#WBCOOP 2012 - First 5 Events

Date: Mon, Feb 27, 2012

It's been quite the ride in the #WBCOOP series so far.

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A Bluffers Guide to Badugi for the WBCOOP

Date: Thu, Feb 23, 2012

Manyplayers have won big tournaments at the WSOP after just a few hours of playinga particular game. Let’s hope I’m able to replicate that tonight!

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WBCOOP Tournie Choices

Date: Wed, Feb 22, 2012

After a somewhat late submission to the WBCOOP I finally have my tickets. Now there is just the small matter of deciding which events to play!

PokerStars have given us 10 tickets for the 30 tournaments (there are 31 events total, including the main event) so I need to decide which ones to play.

I think all of the weekday 10am ET tournaments are out, so that at least rounds it down a little.

There are some events with great prizepools which have relatively few entrants. For example, the NLHE shootout, event 5, currently has over 200 people registered with 81 getting paid. Event 3 may be Badugi, but there are currently only 57 players registered and it pays out to 96 people. I think I can take my hand to a littleBadugi with those odds!

I'm sure the numbers will go up as the tournies start, but the field sizes will be weighted towards the NLHE events. For that reason, I'm going to try to play a mix:

Event 3 - FL Badugi
Event 5 - NLHE [Triple Shootout]
Event 8 - NLHE
Event 12 - Stud Hi/Lo [Turbo]
Event 15 - NLHE [6-Max, Turbo]
Event 20 - PLHE [Turbo]
Event 24 - NL Omaha Hi/Lo
Event 26 - PLOHi/Lo
Event 28 - HORSE
Event 29 - NLHE [6-Max]

And hopefully...

Event 31 - Main Event!

I'm really looking forward to this, so keep an eye on the blog and my Twitter account @jackrabbitslims for updates as the series progresses.

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World Blogger Championship of Online Poker

Date: Mon, Feb 20, 2012

It's time for the World Blogger Championship of Online Poker again!


This year, Pokerstars have asked all wouldbe participants to submit a blog explaining what we would do with the $5,000 Best Blogger prize.

For me the choice would be easy, I'd use the money to travel to and play in some of the UKIPT events this year.

Pokerstars has 7 more events planned this year, in Nottingham, Dublin, Newcastle, Swansea, Edinburgh, Cork and London.

I don't think I could miss the chance to play in London, since it's so close. I think exploring two new places on top of that would be fun, so I would probably go for Edinburgh and Cork. I have never been to either, so it would be fun to mix playing in a UKIPT event with exploring the local sites and taking in their respective cultures.

I have been to Ireland for a couple of poker tournaments, but those were held in Dublin. Cork looks like an interesting place to visit. It’s the second largest city in Ireland and is referred to by it’s locals as the "real capital of Ireland".

The Irish spirit is sure to be alive and well at the UKIPT event and there’s no doubt they’ll put on a good show!

While I’m there I might have to take some time to catch some Gaelic football if possible. I have always wanted to watch a game, and since the sport is so big in Ireland, I’m sure I’ll find a place to watch some.

The two remaining stops on the UKIPT that I haven’t been to are Swansea and Edinburgh. I have to admit, its close between those two, but Edinburgh just gets there ahead. I have been to Wales a few times before, but never to Scotland, so that swings it.

I’m a big whisky fan too, so while I’m in Edinburgh I’ll take the chance to visit the Scotch Whisky Experience and do the tour they offer while I’m there.

I’ve played in a few WBCOOP over the years and they are always great tournaments. There is something about the camaraderie in a bloggers tournament that you just don’t get in other poker events. As a guy, I imagine it’s not unlike that of the atmosphere in a Women’s tournament. Everyone wants to win, of course, but everyone at least has some fun with it.

Plus, with blogger tournaments you never know when you’re going to read about a hand you played! Because everyone is blogging a tweeting about the experience you can be sure to run into someone who was at one of your tables.

I’m looking forward to it. There is a great mix of game types, and even Badugi has been thrown into the mix! I prefer to play in a rage of games because an all NLHE series could get a little boring.

This series has everything, PLO, Turbo’s, 6-max, Stud, Deepstacks and even HORSE and the 8-Game.

I’ll have to brush up on my skills in some of those games.

If you’re a blogger and haven’t already got yourself registered for the WBCOOP, get yourself over to the registration page. It’s free to enter, and there are some fantastic prizes on offer.

There are 31 events in total and each participant will get 10 tickets to play in events.

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Pokerstars iPhone/iPad app

Date: Sun, Feb 19, 2012

At long last, Pokerstars has released an app for iOS devices.

This now means you can play your regular games anywhere you have connection and battery power.

I downloaded the software and I have to say, I'm impressed! It has all of thefunctionalityyou would expect, and they have really brought the online pokerexperienceto the iPhone and iPad.

While it works really well on the iPhone, it can be a bit fiddly. That's down to the device though, and not thesoftware, as on the iPad it's anabsolutedream to play!

I have now officially won my first real money tournament on my phone (a 6-max hyper turbo, but still....).

So download the software and give it a go!

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January Review

Date: Mon, Jan 30, 2012

I managed to get much more volume in to start the year than I expected. I’d still like to play a bit more if I can, but I’m on track to put in decent volume if I can carry on like this.

The games on PokerStars have been great, and there is still plenty of action at the stakes I play. In the current online climate I’m really grateful for such a solid site, and one that we can trust.

As for the training: so far, so good.

I have watched quite a few videos so far, and I have found them more useful than I thought. Setting smaller goals means I’m not trying to plough through something to get it done. I’m taking my time and making sure I’m in the right mood before I get started.

Hand reviews haven’t been quite so good. I did review a handful of tournament hand histories, but I need to get cracking and go though a more meaningful amount of data.

The math review has been a bit hot and miss. I have done a couple of short sessions with the good old ICM calculator, but each time I have been distracted by the lure of playing instead. I need to exercise more discipline and ensure I’m in the right mindset to learn, as I have done with the training videos.

I have also joined a discussion group, which really helps me concentrate. It’s quite late in the day for me, which means that it’s at a time I can’t actually play. That’s good, because I can focus on learning rather than playing.

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2012: I'm ready for you

Date: Sat, Jan 7, 2012

I didn’t get the chance to play as much as I would have liked in 2011, but towards the end of the year I started to get back into it, and really enjoyed playing again.

This year the focus for me will be on learning. I have played hundreds of thousands of hands but certainly haven’t done as much studying as I should have. So this year, I’m going to make a real effort, and here’s how:

Training Sites

I still have my DC subscription, so I’ll be making full use of that. I’m not a fan of setting huge targets, rather breaking them down and making them more achievable. So I think watching, reviewing and taking notes on at least two videos a week is a good place to start. While I don’t think they are the best way to learn for me personally, they give a great insight into other peoples approaches to the game. It’s rare I watch a video without learning at least something.

I’ll also look into some of the other sites to see if I’m missing out elsewhere. Sometimes a change is good and can re-ignite your interest.

Math

I have gotten very sloppy with my math, using rough figures to make decisions that can often be wrong. I need a quick brush up on the basics and a solid run though a bunch of hands from an ICM perspective. I’m playing a lot more MTT SNG’s so solid ICM is essential. Let’s say I’ll run 100 hands through in the next 4 weeks…

Hand Reviews

I also need to spend a decent amount of time reviewing hands and critiquing my own play. I don’t review hands often enough, which is bad because whenever I do I tend to find leaks and mistakes. Concentrating on previous hands is a great way to make sure what I’m watching in the videos is being applied in my play. I might think is it, but this will help me spot those areas that need work, informing my future video selections. I think I should spend 4 hours between now and the end of the month.

I think that’ll do for now. I’ll add more as I think of them.

Best of luck to everyone in 2012 - hope it’s a big year!

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Pius Heinz is WSOP Champion!

Date: Thu, Nov 10, 2011

Congratulations toPius Heinz on becoming WSOP Main Event champion.

You can read the PokerNews interview with him here.

Pius picked up$8,715,638 for his win.

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2011 WSOP Main Event November Nine Profiles

Date: Sun, Jul 31, 2011

Quick profiles on this years November Nine:

Seat 1: Matt Giannetti

From: Las Vegas, NV
Chips: 24,750,000
Pro?: Yes
WSOP Cashes: 11
WSOP Final Tables: 1
WSOP Bracelets: 0

Seat 2: Badih Bou-Nahra

From: Belize
Chips: 19,700,000
Pro?: No
WSOP Cashes: 1
WSOP Final Tables: 0
WSOP Bracelets: 0

Seat 3: Eoghan O’Dea

From: Dublin, Ireland
Chips: 33,925,000
Pro?: Yes
WSOP Cashes: 5
WSOP Final Tables: 0
WSOP Bracelets: 0

Seat 4: Phil Collins

From: Las Vegas, NV
Chips: 23,875,000
Pro?: Yes
WSOP Cashes: 8
WSOP Final Tables: 0
WSOP Bracelets: 0

Seat 5: Anton Makiievskyi

From: Ukraine
Chips: 13,825,000
Pro?: No
WSOP Cashes: 0
WSOP Final Tables: 0
WSOP Bracelets: 0

Seat 6: Sam Holden

From: UK
Chips: 12,375,000
Pro?: Yes
WSOP Cashes: 0
WSOP Final Tables: 0
WSOP Bracelets: 0

Seat 7: Pius Heinz

From: Cologne, Germany
Chips: 16,425,000
Pro?: Yes/Student
WSOP Cashes: 1
WSOP Final Tables: 1
WSOP Bracelets: 0

Seat 8: Ben Lamb

From: Tulsa, OK
Chips: 20,875,000
Pro?: Yes
WSOP Cashes: 12
WSOP Final Tables: 3
WSOP Bracelets: 1

Seat 9: Martin Staszko

From: Czech Republic
Chips: 40,175,000
Pro?: Yes
WSOP Cashes: 4
WSOP Final Tables: 0
WSOP Bracelets: 0

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WSOP Main Event Day 8 - The November Nine

Date: Wed, Jul 20, 2011

6,865 men and women entered the 2011 WSOP Main Event over four starting days with just $10,000 and a dream. That dream was to make the November Nine and come back to the Rio in a few months to play for the bracelet.

Nine men (and sadly no women) have now made that dream a reality:

Seat 1: Matt Giannetti (24,750,000)

Seat 2: Badih Bounahra (19,700,000)

Seat 3: Eoghan O'Dea (33,925,000)

Seat 4: Phil Collins (23,875,000)
Seat 5: Anton Makiievskyi (13,825,000)

Seat 6: Samuel Holden (12,375,000)
Seat 7: Pius Heinz (16,425,000)

Seat 8: Ben Lamb (20,875,000)

Seat 9: Martin Staszko (40,175,000)

Blinds start at 250,000-500,000, 50,000 ante when players return.

Photo from wsop.com
Eliminations were at a fast pace in the early going on day 8 as we lost Chris Moore, Aleksandr Mozhnyakov and Gionni Demers to get down to two tables. 29 year old professional and well known online player Bryan Devonshire busted in 12th, much to the dismay of the forums.

John Hewitt was the player with the unwanted achievement of making the final table but not the November Nine, as he busted in 10th after shoving 33 into the KJ of O'Dea, who promptly turned a straight to end play and set the November Nine.

Each of the remaining players are now guaranteed at least the $782,115 for ninth place. Everyone who makes it past that point will make at least a million dollars with $8.7m up top for the winner:

1st: $8,711,956
2nd: $5,430,928
3rd: $4,019,635
4th: $3,011,661
5th: $2,268,909
6th: $1,720,396
7th: $1,313,851
8th: $1,009,910
9th: $782,115

Sam Holden is our last remaining Brit at a very international final table. When you consider the percentage of players who play in the WSOP that are American, only three have managed to make the November Nine. There is one player from the Czech Republic, one Irishman, one player from Belize, one from the Ukraine, one from the UK and one from Germany.

The average age at the final table is just 28, and that's bumped up significantly by 49 year old Badih Bounahra who is, not surprisingly, the first player from Belize to make a Main Event final table.

It's the toughest final table lineup for a few years. Even though we have no Ivey or Grinder, there isn't really any weak spots, everyone seems at least somewhat competent and while there will clearly be favourites, I'd be interested to see the lines set, I think it could be quite close to chip counts.

That's nealry it from me this WSOP until November, but I'll probably do a November Nine profile at some point over the next couple of days.

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WSOP Main Event Day 7

Date: Tue, Jul 19, 2011

Day 7 didn't play down to 27 as I'd previously thought as just 22 remained when play stopped. The top 5 going into day 8 line up as follows:

Anton Makievskyi - 21m
Eoghan O'Dea - 19m
Khoa Nguyen - 16.4m
Andrey Pateychuk - 16.2m
Ben Lamb - 14.7m

There is now only one Brit left in the field, Sam Holden is left flying the flag for our humble nation and is currently nursing a short stack of 6m.

Ukranian Makievskyi, who really isn't helping the announcers with his name, is sitting on top of the chip counts due in large part to the 20m chip pot he played after flopping a full house against Chris Moore's trips. The money went in on the flop and Makievskyi took down the huge pot, eliminating Moore in the process.

WSOP Main Event golden couple David "Doc" Sands and Erika Moutinho busted within a few hands of eachother. It's always good to be around people who know how it feels to bust the main event when you get knocked out yourself, but that must be one sad hotel room right now.

Also hitting the rail on day 7 were JP Kelly, Erick Lindgren, David Bach and the remarkable Andrew Brokos (known as Foucault online) who busted in 53rd this year, 87th in 2010 and 35th in 2008. That's a truly impressive run from someone who clearly has playing against the type of players in the WSOP Main Event nailed.

Day 8 is underway and it won't be long now until we know who our November Nine are as we're playing down to the final table today. There have been some early eliminations and Makievskyi has now amassed a huge stack of 33m, 10m more than current second place in chips, Irishman Eoghan O'Dea.

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WSOP Main Event Day 6

Date: Mon, Jul 18, 2011

Chips flew, shorties doubled, big stacks blew up and players hit the rail at an alarming pace. When it was all said and done, day 6 of the 2011 WSOP Main Event had 85 casualties, 85 ruined dreams and 85 long, long walks down the corridors of the Rio.

Our top 5 chip leaders at the end of day 6 look like this:

Ryan Lenaghan 12.8m
Ben Lamb 9.98m
Matt Giannetti - 8m
Andrey Pateychuk - 7.2m
Phil Collins - 7.2m

The chip lead changed hands throughout the day but Lenaghan amassed a huge stack of nearly 13 million to take the biggest stack into day 7.

The field will play down to the final 3 tables today to give us our final 27.

2010 November Niner Joseph Cheong is gone, as are the popular Jean-Robert Bellande, Eli Elezra and all but one of the remaining women. There are some notable names among the remaining players though as Erick Lindgren, Sebastian Ruthenberg and Bryan Devonshire all made day 7.

The last woman standing is always the focus of some attention and there is usually a boyfriend or husband looking out for her on the rail. Erika Moutinho however has boyfriend David Sands on her table for company. Both players are alive going into day 7 and spent the last level of day at the feature table together.

Day 7 is now underway and the 57 remaining players are all now guaranteed $130,000 for their efforts. PokerStars players Andrew Brokos and Sebastian Ruthenberg have both busted in early play but you can see live updates at Pokernews and follow live coverage over at ESPN.

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WSOP Main Event Day 5

Date: Sun, Jul 17, 2011

Day 5 of the 2011 WSOP Main Event is in the books and it was a lively one with just over 140 players remaining from the 378 that started.

David Bach currently tops the leaderboard with over 4.7m in chips, closely followed by Pius Heinz and Kyle Johnson. Ben Lamb looks almost certain to wrestle the WSOP POY title from Phil Helmuth as he sits 5th in chips with over 4m. WSOPE counts towards POY so there is still a way to go, but I doubt anyone will be forgetting Lamb's name in a hurry regardless.

Three women managed to last the day and hopefully we'll see at least one go on a deep run. Of the three Bodog pro Amanda Musumeci is the most experianced with some solid online results and three cashes this WSOP.

Our day 4 chip leader Viswanathan failed to last the day after losing his 2m chip stack some time in the third level. Max Heinzelmann also busted after getting it in preflop with AA and losing, one would imagine much to the delight of one Shaun Deeb...

There are a host of big names still alive:

Sebastian Ruthenberg - 3.3m
Joseph Cheong - 2m
Jean-Robert Bellande - 1.2m (starting to wonder how long the line at the cage will be if he goes much deeper)
JP Kelly - 2.6m

Day 6 begins with 142 players set on lasting another day. Five levels are scheduled but there are rumours that number could be reduced to four

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WSOP Main Event Day 4

Date: Sat, Jul 16, 2011

Manoj Viswanathan ended day 4 above the 2 million chip barrier and was the only one to do so as the main event field burst the bubble to get to the money.

Our top 5 chip stacks line up as follows:

Manoj Viswanathan - 2.12m
Sam Barnhart - 1.93m
Pius Heinz - 1.89
Stephane Albertini - 1.87m
Daryl Jace 1.85m

378 players lasted the day and will be back for day 5. Among them are a host of notable pros including Kevin Saul, Eli Elezra, Jean-Robert Bellande, JP Kelly, and Erick Lindgren.

The 2011 WSOP Main Event bubble boy was Reza Kashani. After less than an hour of hand-for-hand play 2010 November Niner Joseph Cheong busted Kashani to send him to the rail empty handed. The actual bubble boy is never the one who misses out these days however, as Kashani was given a 2012 Main Event seat, so Dylan Linde is the poor guy who really goes away empty handed.

The remaining 693 players were all now guaranteed the $19,359 min-cash and the chips started to fly. Huge pots appeared all across the Rio and when the dust settled 378 players were able to last the day and maybe, just maybe, start to dream about coming back in November.

Day 5 is now underway and anyone looking at the biggest stacks will reconise a player who's managed to amass a huge stack of over 2 million: Max Heinzelmann - I can only assume he's using his image from what has to be one of the moet talked about hands of the WSOP Main Event so far.

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