Entries from May, 2008
It’s Huge!
Posted by Big Donkey | Filed under Bloggers Corner
So, the incredibly massive $25K Heads-Up World Championship starts tomorrow on FTP. It’s going to be huge in every sense of the word: a giant buy-in, an incredible field, huge interest from railbirds across the Interwebs… you name it.
And, for some reason, I really don’t care that much.
Tags: $25K Heads-Up World Championship, Phil Ivey
Bond18 - Around the World in 90 Days: Day 23
Posted by Bond18 | Filed under Bond18
Barcelona, Spain: I settle into my chair for the tournament and glance up at the screen. It turns out there’s actually 22 players left and not the 24 I’ve anticipated. That means if either Annette or I can outlast 13 players my money supply problems will be over. That doesn’t mean I’m going to make any real changes to my strategy, but if I encounter what’s likely a neutral EV spot near the bubble, I might be more likely to give it a pass since I have to consider the EV lost by not playing the main. Still, my 34,200 stack easily puts me in the top 5, so hopefully that isn’t an issue I’ll have to deal with. Cards get in the air and the blinds start at 400/800 with a 100 ante. I’m involved in the very first hand:
My stack: 34,200, SB: ~25,000. I hold Ah-7c in the BB. Blinds 400/800 100.
Tags: Bond18
Bond18 - Around the World in 90 Days: Day 22
Posted by Bond18 | Filed under Bond18
Barcelona, Spain: I walk over to Casino Barcelona around 4PM. I run into Zpaceman about 20 minutes later and he tells me the loan for the 1K event will be no problem. Major life saver. I register for the event, which doesn’t start until 9PM, and walk back to the hotel to grab some dinner with Celina.
When I get back to the casino I run into Atimos who introduces me to online players Djk123, Kcannon, Universe112, Mr.Bigqueso and, Annette15. They’re all half drunk due to their hotel providing a free mini bar, except for Queso who is about 4/5ths drunk and repeatedly slamming his glass on the table while cracking up attempting to order a drink in broken Spanish from the waitress.
Tags: Bond18
Heads Up: David Benyamine Versus David Singer
Posted by One Angry Monkey | Filed under Heads Up
Most of the matches so far in the Full Tilt Poker Heads-Up Challenge have been David versus Goliath situations – not today. This time we’ve got a David versus David match-up, as 5 seed David “The only Frenchman on earth that I’m actually jealous of” Benyamine takes on 12 seed David “Not a real singer” Singer. At first glance it appears this should be an easy victory for the Frenchman, but Singer could prove to be a tough opponent. Do we have another upset brewing? Only time will tell. And me. Because I get to decide who wins and loses. So, in a way, I’m more powerful than time itself. It’s just the first in a long line of steps leading me to a god-like status. Wow, we better get this match started before my delusions of grandeur start gaining power. On to the showdown:
Tags: David Benyamine, David Singer
Reader Mail: There is no tilt, Neo…
Posted by One Angry Monkey | Filed under Reader Mail
Just like Little Red Riding Hood searching for Grandma’s house, we’re off on another great adventure that is Reader Mail. In this week’s edition of the mailbag you will find no references to FTOPS (may you temporarily rest in peace), floating (in water, not poker), or the biggest question in poker today – Daniel N., is he or isn’t he (a good poker player, of course)? What you will find is the salt of the earth when it comes to this poker hustle – that’s right, we’re going back to the basics today. Hit us up at pokerfromtherail@fulltiltpoker.com with any comments, questions, or vaguely disturbing theories that make me question the true meaning of life (which is 42, of course). It’s time to get it started in here:
Tags: Multi-Tabling, Tilt
Bond18 - Around the World in 90 Days: Days 20-21
Posted by Bond18 | Filed under Bond18
Barcelona, Spain, May 22: The last two days haven’t gone my way. Yesterday was spent traveling in an exhausted state. For some reason, our around the world flight required us to go back through Zurich to get to Barcelona, which is basically a wasted hour and 15 minute flight since it’s in the wrong direction. The flights were dull and uneventful, and I slept for the majority of the first one.
When we arrived in Barcelona we got ourselves a hotel within walking distance of the casino. I expected a private message from Timex and the boys about where they’re staying, but despite checking the computer all night, nothing arrived. Our hotel seemed nice and is moderately priced, but the area it’s in appears very dull and suspiciously quiet. The room itself obviously does not have a clock in it.
Tags: Bond18
The Pros Speak (For a fourth time!): Howard Lederer
Posted by The Captain | Filed under The Week at FTP
The last time we spoke with Howard Lederer, we covered a lot of ground. As usual, he was good enough to field a lot of questions and share his thoughts on all things poker. Of everything that we discussed, one question that came up was how - or if - other games relate to poker. As we expected, “The Professor” had an interesting take on what games best translate to poker, but also on how playing games in general helps develop critical thinking skills. Here’s what he had to say:
Tags: Gus Hansen, Howard Lederer
The Week at FTP: FTOPS, We Hardly Knew Ye
Posted by One Angry Monkey | Filed under The Week at FTP
And so it goes. FTOPS VIII is officially in the books, but please try to hold back your tears. After all, FTOPS IX is only a few short months away, so we’ll get to do it all over again very soon. For those of you who just can’t wait that long for more thrilling high-stakes action, the $25K Heads-Up World Championship kicks off this weekend. Don’t miss your chance to take on some of the world’s best players mano y mano – Nenad Medic will be there, will you?
As for FTOPS VIII – we’ve had some good times, we’ve had some bad times, and we’ve had quite a few gastro-intestinal problems. But overall, we’ve seen a lot of great poker being played over the past twelve days. Without further ado, here’s a recap of FTOPS through the eyes of one pissed off (and tired) primate:
Bond18 - Around the World in 90 Days: Day 19
Posted by Bond18 | Filed under Bond18
Paris France, May 18: I won’t be playing any poker for a couple days and tomorrow I’ll just be in planes and airports, so I thought I’d do another more random post instead of something bland. One detail that definitely deserves reporting though is that Will managed to overcome his illness and make a deep run in the event, only to stay at the club until almost 8AM and bust in 10th place. He seemed to handle it pretty well, but he spent almost all of today sleeping and trying to recover. Anyway, as for this entry, I thought it would be appropriate to write about random European observations.
Tags: Bond18
Bond18 - Around the World in 90 Days: Days 17-18
Posted by Bond18 | Filed under Bond18
Yesterday was my day off from the tournament while Day 1b played out. Celina and I got up in the mid afternoon and went around the city doing all those tourist things that will prevent future conversations like:
"So Tony, I hear you went to Paris, did you see ‘tourist destination X’?"
Tags: Bond18
