Scotty Nguyen has done it again. After last years disappointing tenth place finish Scotty made the come back of come backs by taking down the 2008 WSOP Championship H.O.R.S.E event.

To come back in this manner is nothing short of incredible. The Championship H.O.R.S.E. event is arguably the most prestigious event at the World Series of Poker. The field included nothing less than the best professional poker players in the world.

I just went out and checked my stats and I am now cashing at over 21% out of 150+ tournaments with more than 180 players. Not bad at all. Playing well and making very good decisions. Most importantly I am not leaving anything on the table and winning all the pots I should be winning in addition to stealing abandoned pots with nothing.

I have made three final tables in the last eight online tournaments but have placed no better than fourth. A little frustrating but there is not much you can do about it. You still need to pick up a few hands when it gets down to those final six or so. Otherwise, I have had finishes of seventh and ninth. Still respectable nonetheless.

Scotty Nguyen and J.C. Tran made several final tables before breaking through and winning their first World Poker Tour tournament. Sometimes you just have to continue to put yourself in position to win and the rest will work itself out later. That’s kind of been my attitude towards the whole thing. If I keep putting myself in position to win eventually it will work itself out. I just hope it is in a big online tournament for lots and lots of money.

LOL

Take care!

Three time WSOP bracelet winner John Bonetti died of cancer yesterday in his hometown of Houston, Texas. John won his first WSOP bracelet in 1990 when he took down the No Limit Deuce to Seven tournament. Bonetti won the $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em Event just three years later.

In 1995 he won the Deuce to Seven No Limit bracelet again.

Do or Die Poker has just added PS Stakes to our list of poker staking sites!

PS Stakes is a site run by two online poker players that love to play poker and want to help other poker players make money by staking or getting staked. Getting started is easy. You can register as a staker and later on as a player if you like under the same account. Otherwise, you can register immediately as a stakee and begin the process by setting up your parameters and posting in the forum.

One caveat is that they only accept players with a positive ROI. While I believe if you already have a positive ROI then you likely do not need to be staked but need to play within your bankroll I do understand the need to know how well a person has played overall. However, I believe ITM% is a much better indicator as to how well a player does in tournaments and how consistent they are cashing.

Just my two cents.

PS Stakes provides plenty of support via e-mail and IM.

If you play Texas holdem online,  you probably prefer either limit or no limit hold’em. Even those who don’t  play one type of hold’em exclusively usually gravitate towards one most of the time. If you’re not sure which type is right for you, you can examine  a few factors before entering the Texas holdem sites online.

You Should Play Limit Texas Hold’em Online if you are a more mathematically oriented player and know all about poker odds. Big bluffs are impossible in limit poker since the bet sizes are fixed  and by the river, it is often mathematically correct to call a bet even if your  opponent will be bluffing a relatively small percentage of the time.

This being the case, the ability to calculate and understand odds becomes paramount.
You should also probably play more limit poker if hand selection is one of your major skills. Players who understand and are able to stick to strict hand selection guidelines relative to table position and their opponents’ styles can have a big edge in limit hold’em games.

You Should Play No Limit Texas Hold’em Online ifYou enjoy the psychological aspects of the game. No limit is a game that involves deception, psychology and hand reading abilities. In a game in which a person’s entire stack  can be at risk at any time, the ability to understand and exploit perceived strength and weakness is critical. No limit is not a game for the faint of heart or the risk averse.

No limit is also a good game if you like to play a variety of hands. Tight hand selection is still important in no limit, but a skilled post-flop player can gain a lot of value from unusual hands that tend to be of very little worth in limit poker.

Former Senator Alfonse D’Amato, chairman of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) met with our government recently to define just what “unlawful internet gambling” means. Instead of getting a detailed explanation from the House Financial Services Committee he got no answer at all.

That’s right! They had absolutely no clue as to what the bill meant or even how to enforce the damn thing. That’s a damn shame. How in the heck can you endorse a bill when you have no idea of what it does or it’s impact, or lack thereof, on society as a whole? Now that in and of itself is down right stupifying if you ask me.

Stupid is as stupid does!

You can read the entire thing for yourself if you can stand the stench of doo doo.

http://pokerplayersalliance.org/press-releases/2008/06/25/statement-by-ppa-chairman-damato-on-mark-up-of-hr-5767/

I can’t take any more of this crap.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking the same thing I am thinking. Justin is the same guy that was cheating in pokerstars big online tournament in 2006 with multiple accounts. He now says he is “reformed” and realizes the error of his ways.

That remains to be seen. I have a big problem with people that cheat at anything. It is a major character flaw. However, I do believe that people are capable of change and some actually do learn their lessons. Hopefully Justin falls into this category.

I suppose Bodog is taking a bit of risk on it’s reputation with this signing. I mean they are indeed well known but I am not so sure I would stick my neck out for someone with this kind of baggage even if I believe they are reformed. If the sleightest doubt about his character arises in any poker tournament in the future it’s going to make major news. Not good!

Good luck Justine. You’re gonna need it.

I am playing my best poker ever right now. Every move I am making and it seems like every hand is holding up. It’s a wonderful way to be. I cannot tell you how many pots I have won over the past month with absolutely nothing. My timing has been impeccable. However, I did run QQ into KK a couple of times when I was short stacked but that’s really no big deal either. It happens sometimes.

Honestly, if I think about the one thing that has allowed me to take my game to the next level the most it would simply be that I have been just a little more aggressive than I normally am. I am taking more risk but not jeapardising my entire stack when doing so. This is allowing me to steal pots late in tournaments and push people off of hands when I don’t believe they have it.

I know it doesn’t last forever and we all go through rushes but it sure feels good when you are on one. My next goal is to win a big online tournament for more than $10,000. Very doable.

Talk to you soon!

I just played my last poker tournament of the night and cashed again in seventh place. Sure, I would have loved to have won the entire thing but I am still running very well nonetheless. This was my third cash in five tournaments. I am now cashing at 22% overall with 160+ online tournaments for the year.

I didn’t quite get the opportunity to pick up that truck load of chips going in but I definitely had enought do some damage in two fo them. One I made the final table I get cold decked each time. Very frustrating especially when you have hyper aggressive player sitting to your left. I was going to employ the trap poker strategy to double up but the opportunity never presented itself once I got to the final table. I can’t count how many computer hands I got dealt. Making moves was just not an option so I had to kinda steer clear.

As I mentioned a while back I have tweeked my game just a bit and decided to take the big draw when I have a lot of chips early in hopes of having a big stack later on. However, I only will make that kind of play after the first break. Before the first break in the poker tournament you might as well just play tight because they are going to give you their chips. So, you can basically wait for the bad players to “hand” them over. After that break you are looking to make that jump up to 10k or better as quickly as possible.

Overall, I was happy with my play and I didn’t leave any money on the table so I can’t complain. The positive thing I can take from all of this is that I am consistently getting into position to win the tournament. One way or the other I am going to get to the final table with big chips and contend to take the entire thing down. So, I am more than happy with my results. Plus, it has beefed up my bankroll nicely.

Take care!

We have shown you various sites to visit to stake poker players. Now I am going to show you how to stake another player and the overall setup of a cash or tournament player stake.

First, there are a few different kinds of stakes:

• Tournament
• Cash Game
• Buy a Piece
• Backers

Tournament staking is the most common kind of stake and takes place in various forms. Basically, there are two kinds of ways you can stake in a tournament.

First, you can pay 100% of their buy-in into the tournament with the agreement that you will receive 50% of whatever they earn should they cash. You can alter this kind of deal in whatever way is comfortable for the staker or the stakee making the buy in smaller and return smaller accordingly.

For instance: You could buy someone into the tournament for 50% of the buy-in with only a 25% return on your investment in that player. Again, everything is negotiable on either side as long as you both agree to the terms BEFORE the poker tournament begins.

Second, there is the cash game stake. For cash games it pretty much works in the same manner. The only difference is that you are bankrolling an individual that will likely be playing for a period of time or a pre-determined profit established by the backer.

For instance: Your backer may bankroll the stakee for $5000 and expect 50% of whatever that player earns when he leaves the table. It could be a pre-determined amount like $15,000 in which case they would split $7500 in addition to the original stake given to the player to enter the game.

The last kind of stake / deal that a staker is likely to employ is the buy-a-piece (BAP) deal which is a staple at many online poker staking sites as well as live casino’s. In a BAP stake you may buy 10% or so of a players buy-in expecting a 5% return on whatever they earn should that player cash. Obviously the more players you stake this way the more likely you are to make a profit.

As you have noticed most deals are pretty much 100% / 50% profit deals which is the best in my opion. Ultimately, it’s up to you to negotiate the terms that are best suited and fair to each individual involved.

Lastly, but still extremely important, you need to register with the online statistics sites like www.officialpokerrankings.com , www.bluffmagazine.com , or www.sharkscope.com so that your stats are available and you can show your staker that you are indeed a good risk. These sites tend to keep meticulous records in regards to poker tournaments but are not so good with cash games. So keep that in mind and keep your records squared away for cash games because you will likely be asked for them.

Staking can be a very good thing and can help both individuals accomplish their goals of making money either for their bankroll or strictly for profits sake. Be smart about whom you deal with and play well when given the opportunity. One big win can transform you from a casual player to someone with an opportunity for an even bigger score down the line.

Trust me, I know.

This year’s WSOP has been a lot of fun to watch. We have players like Barry Greenstein, Eric Lindgren, Daniel Negreanu, and Nenad Medic all make final tables and ultimately take down first prize and the bracelet. It looks like the professional players have made the transition and have figured out how to counter the hyper-aggressive style of many of the online qualifiers in these tournaments. They are reclaiming their place amongst the elite in the largest poker tournament in the world.We used to say that the fields are so large that the pro’s would have a difficult time winning at the WSOP. Not anymore. Even last year, with Scotty Nguyens collapse, he was still one stupid move away from making the final table and actually having a great chance to win it all. Scotty lost his damn mind on that hand but I still love him. I’d bet he will never pull that one again no matter how many Michelob’s he drinks.

Over the years much has been written about how we would never see the professional players winning bracelets as frequently as we did in the past but all that seems to have changed this year. Apparently you can teach old dogs new tricks. I know we are only half way done with the 2008 WSOP and still have a ways to go but my money is on the professional players this time around. The game has changed and the pro’s have made the adjustments.

Hold on to your seat belts. I think we are in for a nice ride.

Barry Greenstein made the worst hand possible more often than not. He just took down the WSOP bracelet and the $158,659 first prize in the Deuce – Seven Razz tournament.

Barry beat out the field of 453 players. Greenstein battled Chris Klodnicki at the final table but took it down eventually after Klodnicki could not hit his hand in a crucial all-in.

Instead of hanging around and taking it all in Barry rushed off to play in another tournament he had already been entered in for the past couple of hours or so getting blinded off.

Congratulations Barry!

Just got through busting out of the PokerStars $4.40 tournament. I cashed again but got knocked out fifteenth. I went card dead and had to push with QJs. Not that bad of a hand and I was only a 3 – 2 dog to A8s but he flopped an Ace and hit his flush and off to the rail I went.

I am starting to get frustrated again. I have re-adjusted my game again and it is helping me cash even more. Last year I cashed 17% in online tournaments playing in over 500 tournaments. This year I have played almost 200 poker tournaments and I have cashed in over 20% with several Final Tables but no wins yet. In actuality I shouldn’t be too frustrated at all. When I am getting busted I have my chips in good over 90% of the time. That’s exellent play and you would think I would be happy with that. Well, I am. The problem is that I know that I will have to play a much more riskier style of play to win more low stakes tournaments. That’s just not my style of play and I am not a big fan of taking draws when you can clearly out play your opponent.

On the other hand I clearly can see why some of these guys do so well and have more wins in this format because they play a high risk style of tournament. They do not cash nearly as much as I do, around 8 – 12%, but when they get there they have a truck load of chips giving them a chance to win the big one. I am going to have to re-think my play and make some kind of decision. Otherwise, I am afraid I will continue to toil in no mans land barely making the Final Table in these things. Either that or go back to playing Deep Stacks tournaments where I have a clear advantage over this kind of player.

I will let you know how it turns out.

Curtis III

Make way for Vanessa Selbst. She is the first lady to win the Pot Limit Omaha poker tournament and the twelfth to win a bracelet at the WSOP. Vanessa led the event from start to finish which is very rare.

Vanessa had a three to one chip lead going into the final table over the next closest competitor and closed out the deal to take down $227,933 and her first bracelet.

Well done Vanessa!

Some events at the World Series of Poker draw plenty of amateurs. These events are usually no-limit hold’em events with relatively modest buy-in requirements. These events can draw thousands of players and the pros are often lost in the parade of novices, who usually play poker online, but want to take a shot at a WSOP bracelet.Other events draw relatively few amateurs. These events feature games that are less popular among the viewing public, with buy-ins that may be prohibitively high for casual poker players. These events are very appealing to pros, as it gives them a real chance to test their skills against other strong players. One of these events at the 2008 WSOP was the $5,000 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball with Rebuys event, which was just won by seasoned veteran Mike “The Mouth” Matusow.

While a $5,000 event in itself may seem rather steep, this is a rebuy event, which means many players who want to be competitive will have to fork over $20,000 or more. Furthermore, the type of poker played, deuce to seven lowball, is one played almost exclusively in high stakes private games, so this truly is a professionals-only event.

2-7 Lowball is a five-card draw game, and your objective is to make the worst hand. Unlike other forms of low or high low split poker, deuce to seven requires that you truly make the worst hand. An ace is a high card and a straight or a flush counts, so the lowest hand is 7 5 4 3 2, hence the name deuce to seven.