www.fullcontactpoker.com or also at www.rawvegas.com Been a while since I did a video blog, but it was fun to get back to doing that. Won’t be adding another video blog until, oh, probably the WPT Championship in April. Time for bed, I be exhausted.]]>
Over the weekend no work was scheduled so I was free to do whatever I wanted. Thing is, I wasn’t entirely sure what that was just yet. I’d already walked more earlier in the week than I have in well, who knows how long. Feeling as though I’ve done a fair bit of the touristy thing, I decided that I’d stay in on Saturday, read, finish writing my book, watch some CNN, and just have a day indoors- alone of course.
I had to get something to eat, though, so I ended up taking a trip to Salad Works and Zoom (a juice bar) before becoming a hermit for the evening. I was already feeling better and decided that I wanted to walk just a few more new paths. I ended up walking by this young kid who was holding up a huge sign in the middle of a busy street that said, “FREE HUGS.” I thought I’d remembered some kind of youtube phenomenon surrounding this campaign and something about it intrigued me. I parked myself on a bench, the sun was out, but it wasn’t anything like a mid-July Vegas heat. It was what I would call, perfect weather.
Many people walked by him, he’d look them in the eye and most people just walked on by. Very few people actually decided to hug him, and strangely enough, every person that hugged him was a woman. Not because this boy was cute or anything, he looked a bit dumpy, frankly, but I think it speaks to one of the core differences between men and women and how they share their feelings.
Men often keep to themselves- unwilling to show any sensitive side at all, instead opting for a macho exterior, while women are more willing to tap into their emotions and share with others. I found it a bit sad actually, mind you, I didn’t hug the guy either- I’m not much into hugs myself.
Other people started gathering as well, watching the boy, almost like he was a circus freak. He wasn’t yelling, wasn’t asking for any money- he was just there to give away hugs. I kept wondering what brought the boy to do this? I also thought about how courageous he was to stand out in the middle of the street, not worrying about whether or not it looked foolish, only that it’s something that meant something to him, and in his way, he felt like he could make a difference in the world- one hug at a time. I don’t know that it worked, but something about watching this happen live was mesmerizing. The boy was out there for hours and hours, relentless.
After I’d seen enough I walked by a group of younger kids, one of them practicing his golf swing. I noticed a flaw and as I walked by said, “You are cocking your wrists too early.” He looked over at me and said, “That’s so weird, that’s what he said!” pointing to his buddy. Hey, I mightt suck at golf but I’m getting better at figuring out why other people suck too!
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As I started back to the hotel I realized that I’d probably need to pick up another book since I was all but finished “Audacity of Hope” by Barack Obama. I didn’t really have any sort of a plan for what kind of book I was looking for, I figured it would just hit me. Then a title jumped out at me: the Alchemist. I remembered that a high school friend recommended that I read that book- saying that I would be able to relate to it’s story. It was a pretty short read so I decided to buy it.
As I continued through the bookstore I also found another book I’d been meaning to read, “Teacher Man” by Frank McCourt. Angelas Ashes and Tis’ were both books I really enjoyed so I figured this would be a no-brainer.
I ended up finishing the Alchemist in two days, not being able to put it down. What an awesome story- uplifting, enlightening, and spiritually awakening. After reading it, I started to think about all of the omens that had been crossing my path since being here. If you haven’t read the book that probably won’t make sense to you, but let’s just say that omens play a big role in the book.
I just “happened” to watch the Talented Mr.Ripley for the first time this week, after wanting to see it for quite some time. The story was brilliant and the message in the film spoke to me. I just “happened” to pick up the Alchemist at a time when my brain is thirsting for knowledge, wanting to understand my purpose, and what direction my life should go in.
All this could be coincidence, I imagine, but I prefer to believe that there is something more going on here. That I’m being given clues as to what I need to do with my life, just like the boy in the Alchemist.
I don’t know where this all ties in at all, but I had a nightmare last night that scared me so much I didn’t want to go to sleep. I don’t remember all the details-that often happens with my dreams- but I remember a few distinct moments in the dream that got my heart pumping madly:
My house had been broken into, only it was half my current house and half my house in Toronto. I remember seeing my old basement, the same place I used to have nightmares about my father after he’d passed away. Only, there was a roof on the basement made of glass and the sun shined through it. There was a hole in the glass, which is where the house was entered by, what I guess had to be robbers.
For some reason that really scared me, but that’s not what made me jump. All of a sudden I was in a beautiful neighborhood, it looked like a golf course in the background but I wasn’t golfing, nor was anyone else. Then I walked by a pure white golf cart where a man was talking to a woman in the cart. The man was wearing bright clothing, very preppy looking and had platinum blond hair. As I got closer, he turned his face to me. It was Chip Reese. Only, his face didn’t match his clothing or the scenery, it was a bit older and almost swollen looking. He turned to me, smiling brightly, and said, “Hey Daniel, how’s it going?” I woke up in a cold sweat.
I have no idea what this dream means, but I don’t doubt that there is something within that dream that I’m supposed to understand.
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On Sunday, I continued to read and then later that evening, I once again met with some of the crew from the Full Contact Poker Forums. The group was much bigger this time, and strangely, it seemed that most of the new crew showed up first, which I thought worked out nicely as it gave me a chance to get to know them a bit better before Irish and the crew showed up and started skulling beers (skulling means chugging down here).
I made sure to leave the bar by 10:00pm because I had a 6:30am call time and didn’t want to be sluggish as I knew it would be a long day. My work day is over now, and I have another early call for tomorrow, a 7:30am pick up at my hotel. It also looks like I may have to stay an additional day if we don’t get finished tomorrow. I really hope we are able to finish. I am enjoying my stay here, but I’m getting a bit home sick and want to get back to starting a new chapter in my life.
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I’ve learned so much about myself this week, alone in Sydney. They say that when you spend time alone it allows you to reflect on life, who you are, who you thought you were, who people think you are, and who you want to be. Today was another “workday” just like yesterday. While there I’m mostly isolated from whats going on around me, essentially as alone as I would be if I were in my hotel room. When I am around others I don’t quite feel like myself. The only time I;ve felt like myself was the night I spent with some of the people from the forum at FullContactPoker. It was the only time I felt comfortable being myself. This whole experience has been humbling and has taught me more about patience, actually, more about how impatient I really am in my daily life. It’s made me think about how hard life can be for “normal” people with everyday jobs that go home at night with no one there. The only people they talk to are those people in chat rooms or on forums on the internet. This experience has helped me understand better how important family, and true friendships really are. They are precious and something to cherish, but often you don’t realize that sort of thing until it’s all taken away from you. I feel completely out of my element for the most part- and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Growth comes from putting yourself in situations that aren’t always comfortable. Having said that, I don’t like that “other me.” Quiet, shy, and awkward. It’s not at all who I am, but at times when I’m a bit uncomfortable I tend to shy away from being myself. My real self is pretty loud. Confident in all kinds of scenarios, never awkward, and certainly never quiet. This other self comes out when I’m a bit intimidated by my surroundings. A defense mechanism to help make sure I don’t say, or do anything stupid. To simply conform to what others are doing or saying, letting others lead and following along quietly. Essentially, the exact opposite of who I really am. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and reading this week. I’m almost finished the Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama, and even that book, of his story, makes me reflect on my life in ways I’ve never seen things before. Tonight, after a day of mostly waiting patiently alone, I was dropped off at my hotel. As I’ve done everyday, I decided to take the 20 minute walk down George St. to my favorite little restaurant. Only this time, it was night and the rain was coming down in buckets. I threw on a hoodie, then started down the steep slope from my hotel to George St. The street seemed different than before. A few drunks, some groups partying, the clubs and bars a bit more lively. The one thing that remained the same was that I felt like I was watching everything happen around me and felt almost invisible. The hoodie only added to the feeling of being on the outside looking in, closed off from what happened around me. While I walked, I was thinking to myself… thinking about writing a blog entry. Why, I’m not entirely sure. I don’t know if I find it therapeutic or if I feel as though it’s an opportunity to talk to someone. As somber as the tone of the blog may appear, I actually like where I’m at and want to stay. I like the idea of starting from scratch, being alone, and trying to take on something new- from the bottom up. It feels like an exceptionally tough road but I’m starting to realize that if it isn’t tough, then it’s just not as fulfilling. When I was 22 years old I remember walking back from the Mirage to the Budget Suites after just going bust in a 20-40 game after a very tough week at the tables. I walked, and spent time thinking about the things I wanted and if it was even possible? I thought about how hard I’d have to work and how much I had to learn. I thought about what I would do if poker didn’t work out for me? Did I have any other options, or would I end up like the wino I just passed and gave my last dollar to? When I finally “made it” in the poker world, when I look back at how it all happened, that walk was that defining moment of my poker journey. Completely alone in a strange city, a bit unsure of myself. Stripped of the monster ego I’d developed beating up on weaker opponents in Toronto, and exposed for what I was at the time- a pretty good poker player, but just nowhere near as good as I thought I was. A sense of realization for the first time really, that I was tackling an obscure profession with an extremely low success rate, especially back then (before the internet age). It was the closest I’d ever come to giving up the game completely. To packing it in and trying to reassemble a life that took some turns that seemed ill advised. Then I woke up the next morning… hungry for knowledge. Hungry to get back to work and learn, and even relearn the game. The idea of quitting never crossed my mind again- not for a second. Not because it was an easy climb from there, it certainly wasn’t. Simply because I found a strength inside me that, until that day, I didn’t know existed. ]]>
So in the forums at Full Contact Poker I got word that there were several locals that were planning a get together not far from my hotel. So, I met with some of the FCP Uni bums, some fare dinkems for beer o’clock at Lowenbrau which is just past the Maccas, which is dead set as rubbish as the ones in the U.S. Not long after my new mates were skulling beers left and right. (End Aussie Talk)
There was me and 10 other people, mostly from the FCP forum along with a couple of their friends. The 28 year old brought her 17 year old brother who is desperate to one day shave. The guy who’s idea this was brought and absolute nutcase Irishman with him along with his not so wild and crazy friend. The “chosen one” is a cool nickname, but this guy was more like the “responsible one.” He doesn’t like beer? What a c… er, never mind, I just realized that I can’t repeat that Aussie term I learned from the Irish one. Definitely not appropriate for the blog, or well, anyway for that matter but the Irish one doesn’t much care I don’t think.
So the group of us sat outside and drank various German beers. We got there at about 4:00pm and didn’t leave until… well, until they kicked us out! Good thing to because I was scheduled to be picked up at 8:30am.
We ended up heading inside for the entertainment which I found hilarious, three older German guys in literhosen (sp?) singing American love songs with a trombone, accordion, and a trumpet. Classic.
There is a thread where some of the others shared their experiences as well as another post with about 50 pics in there from the evening. Here is a link to the thread
and here is a link to the < href=http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j244/cyberbob08au/Daniel%20Negreanu/?start=all >pictures
If for whatever reason the links don’t work for you check out the Daniel’s blog forum at www.fullcontactpoker.com
So that was last night. A good time had by all I think. I know I had fun. It was the first time I spent any time with anyone since I’ve been here. Today, though, I had to work. I was up at 8:23am and was downstairs by 8:30am to meet my ride. The day didn’t quite go as planned, which means that it looks like I may have to stay through the weekend and end up leaving on Wednesday. I won’t know until late tomorrow evening. If I can’t leave here by Saturday that means I’m going to have to miss the Shooting Stars event at the Bay 101 is a shame, but I may not be able to avoid it. It’s not in my hands at all.
Tonight I plan on relaxing and recovering from a bit of a hang over. I have been on a bit of a health kick this week and last night is something I’ll have to work off at some point.
I will probably play a bit online too tonight at PokerStars. I have played a few sessions this week and am running pretty well at both $200-$400 limit hold’em and the $100-$200 no limit hold’em game. Not winning a crazy amount, but consistently winning every session I’ve played this week.
Anyway, I need to relax, cheers to me new mates, be good, and take care of that crazy Irishman!
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I arrived at the airport in Sydney at about 9am and a driver was there to meet me and take me to my hotel. I had a few hours to relax and freshen up. I read for a bit and watched some TV before a car met me downstairs at 2:45pm. After I did what I had to do I returned to the hotel and decided that I’d take a walk. It was a perfect day, and I mean perfect- not a cloud to be seen. I was handed a huge binder with all sorts of suggestions for what to do in Sydney, where to eat, etc. I noticed a couple of vegetarian restaurants so I thought I’d check one out. I got directions to the closest one, about a 15 minute walk, but when I got there it was closed as they were renovating the park that it was located in. The walk was just breathtaking. I walked through Hyde Park and the place just seemed so clean. So perfect. So heavenly. No bums in the park, people playing Frisbee, reading a book on the grass, just totally relaxing. I decided to walk back and was just soaking it all in. I went back to the hotel and decided I’d just stay in and order some room service. Nothing really sparked my interest so I decided to take a cab to the other vegetarian restaurant that was supposed to be much further. The route to this restaurant seemed very similar to the path I’d already walked. Finally the cab driver dropped me off at Govindas on Darlinghurst St. The restaurant was upstairs in what appeared to be some kind of Yoga gym. I also noticed some strange looking posters on the way up. I get upstairs and it’s basically a buffet. I decided to sit outside since the weather was so nice. When the waitress asked me what I wanted to drink, I said, “I’ll just have a beer, thank you.” “We don’t have alcoholic beer here, it’s a Krishna rule. We do have a German non-alcoholic beer if you like?” I decided to give it a try and it was actually quite good. In fact, I like a lot of non-alcoholic beers and this one hit the spot. I felt a bit awkward about being alone in the restaurant. No one else seemed to be alone and it’s not something I’d normally do. The food was really good, but I kind of decided to eat and run. Before leaving the lady said to me, “Are you not staying for the movie?” I started to feel a bit creeped out by this point and politely declined. Then I noticed some Hari Krishna’s apparently getting ready for something, I didn’t stick around to find out. It brought back memories from my childhood in Toronto. There were lots of Hari Krishna’s down there and my dad used to make us laugh like crazy when he would get in a line with them and dance while singing, “Haaari, Hari, Hari, Kriiiishna.” It used to really make us laugh. Noticing that the walk back to my hotel didn’t seem too much further than my last trip, I decided to try and see if I could find my way back instinctively. I enjoy getting lost sometimes, so I made sure not to pay too much attention to where I was headed on the way to Govindas. For most of the day I was feeling a mix of loneliness and freedom. Freedom in the sense that I could do whatever I wanted without having to ask anyone. I didn’t have to justify my silly ways of entertaining myself. Lonely, because I don’t know a single person here. Normally when I travel it’s poker related so I’ll know at least a few people, but here, I’m all by myself. No friends, or no acquaintances at all. At least not yet, hopefully I’ll meet some cool people tomorrow. The experience made me think a lot. About how difficult it must be for “normal” people to make friends in a new town when they don’t know anyone. The loneliness people must feel when they have no one to talk to. So I kept walking, and walking. I ended up on Oxford St. and noticed a bar up ahead that seemed to be hopping. There was loud music and it seemed like the place was packed. As I walked towards the place, still questioning in my head if I had the courage to just walk in and have a beer on my own, I noticed that this bar was a bit different than any bar I’d seen. It was on the corner of a very busy street with music blaring. Many people were sitting outside, and despite it being only 5pm or so the patrons seemed to be having a blast and were a bit tipsy. As I got closer still, I noticed something else that seemed a bit odd. There were only two women in the whole bar? Then I noticed some colorful clothing choices, cut off t-shirts, and lots of pink for sure. The guys in the bar seemed very “friendly” top each other. Was this the Australian way? People just hugging and laughing? Um, well, then it dawned on me, duh, it was a gay bar! I just never expected a gay bar to be in a place like that. On a busy street, in the heart of downtown. As I walked past the bar I started to realize that I’d entered a different part of Sydney. Lots of dudes, and they looked more feminine than Daniel Noriega. I was on Gay Street I guess. I kept walking and finally found Hyde Park which meant that I knew the rest of the way home. It started to get dark and the vibe at the park changed a little bit. It was a darker vibe with a couple of drunks on the benches, but nothing like I’ve seen on other cities. Even the bums looked a bit more dignified than bums in Las Vegas or Toronto. Classy bums, if there is such a thing. By the time I got back to my hotel room I was exhausted. So now I sit in my room writing this blog with no plans at all for the evening. It’s 8:30pm right now and I’m supposed to be down in the lobby at about 8:45am. I don’t have much of anything to do until Thursday (Australia time) and I have no idea how I’m going to fill that time. I can read, write, and hang out in the hotel, but that just feels like such a waste. I want to experience the city a bit more, but it is a bit more challenging when there is no one there to share the experiences with. On that note, time to log on to PokerStars and see what games are going…]]>
I lost to the Grinder in the first round of the heads up. Didn’t really catch any cards and tried one bluff that didn’t work as he had a strong hand. That’s pretty much all the play you are going to get in those matches. My overall record in that tournament is now 4-4 but I don’t put much stock into it either way.
Frankly, I was already a bit tilted when I noticed that they changed the blinds in the first level from 100-200 to 150-300. The blinds go up every 15 minutes and it’s pretty tough to develop much of a game plan before the blinds force you to play push poker.
I play the 5k sit n’ gos on PokerStars all the time and there is, oh, about 10 times more play in those than you’ll get in the NBC Heads Up. It’s a bit frustrating, but I do understand the time constraints the crew facing when filming this event.
If I were filming it, though, my way of cutting costs would be to just film highlights from the early matches and then only shoot the final 8. In a perfect world the matches would average about 3.5 hours (or about 80-100 hands) with a format like this:
10,000 in chips
60 minute levels
25-50
50-100
100-200
150-300
200-400
300-600
400-800
500-1000 (stay there for the duration)
If you only film the final 8 that would be a total of 7 matches. That could be done on Saturday and Sunday with the previous matches beginning on a Wednesday through Friday. The 32 matches could all happen simultaneously in a larger room, then the final 8 could be shot in the cozier room with all of the camera crew.
By changing the format it would create a much more prestigious event. Anytime you can’t fold a hand like QQ pre-flop correctly, you have a structure that’s too fast and is too dependent on luck.
This really isn’t sour grapes. There is no shame at all in losing to the Grinder, he’s a great player, got better cards, and played them better than I did. I hope he does well in the tournament. I just find it a bit frustrating that when playing in made for TV events, due to the difficult task of shooting on a tight schedule, most events (outside of High Stakes Poker) force the action rather quickly.
Televised poker is at a point now where I feel like we need to take the game to the next level. There is certainly room for shows with fast structures, but in order to keep poker fresh and prestigious, we need events that are high in skill and low on luck.
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Last night I watched the whole week of American Idol and so far, I think it’s a pretty good season. I must have listened to David Archuleta’s rendition of Imagine like four times already. The guys are much better this season than last year I think.
I’d say the most intriguing girl thus far has probably been Danny Noriega. Decent voice and I think Simon thinks he’s cute. I also like the dude with the dreadlocks, he seems like a cool dude. Actually, I can’t think of one person that I’ve ever met with dreads that I DIDN’T like? Growing up in Toronto I had a lot of Rasta friends and they were all cool, laid back people. Stress free for sure. Maybe it was the ganja, who knows.
On the girls side the little Filipino chick has a cool vibe, but I don’t see her winning. Actually I don’t see any of the girls winning. Archuleta has to be the early favorite, but you wonder, how in the world is he going to top Imagine? It was sick good.
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PokerVT is looking good for the April launch. I have shot more than enough stuff for the launch so now it’s up the tech guys to get the other aspects of the site done.
The book is close to the editing stage too and we should be really close for a WSOP 08′ launch.
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It’s about 3:00pm and a car is picking me up at 5:30pm to take me to LA where I connect and fly to Australia. I’ll be there till March 8th and be back for the Shooting Stars event at the Bay 101. After Bay 101, I’ll be in Vegas shooting 10 days of voice over work on the APPT shows. The shows are going to be high quality as the WSOP team is actually cutting the shows.
After that I’m off to Europe for a loooong time. Italy for the EPT, than a week in London to do more voice over work for some EPT events, and then back to Monte Carlo for the EPT final. When that’s over, it’ll be time for the WPT Championship at the Bellagio and then I’m looking at May to get some much needed relaxation time in.
It’s a pretty nutty schedule recently and in the near future and I definitely feel a bit of the wear and the tear. Especially because on every trip I take, I’m having fun. Probably parting a bit too much, but I’m thoroughly enjoying what I’m doing now, and in some ways, I feel like I’m 23 again.
With being 23 again, though, there is both good and bad. On the fun scale I’m doing really well, on the focus scale I’ve been slipping for sure and not putting in my best effort in the tournaments that I’ve played.
I guess it’s to be expected. Recently divorced, being single takes some getting used to and sometimes I’m not really sure what I’m doing. I feel like focusing on fun for the time being is definitely the best way to go.
I just haven’t been as psyched about playing in these tournaments recently because I’m having trouble finding any real meaning in these events? I feel like I am able to gear up for prestigious events and stuff, but there haven’t been any new tournaments that fit that category in quite some time. The WSOP has that vibe for sure, especially this year with all of the 10k buy in events. Before that, I actually am excited about the EPT and WPT Championships, but my only worry there would be fatigue.
I’m at a weird place right now in life. A transitional period where I have lots of responsibilities that cut into my time to grow, and “find myself,” if you will.
It’s kind of exciting actually, being in this new place, but the added stress of deadlines, etc. makes it tough to feel totally free.
My poker game is at a weird place too. Much like my first season on the WPT where I didn’t do well. Only difference is that I have more confidence in my skill level now than I ever have. Problem is, I’ve developed a bad habit in tournaments recently: the dreaded Matusow blow up!
Nothing to worry about. I never expected to be a perfect poker player that doesn’t go through highs and lows. Being a bit older now, though, makes it much easier for me to see the light at the end of the tunnel and not get caught up with confidence issues, etc.
It just comes down to will and drive really, and at the moment, my attention is a bit divided with “life stuff” which means poker takes a back seat for the time being. Have no fear, though, this has been a pattern for me over the last, oh, 15 years as a poker player and when the storm settles, I usually come out blazing.
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The partying is officially out of the system. I had a good time in Copenhagen, even staying an extra day, but couldn’t tell you absolutely anything about the city. I can tell you, though, that the bar downstairs in the lobby serves Carlsberg, Tiger, Tudor, and Carlsberg Blue Elephant. They’ve also got some killer popcorn down there. They have restaurants too I guess, but I don’t know if they are any good as I either ate room service or something I brought from home.
I got my grub on right now actually, typing with tomato sauce on my fingers as I eat a pizza with no cheese, mushroom, green pepper, black olives, and pineapple. It’s hitting the spot pretty hard as I slept the whole flight from London to LA.
When I got to LA I checked into the Double Tree, formerly known as the Wyndham hotel. I had a reservation at the Commerce for the next day which is kind of annoying, but luckily, when I made it over there I was able to get my room right away.
Before all that I headed to the Citadel, a cool little outlet mall that I’ve been going to for the last 12 years or so. Subway was the spot: Veggie Patty on whole wheat with all the trimmings (except dead animals), some mustard, oil and vinegar, and a splash or Oregano.
I think I broke my personal best time, eating it in what felt like 49 seconds. I was starving. After that I realized that I didn’t (well Patty didn’t) pack for LA
as I was originally planning on heading home if there was time. I normally pack my own bag, but overslept and Patty showed up to be a lifesaver by packing for me. Thanks Patty, have I told you lately that you are the best?
The mall has changed so much now, it’s more modern and they have cooler stores. I ended up going on a mini shopping spree falling in love with some stuff from Billabong mostly. Also hit Guess and a few other stores too.
After that I head over to the Commerce to buy in for the tournament. There was only one problem, I had a grand total of $1872.41 in my pocket. I figured I’d run into someone down there with some cash so I could buy in early and get to bed and follow the rules. Didn’t really see anyone there at the get go that I wanted to borrow from. You see, when you start a relationship like that it has to go both ways so you should be careful who you borrow from! I used to remember the old days when a guy would almost beg me to borrow $100 from him. Rather than take that $100 I would pass and probably save myself $2000 in a later dead money loan.
Finally I saw Eli Elezra and said, “Perfect, just the guy I was looking for. Give me $10,000.” No hi, how are you, just give me some freakin’ money, lol. He borrowed it from some other guy and bam, I had a buy in for the tournament. Who needs satellites when you have good credit?
I went up to the tournament room and bought right into the tournament. I have to say, the Commerce rocks, seriously. Hands down, best poker facility in the entire world and there is no second place finisher in that race. And no, they don’t pay me to say that, it’s just the absolute truth. Place is built like a poker stadium/museum. Logical, practical, just perfect.
I was able to get a room early as I mentioned and avoided doing any socializing as it’s part of my rules. Only socializing I did was talk to David Williams for a bit in the lobby, but it wasn’t draining at all since we didn’t talk about poker at all. In fact, I think the “word” poker only came up once and it had nothing to do with me or him at all.
So here I sit. Focused, full of energy, pumped up, and feeling like a monster waiting to maul some people tomorrow. Just absolutely beat some people down, backhand slap, chop to the neck, take out the knees, then one knee to the head for the knockout punch…. EAT SOME OF THAT is what I’ll say when I’m done (ok maybe I won’t say it, but I’ll be thinking it).
Right now Training Day is on TV and I’m casually watching that. After I’m done this blog I’ll pop in the Talented Mr. Ripley, still haven’t seen it. Man, how good is Denzel in Training Day? Just sick cool.
Speaking of cool, I just got word today that I’ll be adding yet another trip to my March schedule and I don’t care how far it is. I’m scheduled to be in Australia from Mar 3-8 to be a part of something that is beyond cool. I’m not sure I have the ok to talk about it, so rather than ruin the opportunity for myself, I’ll wait until I get the word that it’s cool to talk about before mentioning it.
On that note, Ethan Hawke is just about to go into the gansta house right now, one of my favorite scenes. Stay out of my way tomorrow, or I’m going to hurt you real bad. 10 inch pythons comin’ at ya! LOL, I’m so not tough, but it sure is fun pretending.
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I haven’t won anything on the EPT, but I’ve had experiences that it’s hard to put a price tag on. I guess that’s the real question I ask myself now: is money, success, and being my best more important than enjoying being in the moment and focusing on fun?
It’s a difficult question to answer. In Germany I was doing great after day one and then hung out at the bar till 9:00am the next day. That’s breaking all of my rules. I showed up late for day two and didn’t make it through the day.
In Copenhagen, I really goofed up by changing my starting day from day 1B to day 1A. When I made that decision I forgot about the Scandinavian awards (you can watch the awards at www.siktilt.com) that I was hosting the night before.
I have to say, I had an absolute blast hosting the show. I can honestly say that I get a major adrenaline rush from being on stage that I don’t get anywhere else. More pressure than anything else I could imagine doing- and I love the pressure. When it comes to rehearsals, I’m probably the worst ever, but when it’s for real, and if I screw up with everyone watching… that’s when I feel the most comfortable. That’s when I feel a sense of accomplishment when it’s over and it went well. I don’t know exactly what makes me so addicted to that feeling, but I had it on the boat when I did that comedy skit, and since then, it’s like an elusive drug that I can’t get enough of.
After the show, once again I broke everyone of my pre-tournament rules. Hanging out with people, drinking, and staying up late. Not as late as in Germany, but late enough. I woke up in time for the tournament, but was still a bit foggy.
I was still able to play well for the first 7 levels of the night. I took about 4-5 bad beats, all coming on the turn or the river for extra “oompf” and then made just an absolutely terrible play:
UTG makes it 1100 to go, button thinks and calls, I call from BB with Ks Qs. I knew the button wasn’t that strong because I watched him and knew that if he had anything good he would re-raise pre-flop. Knowing this, and having both of my opponents covered by about double, I should have just taken that dead money and added it to my stack with a big raise pre-flop. Calling is not bad, but if I were rested and focused I would have recognized a good opportunity for a squeeze play.
The flop came K-J-5 with one spade. I checked, the UTG raiser bet 2500 and the button went all in for 13,000. I was doing well with 22,000 and decided that the button could never have a set, AK, or AA. Only hand that beats me is KJ, but that’s exactly what it looked like he had. If not that hand, he had me tied with KQ. It’s an automatic fold, but I donked it off and called. The UTG insta called and showed 55. The button, of course, KJ. Me? The idiot with a freaking pair!!!
This hand happened for the following reasons:
-I was hungover
-I wasn’t well rested
-I’d taken several bad beats already and let it get to me because my focus wasn’t there.
My last hand I had a 12-outer against Noah with two to come and missed, getting knocked out with about 30 minutes left to go in the night.
I was definitely unlucky in the tournament, but ultimately, that’s not at all why I went broke. I fold that one hand, or push in pre-flop, and I’m still in the tournament with about 20,000 or so which was above average at the time.
I’ve had a really strange year in that regard. Moments of great play overshadowed by a sloppy play here and a bad call there. Thing is, I’m not discouraged in the least! You’d think I should be, but I’m really not. Why? Well, because I know it’s a pretty easy fix. It’s in my control and my skill level today is better than it’s ever been. It’s a simple case of poor preparation before tournaments.
In 2004 do you know how many tournaments I cashed in where I broke one of my rules? Zero. Reason for that is simple: I never broke my rules and only recently started breaking them again.
So why did I start breaking my rules then? Well, the answer is simpler than you’d think: I WAS HAVING FUN!!! I enjoyed the company, I enjoyed being in Europe, etc. In some ways playing on the EPT feels like starting all over again like I did in my early 20’s. Meeting new people, socializing, etc. It’s something I stopped doing over the years, well, because it’s one of my “rules.”
There is one big difference between me now and then. Back then I would beat myself up really badly about making mistakes and then go into a mode of self-destruction. I’m a little oder and wiser now, though, and I just chalk it up to an, “Oops, oh well.” I make mistakes sometimes and it’s a good way of remembering that I’m human.
When I was young this was something that stunted my growth as a player. The beating myself up and being self-destructive was a common practice for me (circa 2004). Today, none of this worries me, and that doesn’t mean I’m not hungry, or that I don’t care or don’t want to win. It simply means that I chose fun as a priority over success during that time. It’s not the last time it’s going to happen I’m sure, and when it does, I’m not going to cry about it.
My mindset about that sort of thing is so much better now. Seriously, on the eve of me heading to LA none of this worries me or makes me feel any less confident about my chances. I still feel like I’m playing excellent poker and that I’ll do well.
jet lag, bad sleep schedules, faster structures, etc. are also reasons for my demise in both Germany and Copenhagen, but the root of the problem.
There is a big stretch of tournaments on the horizon and I have a good feeling about several of them. The NBC Heads Up is something I always look forward to, and I have a good feeling about Monte Carlo too.
I think I’ve had enough “fun” now and am ready to get back to work and be more serious about my job. I’m ready get back to the grindstone and start obeying my own rules. I feel good, really good. No regrets and no worries whatsoever.
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We also met in the previous High Stakes Showdown that I won. In sit n’ gos he’s ahead 7-6 but I was up 1-0 in the HSS. I enjoy playing him, he’s very good heads up and it makes me try harder than I normally might. To win I have to play my best against him, anything less and he would pwn me.
I hit some hands in that match too until the final hand when he raised from the button to 200 (blinds 100-200). I min raise heads up, but Genius28 normally makes it 3x the blinds. I suspected it may have a bit to do with me having a 3-1 chip lead before the hand started (14605-5395).
I called in the BB with AJ. The flop came 5-6-9 rainbow and I check-called 250. The turn brought a J so I led out for 500- he called. The river was a 10 and I wanted to value bet what I felt was the best hand, so I fired out 1100. Genius28 moved all in for 4445 and I went into the tank. Finally I made the call and he showed QJ.
That got me to the final against philivey2694 who some railbirds explained to me was Isaac Haxton, the kid who chewed out Joe Sebok on Poker Road radio. It actually helped to know who he was because I could then expect a more aggressive approach. He is, by far, the most aggressive heads up player I’ve ever faced in these things. His aggression level is like 10 times that of Genius28 so playing him is a bit different.
This match lasted 132 hands and ended in level 2. I was chip leader in the early going before losing a pot when I made the nuts straight on the river, only to see him turn over a rivered flush. That had be down to about 7200 to his 12,800 but that’s as bad as it would get for me.
The key pre-flop all in pot we played had him starting the hand with 12100 to my 7900. He raised from the button to 300 (3x) as he did 100% of the time. Even with 7-2 off suit, he would raise from the button. As I said, he’s the most aggressive player I’d ever faced heads up. Playing a guy like that can be difficult sometimes because it forces you to do some uncomfortable guesswork.
So on this hand I had JJ and re-raised to 1100. He comes over the top again and I call for 6800 more. I normally wouldn’t play the hand like this heads up, but I’d already picked up on the fact that he would be willing to re-raise me pre-flop with marginal hands. Against another player I might not re-raise before the flop, but if I did, I could probably fold to a push. Not this guy though. I called and he showed 44.
That gave me the lead and I was able to grind him down a bit more before the final hand that we started: Me 14550- 5450. He raised from the button to 300 and I called from the BB with 2h 3h. Flop comes Qs 6s 5h. It goes check-check.
Turn is the 4h giving me the bottom end straight, but also a flush draw to boot. I bet 300, he makes it 1200 and I decide to shove all in and he calls me quickly. He shows 4-5 and the river is the Jh and I make the flush too.
It was a fun event as I got a chance to play against three completely different opponents as far as strategy is concerned. I think I played excellently in every match. I never played a big pot from behind and was in control of every match, despite allowing Haxton to take the role of aggressive player.
Ideally you want to be the aggressor heads up, but if your opponent pushes the envelope to the point where they are uber-aggressive, you can actually beat them by sitting back a little bit and playing a more solid game- hoping they’ll make a big mistake.
My approach is pretty simple. I min raise on the button a high percentage of the time and I rarely re-raise from the big blind. On the flop, I bet 50% of the pot a high percentage of the time. There is one other strategy adjustment that I do make, but it’s not something I can share as it gives away too much info.
I can understand why people make it 3x on the button, but I think it’s a mistake against most good players. I think 2x on the button is more profitable heads up. At the NBC Heads Up this year, I’ll be making it 2x until the blinds get up there and I’m forced to either limp or push.
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All the while I was still in the Sunday Million although not paying any attention to it really. There were over 7000 players and I found myself in the money again, down to 734th. I got super lucky late in that thing, pushing short stacked with Qd 10d and cracking AA. A few hands later the button raised and I pushed with A-2. He called with A-10 and I cracked that too!
I then dumped back half my stack with AJ and QJ in back to back hands. My final push was with Q-10 and I got called by KJ.
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Poker feels “easy” to me right now and that’s a great sign going into the EPT Copenhagen. Monday I’m hosting the Scandinavian Poker Awards and then tomorrow, I start on Day 1A. In the meantime I’m going to veg, sweat the hockey games, and maybe watch a movie… that, and have breakfast. It’s 4:30am here now and breakfast starts at 6:30am.]]>
Pure: I almost never, ever, ever, go out but the girls, my friends wife and girlfriend wanted to go to a club after golf. Mille just had a baby not too long ago so she hasn’t been out in ages so it was a no-brainer decision to go. Tyson, on the other hand, needed major convincing as he hasn’t been out in public without a hat on since my mother crooked Christmas dinner. In fact, the only time you can get Tyson to go public without a hat was at my wedding and also at Christmas where my mother enforces a no hat policy. Luckily Tyson has some designer hats so he was able to wear it in the club.
If I go to a club it’s usually Pure. I like the vibe there and I know a guy there too which always helps make things easier. It was about 10 of us so we got a table and ended having to buy 8 bottles. That essentially means giving away a bunch of booze to any random people who want it. Ends up getting expensive, but whatever, we don’t go often.
We stayed there till close and had fun. We had a few drinks after that and then crashed for the afternoon. I was a little hungover for my PokerStars VIP matches and played a little bit sloppy. Normally I try my best in those events but I definitely didn’t need to go broke with K 5 sooooted on one of them.
[b}Romanian Only Tournament:[/b] this morning I agreed to play in a special $10 event with some Romanian friends. It ended up attracted over 100 players all from Romania and was a lot of fun. The chatbox, normally an English only zone, was fluttered with Romanian which I liked because it gave me an opportunity to practice my reading and writing skills which suck pretty bad. Some of the guys would correct my spelling for me which I appreciated.
Then the rail went crazy as it often does with all kinds of random and foolish talk. I ignored it for the most part, especially this one guy who kept doing this:
WRITE A BLOG
WRITE A BLOG
WRITE A BLOG
WRITE A BLOG
WRITE A BLOG
WRITE A BLOG
Then he followed that up with:
YES OR NO
YES OR NO
YES OR NO
YES OR NO
YES OR NO
I could have just answered the question but because he was being annoying I decided not to. Eventually called me a name, and “voila’ a chat ban. As a not to anyone in the future when I play micro limits, my chat ban leash is getting shorter and shorter and I will insta-ban your chat faster than you can say, WOOHOO DANIEL SUCKS!!!
Chillin’ on couch: Have been doing a ton of chillin’ on the couch sweating the hockey games, but mostly being glued to CNN where Barack Obama has been on fire lately sweeping the weekend. Him and Hillary are basically neck and neck now and it’s all going to come down to the “powers that be” to decide which is kinda scary.
Lost: Just finished watching a marathon of season 3 last night, and wow, my head is still spinning in confusion but it was pretty cool. Now the difficult decision: watch season 4 as it happens or wait till I have all of the episodes on my Tivo… hmm, decisions, decisions.
[b[Golf:[/b[ I’ve gotten much worse at golf due to a lack of play and practice but I’m not overly worried. The weather has been getting better so I’ll get back to it. In the meantime, I can always practice at home. I played once last week and shot 102… with 30 putts! I actually drained 8 putts from 20 plus feet. One of them a 60 footer from off the green, it was so sick. If am going to play tomorrow before heading into….
PokerVT.com: I finished my end of the launch product with maybe a couple things to fine tune. It’s been a lot of time and effort but I love the way it’s coming along and am very proud of the product. I’ve also been working on my…
Book: Good news there too. Trying to hit my deadline for edit of February 15th and am essentially there. It just needs a few final touches and some editing in some rough spots and then we should be able to hammer it our for the WSOP 2008. Not kidding this time 🙂
PokerStars: Haven’t played a ton lately, but did get some hours in playing $200-$400 limit hold’em, $200-$400 HORSE, and a few $5000 sit n goes with Pokst. All told we played 4 and finished 2-2 with me winning the first two.
Copenhagen: I’m leaving for Copenhagen a bit early this time which could work out well for me. I have to be there early for an appearance for my mobile poker game and then of course you have the EPT Copenhagen. Before that, though, I’ll be hosting the Scandinavian Poker Awards which I’m looking forward to, it should be fun.
Cheap Thieves: Update on my true passion, fantasy hockey. My team is really on fire lately and with just 10 games to go I have the division lead and will look to wrap it up this week hopefully. My defense is weak, but Cory Murphy coming back is a big help. On offense I’m pretty healthy, with the exception of Simon Gagne who went down with his THIRD concussion. That’s deadly news.
Untraceable: What a strange, creepy, but excellent film starring Diane Lane. That’s twice now that Jennifer has taken me to a movie I’d never heard about that ended up being great (the first was Matrix). The concept of the film is very interesting and deals with how sick we are, and how dangerous the internet can be.
Show One Card Show All Rule: My good friend Jack McLelland is still living in the stone age when it comes to this horrifyingly bad rule. I posted a poll on two internet forums asking people if they thought this was a good rule, and close to 95% agree that it’s absurd. Essentially the rule that Jack uses says the following: If you show a card at the end of a hand the dealer MUST (yes you read that right) show both of your cards to the whole table. Jack is totally on his own in regards to this rule and no competent poker player or industry person thinks it makes any sense. It’s totally foolish and serves no positive purpose.
Karaoke: Almost forgot. One night this week we did the Karaoke thing with my friends and brought my brother along, who is visiting this week, which means a lot of Guns and Roses and Bon Jovi.. and a lot of schreeching, terrible singing! My brother and Sam should go on tour.
So that’s that, I’m on the couch again after hitting 100 balls on the simulator. Tonight I might have the boys over to screw around, we’ll see. Then at noon tomorrow, it’s off to TPC Summerlin for my last round till I leave for Copenhagen.]]>