Posts Tagged ‘Tuscaloosa Johnny’
World Series of Poker – Should it go old school?
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
After spending two straight months covering the World Series of Poker, it was interesting to see a lot of those non-NLHE games drawing big crowds and how they played out. The world of poker is not limited strictly to go ol’ No Limit Texas Hold’em (Cadillac of Poker not withstanding). I was able to witness all varieties of Stud and Omaha games, there were two HORSE tournaments, an 8-game mix event and throwing a little Deuce to Seven Lowball.
Blogger “Tuscaloosa” Johnny brings us a guest post and asks the question of whether the WSOP should go back to even more old school events. I first started looking at some of the old events in the middle of the series this year after doing some research of Full Tilt pro Berry Johnston. He won his first bracelet in an event called “Match Play” which held no meaning for me. I asked around to some of the historians and was unable to get a absolute answer to what the format for “match play” would be. The most popular answer were either an early form of Heads Up tournaments or a Shootout Tournament. Still waiting on the final answer.
The odds are very long we’ll see a “Match Play” event but “Tuscaloosa” Johnny brings up some games from the past and the chances we’ll ever see it again.
Enjoy.
Should the WSOP go old school?
By Johnny Kampis
Five-Card Stud or Mixed Doubles, anyone? The history of the World Series of Poker is littered with bygone events – some games that are practically prehistoric by current standards.
Let’s look at some of the events the Series used to have that haven’t been played either recently or in a long time and my own personal odds that tournament organizers would ever bring them back.
Popularity: 19% [?]
Tags: AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny, WSOP
2009 World Series of Poker preview – Summer Vegas Tournaments
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
Less than a week remains before the first event of the 2009 World Series of Poker is underway. After you’ve already won your way into a WSOP event, booked that insanely cheap airfare and hotel room, have our handy tips to getting around the Rio set firmly in your mind, it’s time to start thinking about the world outside of the Rio.
It may sound like sacrilege to suggest stepping outside the big poker series in the world but you can find some good value in other poker tournaments around town. Sure you are sacrificing a boat load of big field action and the prestige but you might find some other things to your liking during your down times. I personally plan to play in a Limit Omaha/8 tournament at Binion’s on my one day off from the series, assuming my dedicated readers will allow that indulgence.
Tuscaloosa John’s next post will highlight the other tournament series going on at the time and give you the pros/cons.
Comparing the summer Vegas tournaments
By Tuscaloosa Johnny Kampis
What is great for us poker players is there has been a sort of arms race in Vegas the last few summers as competing casinos have begun starting their own events, and then as that competition grows they each try to outdo each other with better structures and higher starting stacks. Each summer you get more play for your money. The triple starting stacks at the World Series of Poker this year is a direct result of all of this competition. Just a few years ago you only got 1,500 chips in $1,500 events – now it’s 4,500.
If you are planning your first Vegas trip, or even if you are not, you should keep in mind that there are plenty of other tournament options in Vegas this summer. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of each of these events as you consider making the trek away from the Rio through the desert to other poker nirvanas. (I am omitting the annual Orleans Open because it was held early this year and will be completed by the time the WSOP rolls around.)
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Tags: 2009 World Series of Poker, AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny, WSOP
2009 World Series of Poker preview – Stu Ungar profile
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
Stu Ungar is an iconic figure in the poker world, unfortunately known for his destructive life-style as much as his brilliance at the poker table. There was no disputing he was one of the best poker players but his demons eventually won the battle and the poker world lost a champion. A compelling story with an unfortunate ending.
There have been several movies made of his story as well as the top Stu Ungar biography One of a King by Nolan Dalla and Peter Alson. People are still drawn to his story over a decade after his death. “Tuscaloosa” Johnny brings us his profile of Stuey “The Kid” Ungar.
World Series of Poker: Stu Ungar
By Tuscaloosa Johnny Kampis
What hasn’t been said about the prodigious talents of the great card shark Stu Ungar?
The skinny kid from Brooklyn was such a good gin player that by the time he was 22 he could scarcely find a game. He took up poker and immediately found success in the biggest games in Las Vegas. At age 26, he entered Binion’s Horseshoe for his first WSOP as the decade of bell bottoms and eight-tracks was ending.
Ungar’s success in poker is highly intertwined with the World Series of Poker, largely because it was one of the few – and certainly the biggest – games in town in the 1980s and early 1990s when Ungar shot to fame on the felt.
He made an immediate splash in the 1980 WSOP, with a second place finish in the $5,000 Seven-Card Stud event.
Popularity: 37% [?]
Tags: AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Stu Ungar, Tuscaloosa Johnny
2009 World Series of Poker preview – Planning Your Vegas Trip
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
Continuing with out 2009 World Series of Poker preview, we move outside the Rio and start planning your trip to Las Vegas. You’ve already won your way into your tournament of choice or decided which game to play, you read our Rio preview telling you what to expect. But what about getting there and where to stay?
“Tuscaloosa” Johnny has your answers. He’s here to give you advice on getting there, where to stay and how to get around town while your are there. Some great information and worth bookmarking for use at any time.
Planning your summer Vegas trip
by “Tuscaloosa” Johnny Kampis
Whether you are a Vegas virgin considering your first trip to Sin City or a grizzled WSOP veteran preparing for yet another six to seven-week slough at the Rio you should find some useful information in my guide to planning your trip to Vegas and the WSOP.
Below are some helpful hints that I hope will enable you to save time and/or money as you make your Vegas planning for June and July. This is the best year since I’ve been regularly traveling in the summer for the WSOP for vacation discounts in Vegas.
Keep checking back here at Full Tilt’s Poker from the Rail in the coming weeks in the run-up to the granddaddy of poker tournaments as I bring you a series of articles highlighting the ins and outs of summer in Vegas, from WSOP orientation, to the must see sights, and the other tournaments in town you may want to consider during your stay.
Popularity: 49% [?]
Tags: 2009 World Series of Poker, AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny, WSOP
Guest Post – Tuscaloosa Johnny
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
Everybody runs bad, everybody. The best players in the world are still beholden to ol’ Mother Variance in the long run and she is blind to the player. Numbers don’t lie. Still, there are ways to play the game and manage your bankroll to sustain the down swings. Every player who has decided to sit down at the poker table has experienced these bad runs at some point in their career, you need to know how to take a punch.
Now that we’ve agreed that everyone is a loser in poker at some point (in the blogger world we call it the Waffle’s Coefficient), you need to decide how you are going to handle it. Without the proper tools you’re likely to burn your bankroll straight into the ground and just be another broke poker player. But it doesn’t need to happen that way.
“Tuscaloosa” Johnny brings us his next guest post where he gives some valuable first hand tips on how to handle an extended downer. Nobody likes to run bad and will battle hard before making these changes but at some point they will be necessary.
Good times, bad, times, you know I’ve had a few
By “Tuscaloosa” Johnny Kampis
In poker, it doesn’t matter how good you are (or how good you think you are), you are going to run into some bad streaks, and sometimes these bad streaks can last a very long time. In a game where fortunes are dictated by the turn of a card, each player is going to experience unbelievably good and bad luck during short periods of time.
I know I’ve had my share of each, and lately it seems I’ve had more of the latter. That’s just the way poker goes sometimes. If you want to stay in the game you’ve got to come up with methods for dealing with the bad times. There are a few ways of handling a bad run if you are experiencing a cold deck yourself. Here are some things I would recommend you try:
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Tags: AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny
Guest Post – Tuscaloosa Johnny
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
Here in the states, poker players had an extra consideration during our last presidential election than other citizens. While the legal status of online poker is obviously takes a backseat to issues concerning the economy and global politics, we always had in our minds to wonder what would happen to the backdoor way the government jammed through the legislation.
With the new administration taking over next month, it’s time to examine what the future holds for online poker players in the U.S. of A. “Tuscaloosa” John brings us his analysis of what we can possibly expect wants the new president is sworn into office.
Comments at always welcome.
After Obama takes the oath, will online poker be legalized?
We will soon inaugurate a new president and welcome a plethora of new Congressmen and women to the capital. The question for poker players is with the historic elections of 2008, will we see a reversal of the government’s previous stance on online poker and see it legalized?
From a political party standpoint the climate is certainly more favorable. For one, we have an admitted poker playing new president in Barack Obama and are sending out the highly conservative Bible thumping George W. Bush. Granted, Obama has a lot more important issues to worry about when he takes office (such as the tanking economy), but when online poker comes up down the road he is likely to be more in tune with the opinions of poker players than our previous Republican leadership.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Tags: AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny
Guest Post – Tuscaloosa Johnny
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
Stu Ungar won the 1997 WSoP Main Event at the outdoor final table
The final table of the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event has played itself out over the last two days and we have a new champion. It was a unique situation where we had 4 months between hands from 10 handed to the final table but that’s just one twist the WSoP overlords have come up with in the history of this event.
On the eve of ESPN broadcasting the final table action, blogger “Tuscaloosa” Johnny takes a look at some of the other interesting changes they’ve attempted with the WSoP and how they worked out.
World Series of Poker innovations have been hit and miss
By “Tuscaloosa” Johnny Kampis
The move by Harrah’s to delay the final table of the 2008 WSOP Main Event by four months in an effort to generate more publicity has seemed to fallen flat. Time will tell how successful the decision has been, but we certainly haven’t seen the November Nine on Letterman reading Top 10 lists this summer. Perhaps the lack of media buzz has been due to many other more newsworthy and pressing topics over the last several months taking over newspaper and television coverage (the election, economy and Olympics certainly come to mind), but I believe the lack of buzz could have been expected. Poker is still mainly a niche activity, despite its overall popularity. The people who love it eat up all news about it, but those who only see it as an enjoyable hobby aren’t going to go out of their way to seek information about the November Nine.
This controversial decision by Harrah’s is certainly not the only major overhaul of the WSOP over the years. Let’s take a look at how well some of the other changes have been received.
More after the jump
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Tags: AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny
Bloggers On The Rail – Guest Post: Tuscaloosa Johnny
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
Welcome to the new look here at Poker From the Rail. We’ve moved platforms and hope the new format will improve your experience floating around our different writers and posts. I will resume bringing you the words from the best sources in poker blogging starting with a new post from Tuscaloosa John and his poker reading recommendations.
As always, if you have a post you would like to submit for Blogger On The Rail you can contact me at BattleoftheBloggers@fulltiltpoker.com.
A little poker bedtime reading
If you’re like me, you’ve got a shelf full of poker books. (In my house they are juxtaposed with my wife’s Christian books, which certainly make for an interesting juxtaposition.) Although the brunt of poker books on my shelf deal with game strategy, there are still quite a few narratives. While poker strategy books certainly are useful – I know they’ve helped my game greatly over the years – I’d much rather lie in bed before sleep and curl up with a good poker narrative. Over the years there have been quite a few great non-strategic books. Here is a list of the best:
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Tags: AlCantHang, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny
Bloggers On The Rail – Guest Post: Tuscaloosa Johnny
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
"Tuscaloosa" Johnny is a blogger who has written for many publication and brings a solid background to whatever he decides to do. He spent a large part of his summer reporting on the WSOP for various sites, including his trip reports on Poker from the Rail. He won his way into several smaller WSOP events via the Battle of the Bloggers and represented us well. The Main Event played down to the "November Nine" and he was able to get some time to speak with Dennis Phillips and brings us his profile.
As always, comments or questions can be sent to Battleofthebloggers@fulltiltpoker.com.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Tags: AlCantHang, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny
