Trials of a Poker Apprentice: The perils of technology

I've felt pretty lazy the past couple of days, hence no posts. I could maintain my slothful ways, but there's a quite bit going on and I don't want the backlog to get too huge.

Several sites right now appear to be suffering some fairly monumental technical problems. Ultimate Bet recently upgraded their software, if by upgrade you mean "screwed everything up." I haven't been playing there for quite some time, but from I've seen posted on the message boards, the big problem appears to be when players leave a table, their money stays locked at the table. Funny, I've had this problem quite a bit myself lately -- I leave the table, my money stays behind ... in other players' stacks. But that's not all that's wrong with UB. Their affiliates are also waiting to see how they're doing, because the statistics are down and have been for over a week now.

I've always liked UB, but I'm wondering if this is the beginning of the end? It seems they've not been keeping up with competition as far as promotions the past couple of years, and a protracted outage such as this one can't help business. And then this weekend Phil Hellmuth, one of their main draws, appears on Full Tilt's Poker with the Pros show, and you've got to wonder if he's about to jump ship.

Don't get me wrong, I don't wish ill on UB (hell, I get too much affiliate revenue from them for that). And they still have several features that have never been duplicated at other sites which make them attractive. But someone needs to fix some problems there, and not just the technical glitches they've got going on now. Updated promotions, more flexibility with affiliates and 21st century software would be a good start.

And then there's another favorite site of mine, RecPoker, which is also hamstrung by technical troubles right now. Since Saturday, it seems they've lost a stable connection to rec.gambling.poker, the newsgroup that pretty much IS RecPoker. Some of the messages posted at RecPoker appear to be getting out to RGP, and some of the messages posted at RGP appear to be getting to RecPoker, but nowhere near all or most or even a respectable fair-to-middlin' in either direction. What's more, no word from the folks at RecPoker on what the hell the problem is.

The National Heads-Up Championship wrapped up yesterday, and Chris "Jesus" Fergugson has got to be thinking "always the bridesmaid ..." Once again, his holiness finished second in the event, but it wasn't Phil Hellmuth at the final table this year. Instead, Ted Forrest took the crown. (Oops, I forgot to say, "Spoiler alert.") You know, it's kind of nice seeing Ted pick up the half-million first prize, especially after he blew something to the tune of $11 million against Texas banker Andy Beal a few weeks back.

I'm sorry, I'm being mean again. I can't help it. I don't like the heads-up tournament and, while I admire what Ted Forrest has been able to accomplish in his career (well, other than that whole blowing $11 million thing), something about him just irritates me.

But I know quite a few other people like the tournament, so it should provide some interesting matchups. The final four put Forrest against, god help us, Sean "That prick from the World Series" Sheikhan in a battle that can only be described as "Smug and Smugger," while the other table pits walking anachronisms Jesus and Huck Seed against each other.

Over in San Diego, the final table of the WSOP Circuit event at Harrah's Rincon gets underway today, with the interesting wrinkle that Kathy Liebert comes into today with a narrow chip lead. That should be a big boost for all those people who write those stupid TV bits about how, aw shucks, those little ladies really can play cards after all (eyes rolling). Here's a look at the final table:

WSOP Circuit Rincon - Final Table

Seat 1: Adam Ragin
Hometown: Henderson, NV
Chip Count: 225,200
Adam Ragin is from Henderson, NV. Although he has been playing poker for about two years, he is a newcomer to the tournament scene. This is Ragin’s first major tournament final table. Ragin won a big pot at the end of Day Two and was the chip leader for a short time. He is currently second in chips with 225,000.

Seat 2: Darrell “Gigabet” Dicken
Hometown: Waterloo, IA
Chip Count: 214,700
Darrell “Gigabet” Dicken is from Waterloo, IA. He is a professional poker player with over 20 years of experience. Dicken’s best tournament finish, to date, was 5th place at the Five Diamond Classic at the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas. He arrives a very close third in the chip count at the start of today’s final table.

Seat 3: Yosh Nakano
Hometown: Long Beach, CA
Chip Count: 57,400
Yosh Nakano is one of poker’s top cash-game players. He has played professionally for over 20 years. Nakano is a high-limit poker host at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. He has made dozens of final tables at major events and has cashed numerous times. Nakano is sixth in chips, with 57,400.

Seat 4: Tom McCormick
Hometown: Fargo, ND
Chip Count: 26,000
Tom McCormick, a.k.a. “The Shamrock Kid,” is from Fargo, ND. He has the highest number of WSOP cashes of any player at today’s final table. McCormick has cashed 19 times and has made ten final table appearances. The Shamrock Kid will need a four-leaf clover to win today’s finale, as he arrives eighth in chips, with 26,000.

Seat 5: Jim Pechac
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
Chip Count: 18,100
Jim Pechac, from Phoenix, AZ is a regular on the tournament scene. He has many cashes and final table appearances. Pechac won his way into today’s championship via a satellite. He almost did not play in this event, but made a last-minute decision to stay. He is certainly happy with that decision now, as he is guaranteed at least $37,719 in prize money. Despite his poker accomplishments, Pechac faces the biggest challenge of anyone today as the shortest stack. He arrives with 18,100.

Seat 6: Kathy Liebert
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Chip Count: 230,000
Kathy Liebert is no stranger to final tables. She has won over $2 million in tournament poker and was the first woman in history ever to win a million-dollar prize. Liebert also won her first WSOP gold bracelet a few years ago. Liebert will be tough today, as she arrives as the chip leader – with 230,000.

Seat 7: Andy Bloch
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Chip Count: 181,200
What do you do with a degree in engineering from MIT and a law degree from Harvard? If you’re Andy Bloch, you become a professional poker player. Bloch abandoned conventional wisdom and has supported himself as a professional gambler and poker player for nearly ten years. Bloch has been the subject of numerous newspaper and television features on his unique experiences. His poker accomplishments include several tournament final tables, and a victory at the Rio at last year’s WSOP Circuit event. Bloch has been the chip leader much of this tournament, but is now in fourth place with 181,200.

Seat 8: Gary Lent
Hometown: Riverside, CA
Chip Count: 81,400
Gary Lent lives in Riverside, CA. He is the Vice President of an engineering firm, although he plays frequently in tournaments. Lent has six WSOP cashes, including a 10th place finish in the main event in 1999. Lent is about average in chips, with 81,400 at the start of play.

Seat 9: WeiKai Chang
Hometown: Albany, NY
Chip Count: 56,000
WeiKai Chang is from Albany, NY. He is new to the tournament scene. Chang has been playing poker for about two years and this is his highest finish, so far. He was all-in a few times yesterday and was able to survive long enough to make it into the money. Now, we will see if Chang has what it takes to move up the money ladder and pull off an upset victory. He arrives at the final table with 56,000 in chips.