Poker From The Rail
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Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
No one spends every waking moment sitting here in the Rio. Even if you are here to play an event you don’t spend too much time running around the halls until you absolutely have to make your way to a table. Unless in a bracelet bet like Tom “durrrr” Dwan or bankrolled like Phil Ivey then you don’t have 40+ events on your schedule will likely be running around Las Vegas looking for trouble or a table. If you do find yourself spending far too much time at the Rio then we have a suggestion for you.
Get out!
The casinos would love to keep you sitting at loose cash game or drinking-friendly Pai Gow table or button mashing the video poker machines but there are other options that don’t necessarily involve spending your degen dollars. It’s good for the soul to step away from this environment, catch a little sun, see a show, get a little exercise. In the end you’ll even come back to the poker table with a little perspective and better prepared to crush spirits with The Hammer.
Guest blogger “Tuscaloosa” Johnny brings us just a few of your options around the area off the beaten path.
Vegas – Off the Beaten Path
By “Tuscaloosa” Johnny Kampis
Sure, everyone knows about the fountains at the Bellagio or the nightclub Pure in Caesars Palace. In addition to the well-known tourist spots in Sin City, there are some hidden gems around town. Below are some cool things you should do while in town that are either off the beaten path or tucked into the corner of a behemoth casino.
Tags: 2010 World Series of Poker, AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny, WSOP
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
Vegas for All Bankrolls
By “Tuscaloosa” Johnny Kampis
With the birth of my son John Harper in December I will be missing my first World Series of Poker since 2004. I read with envy the various dispatches from the Rio and will live vicariously through my friend Brian, who plans to make at least one trip to Las Vegas this summer. A discussion we had recently sparked the idea for this article. Basically, the question is: If given a week in town what would you do with a $1,000 bankroll? Or $5,000? Or $10,000?
In summers past I would be in Vegas for most of the Series, conservatively nursing a relatively small bankroll. Amazingly, I’ve left Vegas most years with decent profits. (Just shows how the WSOP draws out some of the world’s worst poker players, eh?)
If you have $1,000…One grand won’t get you far in this town. Forget about the strip club, or Cirque du Soleil if you lean highbrow. If you only have $1,000 don’t blow your money on things other than poker. The key with this amount and a one-week trip is to ease yourself into the game. It would be really easy to blow your whole trip bankroll in one night so start off slow. Spend some of your first day sightseeing at the Rio (but not playing – at least yet). Especially if this is your first visit, walk around and see what the fuss is all about at the granddaddy of poker tournaments. Rail the pros. Check out the nosebleed games. Then take your rental car or a taxi and go play one of the downtown tournaments. Most events at the Binion’s Poker Open have buy-ins of $150 or $200 while those at the Grand Poker Series at Golden Nugget lean toward the $200 mark. Hey, if you are in town on June 25 maybe you can go play the Omaha Hi-Lo event at Binion’s with Al Can’t Hang, CK and other famous bloggers!
Tags: 2010 World Series of Poker, AlCantHang, Bankroll Managment, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny, WSOP
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
It’s one of the standard conversations which always come up during the World Series of Poker. Who’s the best player to not have captured their first bracelet? Mr. McCarthy and myself were just sitting on media row yesterday bouncing names back and forth with the usual suspect always in the mix, Team Full Tilt member Andy Bloch. He is one of the most successful tournament players in the world but has yet to find himself as the last player standing at the end of a WSOP event. His efforts include two high profile second place finishes where he was the favorite going into heads up play.
Regular guest blogger “Tuscaloosa” Johnny sent along his thoughts on ten high-profile players coming into the summer still aiming for their first title. Interesting that he lists Michael Mizrachi in his post as “The Grinder” will sit at the $50,000 Player’s Championshp final table later today.
Best players without a WSOP bracelet
By “Tuscaloosa” Johnny Kampis
Erick Lindgren, Kenny Tran, Nenad Medic, Dario Minieri, John Phan. Know what all of these players have in common? They all won their first World Series of Poker bracelets in recent years. These players were lucky enough to achieve their first victories in the Rio, but there are plenty of deserving pros who haven’t tasted WSOP glory yet. Here are ten pros that are due:
Tags: 2010 World Series of Poker, AlCantHang, Andy Bloch, Bloggers on the Rail, Gavin Smith, Guest Posts, Gus Hansen, Michael Mizrachi, Patrik Antonius, Tom Dwan, Tuscaloosa Johnny, WSOP
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
It almost seems sacrilegious to talk about other tournament series in Las Vegas during the summer when most of the poker world turns it’s eyes towards the Rio for the WSOP. But it would be wrong to dismiss the opportunities which are out there away from the mega-lemur fields running in the Amazon Room. Just about every casino with a decent size poker room will be offering so great value events to compete with the WSOP and pull some players their way.
The interesting non-WSOP series for me would be downtown at Binion’s where they generally offer similar events as the WSOP at just a fraction of the cost. I plan to take a day off from my WSOP coverage for a mass blogger invasion of their Limit Omaha/8 event on June 25th. Binion’s is just one example of the games you can find around town during the summer and guest blogger Tuscaloosa Johnny brings us this year’s schedule of events. They are well worth your time if you are in town and not ready to slap down a big buyin at the Rio.
Poker tournaments abound in Vegas this summer
By Tuscaloosa Johnny Kampis
The buy-ins of World Series of Poker events too big for your bankroll? With the number of rival casinos feeding off the popularity of poker’s biggest tournament that’s no problem. Several other casinos offer summer tournament series with buy-ins between $200 and $1,000. Here’s a look at some of the other events you can try between trying to satellite your way into the WSOP Main Event.
Tags: 2010 World Series of Poker, AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny, WSOP
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
We’re just a few short weeks away from the start of the 2010 World Series of Poker and the excitement is starting to build. Flights are booked, bankrolls are set, it’s time to sling some chips at the Rio. The vast staff here at Poker From the Rail are busy making a game plan for our coverage of the next two months and are ready to hit our stride come May 27th. While we brainstorm on how to dodge all the distractions in Sin City we will begin bringing you a series of guest posts on getting yourself ready to hit the series.
Tuscaloosa Johnny has plenty of experience dealing with the grind of Vegas during the Series and we’ll start of with a fun post. Everyone these days can be found with some sort of electronic device plugged straight into their head constantly these days whether it’s an iPod, iPhone, iAnything. Johnny has a few suggestions to load up on your chosen mp3 device for your flight to Las Vegas to get yourself ready to go. While I tend to lean more towards the guitar-heavy, vocal-straining style of music, I’ll be sure to add these to my list.
Vegas playlist for your iPod
by Tuscaloosa Johnny Kampis
The World Series of Poker is only days away. You’re beginning to pack your bags (don’t forget the sunscreen) and have printed your boarding passes at home. Before you hop on that plane remember to load up your iPod with all of your favorite tunes. In fact, to get you in the mood for your stay in the glitz and glamour of Sin City I’ve compiled my top ten list of Vegas themed tunes you may want to add to your playlist. Some of these have become unofficial Vegas anthems more due to the singer (Elvis, Sinatra, et al.) or the big band aspect than the subject matter, but all should get you pumped for the trip at 40,000 feet.
Tags: 2010 World Series of Poker, AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny, WSOP
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
Amir Vahedi’s last interview
By Johnny Kampis
I always thought of Amir Vahedi as a bit of a larger than life figure. Sure, there have been plenty of better poker players and others who were more intimidating at the table, but I never played with those guys during my early poker development.
You see, I made my first trip to the World Series of Poker in 2004 – the last year the entire tournament series was held at Binion’s Horseshoe. After the hoopla surrounding the 2003 WSOP when Chris Moneymaker won my friend Brian and I decided it was time to check it out.
I bit the bullet and plunked down $1,000 to play one NLHE event. I happened to sit across from Vahedi, who famously made the final table of the main event the year before. As a relative novice, I found the cigar-chomping Iranian rather intimidating, but I did tangle with him in one pot that nearly made me go broke early.
Tags: AlCantHang, Amir Vahedi, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny
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.
Tags: AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny, WSOP
Posted by AlCantHang | Filed under Bloggers on the Rail
It’s one of the toughest decisions when you are sitting at a cash game whether online or live. You’re running good or running bad or running indifferent, at some point you will need to leave the table. There could be fiscal, mental, or court ordered reasons to stand up from a game but it will happen even with Super Man stamina and a blimp sized bladder. Sometimes these decisions are easy and sometimes it’s a struggle to talk a degenerate brain into giving up the seat.
Tuscaloosa John returns to his usual guest spot position and and takes a look at the money side of the decision. When do you decide to leave a cash table based on where your stack started and how it’s looking.
Deciding To Leave The Table
by Johnny Kampis
One of the hardest decisions you’ll make in any given session of poker isn’t just related to calling a big all-in or how much to bet with the nuts. For me, the hardest decision is often when to leave the table. As your average poker degenerate, I have the unfortunate knack of sitting too long at a table trying to get even while having a losing session. Sometimes I also like to leave too early when running well to book a nice profit when I should probably stay and play with the fishies.
Tags: AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny
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.)
Tags: 2009 World Series of Poker, AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Tuscaloosa Johnny, WSOP
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.
Tags: AlCantHang, Bloggers on the Rail, Guest Posts, Stu Ungar, Tuscaloosa Johnny
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