Updates
TOURNEYS: Unfortunately, I have not been able to find much in the way of tournament results out of the Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure, but then, I'm getting the impression that the main action hasn't quite started yet. However, Poker Stars has set up a blog to report the goings-on in the Bahamas, and I must admit it is quite interesting reading. I especially enjoyed reading the wholly appropriate fate of the self-professed "Suckout King." You'll find it here.
Down in Tunica, the main action gets underway today in the Jack Binion World Poker Open. However, yesterday was the invitation-only freeroll for members of the media. Congratulations to frequent RGPer John Burgess for winning that event and taking home $1,800.
There will be plenty more to come. For those of you who are not quite as obsessed with the game as I am, to the point of scavenging all over the internet for every tidbit of news about poker, check back here for more summary results from all the tournaments.
FREE MONEY: As I had mentioned yesterday, I ran across an offer for a free $75 at Party Poker, no deposit required. As promised, I found the money when I logged in last night. (Actually, my account had $75.01 in it. I don't know where the extra penny came from.) I didn't get to play much last night, having to keep my phone open due to some extraordinary circumstances at work. However, I did manage to play about 30-some hands just to get a feel. And as Iggy is wont to say, "Oh, the humanity." I immediately headed to the $25 PLHE tables. I was dealt a few hands right off the bat that I might have played, but the guy to my right had a habit of jacking up the pot every single time.
Then, a few hands in, I get dealt AA under the gun. I have learned not to slowplay aces, at least not too much, so I will usually put in at least a token raise with them. However, I fully expected Mr. Raise It Up to my right to make obligatory preflop raise, so I just called, fully expecting to be able to make a much bigger pot-sized raise after he did so. Everything worked to plan, except he only raised the minimum, making the total bet $1. I immediately raise it to $4. The guy to my immediate left has only 50 cents more than that, so he goes all-in. The action folds back to the raiser, who decides to move all-in, making it $8.10 more for me to call. I do so, disappointed that I don't have the ability to pop it up once more, since my only two opponents are already all in. First card off the deck is a third A and I'm beginning to mentally dance a little jig. But when all the cards are out, I see three hearts on the board, as well as AJK. For a second, I ponder the odds that someone has a straight or flush to screw my aces. But when the cards are turned over, the short stack shows K10 and the raiser showed JJ in the hole. I'm sure it must have been crushing for him to make his set of jacks, only to fall to my set of aces, and that gives me a warm feeling inside. After that hand, there was only one more person left at the table, so I bluffed the next pot off of him and left, up $14.
Next I decided to head over the the PLO8 tables. There I make a tragic mistake when dealt 8822 and the flop brings an 8 and a 2. I liked my hand and its potential, but one guy in early position was already making pot-sized raises, so I just called it down. He had significantly less than me, so on the river I move all in. Only afterwards to I see the straight draw on the board. Exit stage left, down $25 at the table and $11 on the night.
Now I'm a little disgruntled and I'm wondering if I'm going to blow this marvelous $75 I had been given. Only one way to find out, so I head back to the $25 PLHE tables. I start off getting nothing or less for quite a while, and I'm just folding, folding, folding. Finally, I get AKs in the BB. Everybody at the table limps, so I fire in a pot-sized raise, $3. Everybody except one guy folds. Glory hallelujuah, the flop brings AAJ. I check, hoping he'll try to steal. He checks (dammit!). Turn brings a 9. I decide the only way to goad him into trying to steal is to make it look like I'm making my own pathetic attempt to steal, so I bet 75 cents. Bingo, he raises it to $1.50. I make it $5 and he calls. That call concerns me a little. Could he have AJ or A9? Maybe JJ or 99? No matter, because the river brings a K. So, I do what anyone who is holding the stone cold nuts would do in that position -- I check. He takes a long time to act, so I figure he's either trying to find a price I will call or won't call, depending on whether he has a strong hand himself. He finally settles on $10. I only have $17.50 left in front of me, so I chuck it in. Amazingly, he calls. I say amazing, because he then proceeded to turn over a J5. Thank you very much! I stay one more lap around the table, don't play a hand and call it a night, up $25 at the table, $14 on the night.
I was very pleased with how I played that hand, although it wouldn't have worked against another opponent who had a brain in his head. Reminds me of the time I check-raised this one guy three times in a single hand. I was holding AA and the flop came rags. Check, bet, raise, call. Turn brings a K. Check, bet, raise, call. River brings an A. Check, bet, raise, call. I take the pot. He gets pissed off and leaves. I was glad for him.
So far, this free money deal appears to be the real deal. I want to give it just a day or two more, though, because the last thing I want to do is send my readers off to something that isn't legit. But if everything appears to be on the up-and-up, I will post the address for getting your own free $75 account by this weekend.
Down in Tunica, the main action gets underway today in the Jack Binion World Poker Open. However, yesterday was the invitation-only freeroll for members of the media. Congratulations to frequent RGPer John Burgess for winning that event and taking home $1,800.
There will be plenty more to come. For those of you who are not quite as obsessed with the game as I am, to the point of scavenging all over the internet for every tidbit of news about poker, check back here for more summary results from all the tournaments.
FREE MONEY: As I had mentioned yesterday, I ran across an offer for a free $75 at Party Poker, no deposit required. As promised, I found the money when I logged in last night. (Actually, my account had $75.01 in it. I don't know where the extra penny came from.) I didn't get to play much last night, having to keep my phone open due to some extraordinary circumstances at work. However, I did manage to play about 30-some hands just to get a feel. And as Iggy is wont to say, "Oh, the humanity." I immediately headed to the $25 PLHE tables. I was dealt a few hands right off the bat that I might have played, but the guy to my right had a habit of jacking up the pot every single time.
Then, a few hands in, I get dealt AA under the gun. I have learned not to slowplay aces, at least not too much, so I will usually put in at least a token raise with them. However, I fully expected Mr. Raise It Up to my right to make obligatory preflop raise, so I just called, fully expecting to be able to make a much bigger pot-sized raise after he did so. Everything worked to plan, except he only raised the minimum, making the total bet $1. I immediately raise it to $4. The guy to my immediate left has only 50 cents more than that, so he goes all-in. The action folds back to the raiser, who decides to move all-in, making it $8.10 more for me to call. I do so, disappointed that I don't have the ability to pop it up once more, since my only two opponents are already all in. First card off the deck is a third A and I'm beginning to mentally dance a little jig. But when all the cards are out, I see three hearts on the board, as well as AJK. For a second, I ponder the odds that someone has a straight or flush to screw my aces. But when the cards are turned over, the short stack shows K10 and the raiser showed JJ in the hole. I'm sure it must have been crushing for him to make his set of jacks, only to fall to my set of aces, and that gives me a warm feeling inside. After that hand, there was only one more person left at the table, so I bluffed the next pot off of him and left, up $14.
Next I decided to head over the the PLO8 tables. There I make a tragic mistake when dealt 8822 and the flop brings an 8 and a 2. I liked my hand and its potential, but one guy in early position was already making pot-sized raises, so I just called it down. He had significantly less than me, so on the river I move all in. Only afterwards to I see the straight draw on the board. Exit stage left, down $25 at the table and $11 on the night.
Now I'm a little disgruntled and I'm wondering if I'm going to blow this marvelous $75 I had been given. Only one way to find out, so I head back to the $25 PLHE tables. I start off getting nothing or less for quite a while, and I'm just folding, folding, folding. Finally, I get AKs in the BB. Everybody at the table limps, so I fire in a pot-sized raise, $3. Everybody except one guy folds. Glory hallelujuah, the flop brings AAJ. I check, hoping he'll try to steal. He checks (dammit!). Turn brings a 9. I decide the only way to goad him into trying to steal is to make it look like I'm making my own pathetic attempt to steal, so I bet 75 cents. Bingo, he raises it to $1.50. I make it $5 and he calls. That call concerns me a little. Could he have AJ or A9? Maybe JJ or 99? No matter, because the river brings a K. So, I do what anyone who is holding the stone cold nuts would do in that position -- I check. He takes a long time to act, so I figure he's either trying to find a price I will call or won't call, depending on whether he has a strong hand himself. He finally settles on $10. I only have $17.50 left in front of me, so I chuck it in. Amazingly, he calls. I say amazing, because he then proceeded to turn over a J5. Thank you very much! I stay one more lap around the table, don't play a hand and call it a night, up $25 at the table, $14 on the night.
I was very pleased with how I played that hand, although it wouldn't have worked against another opponent who had a brain in his head. Reminds me of the time I check-raised this one guy three times in a single hand. I was holding AA and the flop came rags. Check, bet, raise, call. Turn brings a K. Check, bet, raise, call. River brings an A. Check, bet, raise, call. I take the pot. He gets pissed off and leaves. I was glad for him.
So far, this free money deal appears to be the real deal. I want to give it just a day or two more, though, because the last thing I want to do is send my readers off to something that isn't legit. But if everything appears to be on the up-and-up, I will post the address for getting your own free $75 account by this weekend.
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