "tournament" player - as opposed to cash or mix - for about a year now. I do know that I am on a downswing of some sort, having failed to post a significant result since the NAPT Venetian in February and having lost money during that time. Many tournaments I have played have followed a familiar pattern: subsist on an inconsequential stack until three quarters of the field is gone, then quietly expire. There have been a couple flirtations with big money, but nothing worth noting. This FTOPS, usually a source of revenue and inspiration, has been a rather dismal affair thus far.
None of this really matters a whole lot, as it has had little effect on my disposition or bankroll. Most importantly, the heavy action is just getting going. There are big FTOPS events the next three days, the SCOOP kicks off Monday, and of course the WSOP is now just a month away. If anyone has PokerStars $$ to trade for Full Tilt $$, let me know. I would like to play quite a few of the major SCOOP events, including the $10k.
___
Congrats to Shannon Shorr, who won the 6-max $300 rebuy FTOPS AKA "The Bankroll Breaker" for $213k late Wednesday night. Shannon has been a friend and foe (only at the tables) since the PartyPoker days. He plays the opposite of the "smallball" style I typically advocate, but there is no denying that it works for him.
___
Speaking of smallball, the current All In Magazine (with Annie Duke on the cover) has some sort of feature on me and smallball stemming from a Cash Plays interview I did with Jeremiah Smith a while back.
Kamis, 29 April 2010
My 100 Favorite Songs: #19
Fleetwood Mac - Gypsy
So I'm back, to the velvet underground
Back to the floor, that I love
To a room with some lace and paper flowers
Back to the gypsy that I was
So I'm back, to the velvet underground
Back to the floor, that I love
To a room with some lace and paper flowers
Back to the gypsy that I was
Selasa, 27 April 2010
Slam Dunk
Congrats to grtwhitehoop aka Seth Fischer on scoring about $154k in last night's $1k 6-max FTOPS!
Minggu, 25 April 2010
NAPT Venetian TV Premiere
Once identified as a professional poker player, you receive two standard questions. "Can you really make a living doing that?" and "Have you ever been on TV?"
The answer to the first question is of course, "yes." For the second, I have been using a somewhat cumbersome "well, I've been on TV in Europe" for the last couple years.
Monday night ESPN2 will air the final table of the $5k North American Poker Tour event at 11 PM EST, and I will have a simpler answer to that second question. My appearance will likely be rather limited, but it is an exciting thing to be on national TV.
I was running on fumes on day two of the tournament before my pair of fives outran Bill Chen's queen-ten. Then I picked up a few hands, made a big call against Michael Kamran, picked up a few more hands, picked up a few more hands against a steaming Jon Turner, and ended day two amongst the chip leaders. I ran really hot again on day three, winning huge pots with hands like seven-four suited, king-three suited, and ten-eight offsuit. Day four was not as smooth, but I doubled through chipleader Sam Stein on the TV bubble and went into the final table of eight second in chips to Stein.
With my stack and position (to Stein's left) entering the final table, I felt he and I were the two favorites to take down the $827k first prize. The other players ranged from solid to excellent. I was particularly wary of Thomas Marchese, and told anyone who would listen to watch out for him. He did not have a ton of chips starting the final table, but I knew him to be an extremely skilled and fearless player.
My interview with ESPN was somewhat awkward, as the interviewer kept asking about the subject matter of my book. I answered candidly, and am somewhat scared of the jokes Norman Chad may have in store. I will be an easy target if chosen for that role.
I wish I had gotten a haircut.
After the interview was kind of an odd period, as there were a couple hours to kill before the final table and my crew of friends flying in hadn't arrived quite yet. I idly drove west from the Venetian, stopped at a 7-Eleven for a snack bar and deodorant, then drove back to the Strip and ate crepes with the crew. As expected it took a while for the final table to get started. A woman involved with Pokerstars told me I needed to remove my Victory Poker patch, which didn't come as a surprise. It takes a while for everyone to get mic'd up, there are various production issues that need to be ironed out, the players and crowd need to be situated properly, etc. When we finally got started I raised the first hand with a respectable jack-ten suited, only to see Miami John come over the top for most of his stack.
The final table went rather poorly. I lost small pot after small pot. I made some minor mistakes in a couple of these hands. ESPN could show one or two of these hands. But more likely they will just show my bustout hand, and I may be relegated to the brief clip where they say something like "while we were away, Thomas Fuller was eliminated with a pair of jacks against Daniel Clemente's pocket queens."
If this is the case, no worries. It won't be the last time I'm on TV for poker.
The answer to the first question is of course, "yes." For the second, I have been using a somewhat cumbersome "well, I've been on TV in Europe" for the last couple years.
Monday night ESPN2 will air the final table of the $5k North American Poker Tour event at 11 PM EST, and I will have a simpler answer to that second question. My appearance will likely be rather limited, but it is an exciting thing to be on national TV.
I was running on fumes on day two of the tournament before my pair of fives outran Bill Chen's queen-ten. Then I picked up a few hands, made a big call against Michael Kamran, picked up a few more hands, picked up a few more hands against a steaming Jon Turner, and ended day two amongst the chip leaders. I ran really hot again on day three, winning huge pots with hands like seven-four suited, king-three suited, and ten-eight offsuit. Day four was not as smooth, but I doubled through chipleader Sam Stein on the TV bubble and went into the final table of eight second in chips to Stein.
With my stack and position (to Stein's left) entering the final table, I felt he and I were the two favorites to take down the $827k first prize. The other players ranged from solid to excellent. I was particularly wary of Thomas Marchese, and told anyone who would listen to watch out for him. He did not have a ton of chips starting the final table, but I knew him to be an extremely skilled and fearless player.
My interview with ESPN was somewhat awkward, as the interviewer kept asking about the subject matter of my book. I answered candidly, and am somewhat scared of the jokes Norman Chad may have in store. I will be an easy target if chosen for that role.
I wish I had gotten a haircut.
After the interview was kind of an odd period, as there were a couple hours to kill before the final table and my crew of friends flying in hadn't arrived quite yet. I idly drove west from the Venetian, stopped at a 7-Eleven for a snack bar and deodorant, then drove back to the Strip and ate crepes with the crew. As expected it took a while for the final table to get started. A woman involved with Pokerstars told me I needed to remove my Victory Poker patch, which didn't come as a surprise. It takes a while for everyone to get mic'd up, there are various production issues that need to be ironed out, the players and crowd need to be situated properly, etc. When we finally got started I raised the first hand with a respectable jack-ten suited, only to see Miami John come over the top for most of his stack.
The final table went rather poorly. I lost small pot after small pot. I made some minor mistakes in a couple of these hands. ESPN could show one or two of these hands. But more likely they will just show my bustout hand, and I may be relegated to the brief clip where they say something like "while we were away, Thomas Fuller was eliminated with a pair of jacks against Daniel Clemente's pocket queens."
If this is the case, no worries. It won't be the last time I'm on TV for poker.
Kamis, 22 April 2010
My Official Position
...is the same as it was last year: Josh McDaniels knows more about football than you or me, and drafts should never be judged before the players get on the field.
I will say that last year's draft is not off to a promising start.
Senin, 19 April 2010
2010 Denver Nuggets Playoff Drinking Game
1 drink
Carmelo made 20+ foot two point jumper
Carmelo fouled on a jump shot
Nene dunk
Birdman blocked shot
Arron Afflalo made 3-pointer from the wing
2 drinks
K-Mart brick from the key or elbow
K-mart technical or flagrant foul
Announcers mention K-mart popcorn in car April Fool's joke
Chauncey Billups 4th quarter 3-pointer
Chauncey Billups missed free throw
Ty Lawson outruns opponent on fast break
3 drinks
JR Smith passes up open shot
JR Smith hand gesture
Carmelo scores 30 points
5-second chug
Johan Petro made basket
Renaldo Balkman made basket
Anthony Carter blocked shot
Birdman flaps wings
Any Nugget not named Carmelo scores 30 points
Carmelo scores 40 points
JR Smith three consecutive made 3-pointers
Finish your drink
Any Nugget posts a triple-double
Carmelo scores 50 points
Any Nugget not named Carmelo scores 40 points
Ty Lawson dunk
One shot of liquor
Carmelo scores 60 points
Any Nugget not named Carmelo scores 50 points
3-pointer by Birdman, Nene, or Petro
Jumat, 16 April 2010
On The Home Again
After an epic journey home involving copious lightning, mud, and stirring conversation, I rolled into Boulder a little after 4 AM this morning. I am playing the Heartland Poker Tour tonight, embarking on another (one day, beer-fueled) journey tomorrow, then kicking back and watching a lot of playoff basketball and hockey for the next week. I will also be purchasing a new computer and hope to finally crank out some pages for the book. There will be no WPT Championship for me this year, though there is still a slim chance I will enter a $25k event later this year.
Once again, I have returned home from the road feeling like a bigger and better person than the day I left.
Once again, I have returned home from the road feeling like a bigger and better person than the day I left.
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