David Baker, a great 2-7 triple draw player raised under the gun. The game is typically played 6 handed, and I was next to act with 2478Q and re-raised. Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi called on the button and three of us drew. David drew two, I drew one, and The Grinder drew 2. In this situation, I am ALWAYS betting no matter what I catch. When David checks I just bet blind and both players called.
On the second draw David drew one, I drew one, and The Grinder who was short stacked, drew two again. I caught a Ten. David checked, I bet my hand, The Grinder called with his remaining chips and David called also.
On the end, David drew one. A pat 10 (pat meaning you aren’t taking any more cards) is a favorite over one player who draws one card, but its much closer with two players drawing one. I wasn’t convinced that The Grinder was drawing one, he was pretty much pot committed even drawing two, so I decided to stay pat. I was really happy to see Grinder draw two again on the last draw.
Here is where it gets interesting. Up to this point the hand is pretty standard and now we have Grinder all in drawing two, and David drawing one to beat my pat 10. David checked. What would you do?
A) Check and hope that either you or David busts Grinder with just 12 players left in the tournament?
B) Bet
If you chose B) why bet? What is your goal with the bet? As is the case with any poker decision, that’s something you need to think about before you make a bet. What’s the purpose. Are you betting for value or as a bluff?
Well I bet and my purpose was clear. In that spot, with a player all in, David absolutely knows for certain I’m not snowing (standing pat with a bad hand like a pair with the intention of betting the river as a bluff.) So my intention with the bet is to get David to fold a hand like:
98234
2347T
Both of those hands beat me, but since he knows I’m not bluffing since I have to show my hand and still beat the Grinder who drew two, what hand can he beat really? The only hand I pat in a 3 way pot that he beats, just so happens to be the one that I have. However, considering I re-raised him before the first draw from second position, he knows I have at least a one card draw to an 8. He loses to all my value hands with 98234 and he knows I’m not bluffing.
David ended up thinking for a minute and folding. Grinder missed and I won a very key pot. David saw me turn over my hand and his eyebrows raised, thinking “Wow, you bet that?” On the other end of the table, the always perceptive Scott Seiver gave me a nod and said, “Great bet.” He understood exactly why I needed to bet that.
Lots of really cool situations come up in limit games that have tons of depth. In this case, a non-thinking player may have checked, David turns over 2347T and they lose the pot thinking they were unlucky. That’s not the case! It was the perfect spot to run what ultimately becomes a semi-bluff. Move out the best hand and take your chances against the two card draw.
I’ll likely be sharing hand analysis using this medium throughout the WSOP. I won’t be doing any no limit hold’em hands, but I will share analysis from hands in all of the variants of poker I play this summer. I hope you enjoy it, and maybe learn a thing or two along the way.
So there has been lots of talk recently about the state of the game that was sparked by Joe Hachem’s comments from Australia, and that was followed up by a rant from Dan Shak about unlimited re-entries in Super High Roller events.
Down in Melbourne this year for the Aussie Millions, what we saw take place was unprecedented. For several years now they have offered a $100k buy in event, as well as a $250k buy in event, both designed with fast paced structures. In fact, the $100k offered a 30 second shot clock which the players raved about. It really went over well.
What was different this year, is the fact that you could re-enter the tournament until the end of day one. As I said, it was a fast paced structure which means a lot of players were likely to go broke early which assured there would be more re-entries than in a typical super high roller structure. Most super high rollers offer 3 days of play, in both of these the event is over in just two short days.
This venue is the only place that I know of that offers these types of events, combining a super high buy in, a fast paced structure, as well as unlimited re-entries. This is a once a year phenomenon and clearly there was a market for it as the number of entries absolutely shattered previous records for super high roller events.
The reason these events were initially created is because there were some wealthy Asian businessmen who wanted to play some high stakes tournaments, but they didn’t want to invest a lot of time. They wanted to play a fast paced tournament, which in turn actually improved their chances of success slightly. These guys were also casino gamblers for the most part, so it was really a no-brainer for the Crown to offer these two events. It brought them to town, created some buzz for poker, and also brought the top pros to town to take part in these massive events.
All this background is important to understand why these events were created in the first place. The term “good for poker” is thrown around a lot, and I’m likely guilty of overusing this phrase as well. My personal view is that these events are neither good or bad for poker, that the effect is close to neutral. If there was a gun to my head and I had to pick a side, I’d go with good for poker.
The events create a lot of buzz and interest and ensure a televised product with some of the worlds best. In the $250k 6 places were paid and all were top pros: Phil Ivey, Isaac Haxton, Mike McDonald, myself, Fabian Quoss, and Tom Dwan. While the structures were fast early, they slowed down some near the end leaving plenty of play for the pros to get the money in the end. The argument that these events are bad for the poker economy is actually backwards. Rich businessmen who don’t have their rent money on the line in these events are the ones creating the value that wouldn’t otherwise be there, and injecting an influx of money into the poker economy. Many of the pros and amateurs in these events regularly play stakes that far exceed these tournaments. If people want to play high stakes cash games or tournaments, I see no logical reason to restrict them from investing or spending their money however they choose to.
There was criticism that the media coverage of this event overshadowed the main event. The argument can be made that this has held true for several years now. Coverage is based on demand, and if the super high rollers are getting more hits for the media, they would be foolish not to devote time covering them. I also think poker fans like familiarity, and you will see a group of familiar faces in all of these events, while in the main event final tables it’s rare to recognize more than three names.
There is also a big misunderstanding about late entries giving certain players an advantage. In fact, if you allow late registration for events then it’s only logical that you also allow re-entries during that period. The only place that wouldn’t hold true as far as I’m concerned, is the WSOP. There is history there and I do believe that protecting the prestige of the bracelets and history has some value. If you can wrap your head around the fact that a re-entry is a NEW player, then it really doesn’t matter that this new player may have already busted from the tournament. If a player is allowed to register for the first time in level 4, then a busted player, who now becomes a new player, should have that right as well.
There isn’t a player in the world that “plans” to re-enter a tournament. Each decision to re-enter is a unique one. For example, I spent 5 bullets in the $100k and my thinking was as follows:
Bullet #1: This is a good tournament and a good investment for me
Bullet #2: This is a good tournament and a good investment for me. What happened prior to this no longer has any effect on that decision.
Bullet #3: This is a good tournament with lots of dead money in it already and a good investment. The fact that some of that dead money is mine, is totally irrelevant by this point.
Bullet #4: Same as #3
Bullet #5: An entry here gets me just 12.5 big blinds. I’m going to speak to some math guys I know and discuss if this is a positive or negative ROI situation. Since the average stack was only 25 big blinds, and there was lots of dead money left, my intelligent friends advised me that I likely still have about a 3-5% ROI on this last bullet. Myself and 9 other people decided to make this play.
If you want to think of this another way, I essentially played five tournaments here and ultimately cashed in one. My buy ins for these 5 events cost me $500,000 and my cash outs were $550,000. The fact that these five tournaments happened in the same day is really no different than me spending $100k in buy ins on five different tour stops. Make sense?
Lastly I want to cover the whole all-time money list argument which is easily the silliest of the bunch, but worth addressing nonetheless. Even if you did track buy ins, this list has no real meaning. The Hendon Mob website tracks this stuff and it’s interesting to look at, but in terms of what meaning or importance these numbers have for the poker world, they hold no significance at all.
When I started playing in the late 90’s a $1000 buy in event was considered huge and there was only one $10k event a year, the WSOP main event. At that point guys like TJ Cloutier, Men Nguyen, and Phil Hellmuth were atop those lists, but once $10k buy in events became the norm a few years later, I shot to the top of that list in a very short period of time, simply because the prize pools were much bigger. Over the last few years, we have seen the next phase of inflation. Now instead of it being $10k events that became the biggest regular events, $100k events are rampant and prize pools in those events are big enough to significantly shake up the all-time money list. One event, in fact, the One Drop has a one million dollar buy in and not surprisingly, the winner of that event and about $18 million is atop the list currently!
Aside from that, there are events that count on a players total that make the whole list suspect. For example, years ago Phil Ivey won a private, one table sit n’ go with other members of Full Tilt, and the winner was awarded one million dollars. That is added to his total. If some billionaires wanted to run a private poker tournament with a $10 million buy in at Aria and televise it, voila, we have the new all time money leader! Silly right?
I guess the bottom line here is that I don’t see the harm in having these events once a year and I certainly don’t like the idea of restricting people from playing for high stakes if they choose to. Seriously, if 10 guys wanted to play a $100 million buy in winner take all sit n’ go who are we to stop them? If the poker media wanted to cover the event, who are we to tell them they shouldn’t? Finally, if they wanted to make the event unlimited re-entries for the entire tournament, what right do we have to tell them they can’t?
It’s time for the annual Poker Goals blog that I do at the start of every year. First let’s take a look at how I did with my goals in 2013:
1. Cash for $1.5 million in tournaments– I doubled it and cashed for $3.2 million with a couple million dollar scored that also resulted in a couple WSOP Bracelet wins.
2. Top the WPT All-Time Money List– Didn’t really get a sniff at this one. I played Bay 101, WPT Championship and the Five Diamond Classic, and also a small one in Florida. This year I’ll be skipping the WPT Championship for the first time ever in favor of he EPT Championship due to a scheduling conflict, but I’ll also be adding back in the LAPC. The WPT has become more affordable, with lower buy in main events that attract larger fields and I think that’s great, but I’m not at a point in my life where I will travel to play events under $10k so this won’t be part of my 2014 goals. I’m less than a million behind Carlos Morensen in second currently.
3. Win a Bracelet in 2013- Ding Ding Ding! I won one really early in Australia and then also capped it off by winning another one in the very last WSOP event in France.
4. Win a Major outside the WSOP- Had a 2nd place finish in an EPT High Roller again! I also did win the $5000 PLO 6max SCOOP event on PokerStars for $216k which I’m proud of and will give myself a nod here since it’s my first ever big win online in a tournament.
5. Move up on WSOP cash list- Goal was top crack the top 7 and I ended up at #5 after 10 total WSOP cashes on 2013.
6. Move up to 35th on WSOP All-Time Money List- I crossed the $6 million mark and ended up moving up to 19th. Of the 18 in front of me, each has either a WSOP Main event final table or a One Drop final table under their belt.
7. End 2013 in the top 10 of the GPI (Global Poker Index)- Holy shit I’m #1!!!! 6 weeks running at the time of this writing. I think Jason Mercier holds the record for most weeks at #1, so that’s something to strive for in 2014 and beyond.
8. No partying the night before any event- I did it! Not one sip of alcohol the night before a tournament the entire year. I had a crucial moment arise for me in Paris. I was in Paris with my dear friend Laura having dinner on her first night ever in the city. I didn’t want her to drink alone, but there was a 1k WSOP event the next day. It was such an important decision for me because integrity is all we have and I was torn.
I could make it all about me and make her drink alone, or I could be a good friend and show her a good night on the town. I could still play the tournament too, BUT that would be OUT OF INTEGRITY! So I chose to have some wine with Laura and SKIP the event so that I was in INTEGRITY. It worked out well! 25th in the main event and then a win in the high roller for my 6th bracelet.
9. Make the top 10 of CardPlayer or Bluff Player of the Year- BOOM! I ended up #1 on both Player of the Year standings. I believe John Phan is the only other player to do that. My CardPlayer point total exceeded the 5000 mark which was tops, but it didn’t quite reach 2004 status where I captured close to 9000 points winning a bracelet, two WPT’s, and another $10k buy in event that year. No one has ever crossed 8000 points on that list I don’t believe.
10. Shoot at least 12 Rants- Did it! They were different. Some short, some longer, and I’m not too concerned with the length, just the fact that I created some videos that I hope some of you enjoyed or perhaps were inspired by.
I achieved 9 out of the 10 goals and I didn’t sell out on myself so I’m definitely proud of that. Here is what’s in store for 2014:
1. Cash for $2 million- There is a $1 million buy in event again at the WSOP this year that I plan on playing so that will likely mean I spend about $2 million in buyins on the year. My plan is to put up one third of the money and get investors for the other two thirds. It’s just too much money to risk in one tournament and I’m just not that 23 year old kid anymore who would play a $2000 buy in tournament despite having a bankroll of just $2800! (I won that event btw, 2008 WSOP Pot Limit Hold’em in my first WSOP event ever)
2. 52 Tourney Max Down From 66- this one may seem a bit controversial, I mean, how much of a “goal” is not playing? In 2014 I’m looking for QUALITY over quantity. That holds true both in the hours I put in as well as my personal life. I will likely play 30-35 events at the WSOP, the PCA, Aussie Millions, and Monte Carlo as well as some other stops in the fall, but the point of this goal is to both really appreciate the opportunities I get to play, as well as open up some more space and time to enjoy my life in other areas.
3. 12 cashes- In 2013 I played 66 events and had 13 cashes. I’m playing 14 less events in 2014 at least, and 12 out of 52 is a pretty high cash percentage of 23% since typically only 10% of the field makes the money.
4. 5 Final Tables- I made 7 out of 66 last year, so again, 5 out of 52 is a rather high percentage for making a final table at just under 10%.
5. 3 WSOP Bracelets- I know what you are thinking… NO WAY! I was tempted to put 2, but then realized that my vision is 3. I have 3 on my vision board right now, and I am not selling out on myself by settling easily attainable goals (not that 2 is easy either) 3 this year would get me to 9. I started playing in 1998 so that would be 9 bracelets in 17 years at the series. Yes, I’m well aware of how lofty this goal is, but I believe I’m going to make it happen which in turn would likely win me WSOP Player of the Year honors for the third time, and second straight year.
6. WSOP Cash list from 5th to 4th- Humberto Brenes sits at #4 with 71 cashes and I’m at 69. I believe I can pass Humberto. Next up ahead of me is Men Nguyen with 79 so I’ll set my sights on catching him in 2015.
7. WSOP Money list from 19th to 15th- My targets are Ben Lamb, Paul Wasicka, Ivan Demidov, and Greg Raymer. The other issue with this goal is that both the main event and the One Drop will sky rocket several people into the top 10. I’ll just have to make sure that one of those people is me 🙂
8. End 2013 Top 5 in the Global Poker Index- The GPI 300 is an excellent barometer and I’ve been eying that list for quite a while now. So many great players in the game today that being among the top 5 is quite an honor. Since I’m scaling back my tournaments by 20% I think this is a reasonable adjustment despite me being at #1 now.
9.Top 10 CardPlayer or BLUFF- Same as above really. Two slightly different models in terms of how they calculate POY points, CardPlayer I believe only counts final tables while Bluff counts all cashes. Both interesting in their own right, and I’m not adjusting this goal from what it was last year because I’m scaling back as I’ve said.
10. 2 Non Poker Vacations- Another one some of you may see as silly, but it makes sense to me! Time away from poker actually helps me stay sharp and focused when I do play so this one is helpful for me and again, it’s about balance and quality of life. I’ll be turning 40 next year. In my early 20’s I loved life on the road and living out of a suitcase, but those days are gone and I crave routine, I LOVE being at home and on a schedule, and traveling the tournament circuit can be really disruptive in that regard. I have a lot more health and relationship goals that will take over as a priority for me in 2014, but don’t let any of that fool you. I’m not going soft, I’m not retiring or anything like that, I plan to be a contender for WSOP player of the year again and will put in another solid effort in 2014.
Recently the TDA met in Las Vegas and once again implemented new rules. The goal of the TDA is to standardize poker rules across the globe so that players can go from tournament to tournament and expect the same type of rules. It’s a noble effort, but the dangerous, and inappropriate process in which these rules are instated is what I’d like to cover in this blog.
The current system is to have a large group of tournament directors meet in Las Vegas once a year and vote on a proposed rule change. If a majority is reached, the rule is implemented in the new TDA rules.
The first, and most important problem with this process is that the players in which these rules are being created for, are often not asking for any changes to rules in situations where there isn’t any concern.
A perfect example of this is the last card off the deck rule being changed to the first card off the deck rule. For years, the rule has been that if you are not in your seat by the time the last card is dealt then you have a dead hand. The TDA is now changing this to the first card off the deck.
Is this an issue that players were concerned with? Have you ever heard anyone have a problem or complaint about the last card off the deck rule? I have never ever heard a single person ask for such a change.
So why was it implemented? PokerStars live tournament directors decided to switch to this rule for EPT’s and their global events. Players were NOT happy about it, they were outraged, but accepted the fact that there was nothing they could do about it and it wasn’t important enough to continue to cause a fuss over. When in Rome, you put up with rules even if you think the implementation of those rules was handled irresponsibly.
Again, the players were NOT asking for a change to this rule! It was tournament directors over analyzing simple and effective rules and complicating things for players by tampering with the rules.
The key disconnect here is that the TDA moves along without polling it’s players, the very people these rules are being standardized for. If the PLAYERS aren’t raising concerns about a rule, the TDA should not be looking to fix what isn’t broken.
This isn’t the only rule where the TDA has implemented changes that aren’t player friendly, nor are they rules the players were concerned about. Remember the no talking rule? Which group of players was clamoring to stop players from saying on the river in a heads up pot, “Can you beat two pair bro? I have bottom two but I think you may have a set.” According to the TDA, this isn’t legal. Is this something the players were pushing for? Of course not. This rule was also implemented irresponsibly because players weren’t polled, nor where they asking for this type of talking to be stopped.
The majority of the TDA rules have been well thought out and serve a positive purpose. I do think that tournament director’s who do not agree with certain rule changes should, and do, have every right to use house rules that may not be aligned with TDA rules. They shouldn’t be, and frankly they just aren’t, forced to use all of the TDA rules exactly as written. Any and all card rooms can amend TDA rules at will.
Take the WSOP for example. We are talking about 40+ years of tradition as being the most prestigious poker tournament in the world. They shouldn’t be bound by new rules that aren’t player friendly because a group of tournament directors are imposing their will unsolicited.
Here is a list of rules I’d like to implement for the TDA if you want universal player support:
1. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
2. Only make rule changes based on PLAYER feedback and concerns.
3. Before implementing rule changes, poll the players.
Dear Mommy,
The man I have become today because of you, is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve- open for the world to see. You were the most selfless woman I’ve ever known and it was so obvious that your joy in life came from being in service to others, especially when it came to filling their bellies!
From you mommy, I learned that everyone gets to eat. From you I learned that when someone says, “No thanks, I’m not hungry,” you make them a plate anyway and put it in front of them. Amazing that they all of a sudden get hungry and clear that delicious plate, huh?
I am the man I am today mommy, because you allowed me to be myself and make the mistakes I needed to make. You allowed me the freedom to be my authentic self and you were proud of me no matter what. When I got kicked out of school for fighting, you stood by my side anyway. Your devotion, and undeniable support in the face of ANYTHING, provided a warm, safe place for me to grow and the freedom to express myself and be as creative with how I wanted to design my life as I dreamed possible. You always believed in me. Sure, you wanted me to stay in school and get a “real job,” but when I told you poker was for me, you believed I would make it and it’s one of the main reasons I did. I knew you believed in me and I didn’t want to let you down.
Mommy, you taught me what it meant to be outwardly focused even before I really understood what that term meant. You taught me that you experience love when you give of yourself and make the happiness of those around you your focus.
I miss you and think about you daily. Love your son Daniel.
1. Cash for a million dollars in tournaments- mission accomplished, cashed for 1.7 million in live tournaments and a few hundred thousand more playing on PokerStars.
2. Regain top spot on all 4 all-time money lists- this didn’t happen. I ended 2012:
6th on the regular list
5th in Open Only events
3rd excluding $50k or higher buyins
3rd in Open events excluding $50k or higher buyins.
The circuit has changed a lot with more and more higher buy in events. I still plan to play a fare share of them but will be skipping the $100k and $250 at Aussie Millions this year due to prior commitments. I’ve also dropped this goal from my 2013 list of goals as its just not something I’m too interested in anymore.
3. Regain top spot on WPT Money list- I finished the year in 2nd place, close to a million behind the leader Carlos Mortensen. It’s been a long time since I played a full schedule of WPT’s and with buy in amounts dropping and field sizes increasing, that’s a tough hill to climb. I’d need to win a big one!
4. Win a WSOP Bracelet- Not meaning to whine here, but I have been playing this game long enough to know when luck plays a major factor in my results and it has for me the last few years at the WSOP. I’ve been really unlucky in key situations but if I keep putting in a solid effort as I normally do, I’m confident that big results will come.
5. Win a Major Tournament outside the WSOP- I came oh so close in the $25k Euro Monte Carlo High Roller finishing second to Igor Kurganov. I also made several final tables in other high roller events but was unable to close the deal.
6. Reach 11th or better on the WSOP cashing list- this was a success, I’ve cashed 59 times now in my career which puts me in a tie for 9th all-time.
7. Move up to 31st or better on the WSOP all-time money list- I finished the year at 38th and its tough to move up unless you cash big because there are always guys at the WSOP main event final table who pass me with a high finish.
8. Have a Better Year than Jason Mercier- I cashed for $1.7 million and he cashed for a little over $500k, one of his worst years as a pro. I expect Jason to have a rebound year this year. This goal won’t be on my list for 2013, and it’s not because I’m worried about his big year, I just don’t have any interest in rooting against any one particular player, especially Jason whom I really like.
9. Crack the top 10 of both the CardPlayer of the Year and Bluff Player of the Year- I finished 50th in CardPlayer of the Year points and 29th in Bluff Player of the Year Points.
10. No partying the night before any big event- Oops! I finished 6th in the $100k Euro Super High Roller in Monte Carlo, and that was a bit of a miracle. I was out with Ivey the night before drinking tequila and barely made it to the tournament before late registration closed.
So of the 10 goals I set in 2012 I accomplished 3 which I’m not too disappointed with since I try to set lofty goals and I’m proud of achieving any of them. Here are my poker goals for 2013:
2013 Goals:
1. Cash for $1.5 million in tournaments. There is no One Drop this year, and I’m missing the Aussie Millions big events, but there are plenty of other opportunities for big scores throughout the year so I’m upping my number to $1.5 million.
2. Top the WPT All-Time Money List- I’m close to a million behind so I’ll likely need to score in the 5 Diamond in December or the WPT Championship in May. Or both depending how Carlos does!
3. Win a Bracelet in 2013- there are now three opportunities to win gold- Las Vegas, Paris, and Australia and I’ll be attending each stop chasing the bracelet. I’ve been stuck on four for way too long now!
4. Win a Major outside the WSOP- an EPT, WPT, HighRoller, or one of the various stops on PokerStars Global tours.
5. Move up on WSOP cash list- I’m tied for 9th now with 59 cashes, and would be happy to move up to 7th spot ahead of Chau Giang (60) and Chris Ferguson (64). John Juanda sits ahead of me by 3 cashes but he is a machine so I can’t expect to pass him in one year.
6. Move up to 35th on WSOP All-Time Money List- just three spots but as I said before its hard to move up that list without some big scores! I could move past Brian Rast, TJ Cloutier, Chris Ferguson, Steve Danneman, and Johnny Chan with about $500,000 worth of scores assuming they don’t score, but then will also get passed by likely the top 3 finishers in the main event.
7. End 2013 in the top 10 of the GPI (Global Poker Index)- I did some research on this system and I like it. One of the few good things that was born out of the failed Epic Poker League was the advent of the GPI. It tracks three years worth of results and weighs more heavily the recent results you have. It’s actually very similar to the Bluff Power Rankings, but it’s a little more sophisticated and also has an extra year of qualifying events.
8. No partying the night before any event I’m confident about this one and its a legitimate goal. Staying 100% focused for 365 days isn’t always as easy as it would seem, but I got this. It doesn’t mean I won’t socialize with my friends on the tour, but the night before play I won’t be out drinking massive tequila shots with Phil Ivey! In fact, I haven’t touched tequila since and likely never will again! Just the smell of it reminds me of that night, well, what I actually remember from that night anyway.
9. Make the top 10 of CardPlayer or Bluff Player of the Year- Will have to have a big WSOP to pull this off. Missing some big events in Australia and other events in the early part of the year, like the WPT Commerce event doesn’t help with this goal, but solid results at the WSOP can get me there.
10. Shoot at least 12 Rants- So this isn’t exactly a “poker goal,” but staying connected to the poker community is important to me and it is in line with my main, overriding goal for 2013 which is to help the community and it’s members any way that I can. Poker has hit a rough patch, and I’m confident that 2013 will be filled with a few more positive highlights and a little less negative highlights.
I don’t plan on scheduling them weekly as I once did, nor will I plan on having them done by a certain date, but there will be at least 12 released in 2013.
His mother Lois contacted me and asked if I would post this short message from her and the Young family. Here it is:
Ryan Young, family, and I would like to thank all the kind words and gestures that were posted on Facebook, Twitter, and the poker media. It has meant so much to our family to hear that he was so respected and loved by so many. We are confident that Ryan is in a better place now. He is continuing to infect people with his one of a kind smile, and his positive attitude, just as he did in this world. Thanks again for your compassion, support, and kindness. Sincerely, Lois, Ryan’s mom, Robbie and Randall, Ryan’s brothers.
What will become of the “written blog” I’m not quite sure yet, but I think I’ll likely write one occasionally, possibly even talk about poker in them! Who knows…
I started a YouTube channel and you can subscribe here
I’m calling the show the “Weekly Rant” and my YouTube username is DNegreanu so they shouldn’t be too hard to find. If you subscribe, then you’ll know when a new video is posted. The target goal is always Wednesdays, but as my schedule gets busier at some points that could change slightly depending.
If I was going to describe the show, I guess I’d say it’s a little bit rant, a little bit poker news, a little bit of fun, with sprinkles of my interests along the way.
I started out with just an iPhone and downloaded clips straight to YouTube. Then I discovered iMovie and instantly fell in love. I’d never edited before, but I consider it a passion at this point, I absolutely love creating.
Each week I’ve learned a little more and added some wrinkles to the show, some of which work, and some of which didn’t. It’s a learning process, and eventually I’ll have the recipe just right. I was very happy with the one I shot for March 14th. It was a bit long at 20 minutes, but so far, I haven’t heard any complaints about that.
As I said, I edit myself, but I also set the background, light it, and do the audio myself. I have studio lights already at the house since I shoot PokerVT videos here, but still don’t have that down quite yet. I shot using green screen in one show, but the process is way too lengthy to continue doing that since I also want to add picture in picture, cutaways, music, sound effects, etc. With iMovie, when you use green screen you first have to export what you shot after adding a green screen pic, then import it back from your desktop into iMovie, and then repeat for all the clips. It’s a real hassle, especially when you are editing really short clips with picture in picture but still have to do that.
For audio, I’ve just been using the mic on my new Mac (I bought a new one with an HD camera) and I’m not satisfied with the sound quality. I plan on picking up a mic this week sometime that should help with that.
Lighting and background is something I’ll just have to study cause I feel it leaves a lot to be desired at this point.
Anyway, hope you guys enjoy the new format and I’ll try to keep it entertaining and look for fun content, but mainly it’s a poker related show about hot poker topics of the week.
I started off the year decently with a 5th place finish in the super high roller in Bahamas. Had an all around great time at the PCA, probably the best trip I’d ever had there. I had so much fun that I decided to attend the Aussie Millions for the first time in a long time. Melbourne is a great city. Last two times I went to Australia I spent all my time in Sydney, but I love both cities.
I played the $100k super high roller which had a 30 second shot clock for each decision which actually works out pretty well with so many of the younger players today taking an inordinate amount of time per decision. Some of these guys are just absurd with how long they take, and yes, I’d call it a pet peeve for sure.
I couldn’t get anything going in that one really, getting coolered and bad beated early on but I played extremely well I thought. I then played the main event and played really well outside of one crucial mistake where I chose to play a big pot preflop with QQ vs AA in a spot where I could have saved a lot of chips by playing it slow.
Losing a Million
I didn’t plan on playing in the $250k crap shoot event, but after winning a bit of money in the TV cash games I figured I may as well and was really in “poker mode” anyway. To make a long story short, that event was devastating in several ways. I was chip leader 5 handed but it only paid three spots with 3rd paying $800k. With 4 left I was up against Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, and Gus Hansen, you know, the guys from those Onyx Cup ads. Haha.
Gus was short, and I seriously wasn’t getting an even remotely playable hand so I folded down from 1.2 million to 700k. Gus just seemed to keep splashing around and winning pots and all of a sudden with blinds at 25k-50k I had 765k, or 15 big blinds. Patrik raised on the button and had about 19 big blinds so I was quite sure that he couldn’t call an all in without a premium hand because of the enormous bubble. I also felt like, since I was 4/4 it was my turn to be the aggressor just a little bit because these guys weren’t about to play any bit pots on the bubble. With A8 I shoved and he insta called with JJ. I busted, which felt just like losing a million dollars. I remember waking up the next day a bit anxious, it’s been ages since I felt like that.
The next night myself, Jason Mercier, his fiance Erica, and Patrik and his wife Maya went to see the finals of the Aussie Open and wow what an experience! Aside from having to see Patrik’s mug all night, and the constant reminder of him busting me in the tourney, it was great to watch the event live and the match was insane. Almost a 6 hour battle.
Account Hacking
I flew out of Melbourne on the 31st and when I landed something crazy happened. I tried to log into my hotmail account and it kept saying my password was wrong. I tried a few times and was puzzled and slightly worried. I had dealt with a hacker situation with a friend in the past so I knew that it was likely my email got hacked. My main concern was just having my private e-mails exposed. I have absolutely nothing to hide, really, but there is personal stuff in there about other people and I would feel bad if that got out.
I got a whatsapp message from Lex that said, “What was that all about?” I had no idea what he meant, then it dawned on me that if my email was hacked, maybe someone hacked my PokerStars account. I checked on twitter to see if there was anything on there about it, and saw one @ reply mentioning a hand I played against takechip the night before. At that moment I feared the worst. I texted my assistant Patty to see if she could log into my email account, called my agent Brian to find out if there was any activity on my Stars account.
I got the news back pretty quickly that the hacker did get into my account for a joyride. Something I’ll never understand. He didn’t dump money to any one specific player, he kind of just sprayed my money around several tables, ultimately losing $61,000 of my money. Not entirely sure why he didn’t empty my account, but I’m thankful that he didn’t.
In cases like this, it’s clearly spelled out in the PokerStars user agreement, that if your email is hacked you won’t be reimbursed by the company… no matter who you are. Since it’s clear that my account was hacked, and it wasn’t the fault of PokerStars in any way, I just have to eat the loss. Since I’d essentially lost a million a few days earlier, the $61,000 didn’t really sting all that much. I was just happy to recover my email account from the hacker.
There is an ongoing investigation, obviously, and I’m hoping they catch the guy. I wish old school Las Vegas rules applied in cases like this, where you could take the guy out to the desert for an afternoon and get some justice, but alas, we don’t live in that world any more. I feel an appropriate punishment would be a few swift baseball bat swings to the groin area, and possibly a castration, but that’s just me 🙂
Many have asked me if I was using an RSA token. The answer is no, but I will be acquiring one for future play on PokerStars. Truth is, I just didn’t really understand the technology all too well and felt like it was a bit of a hassle to use, so I chose not to. I recommend that you get one, it’s actually simpler than you’d think. It’s like a little keychain “thingy” and the only way to access your account is to enter a number that appears on that key. Once you are in, the number will change for the next time. This way, a hacker would have to also acquire your RSA token to gain access to your account. I think they are about $15 and you can use FPP’s to buy them from the PokerStars VIP store. Truth is, with an RSA token PokerStars security is rock solid. If someone is able to hack your email account, while that sucks for you, if you have an RSA token in your possession they cannot access your PokerStars account.
So the money is gone. I am not getting any special treatment whatsoever. Had the money been dumped to one account and that player tried to cash it out, I imagine something could have been done, but that’s not what happened here. You simply can’t ask the players who won money off the hacker to simply give it back. It’s just not even an option. I accept the decision and think it’s totally fair. In fact, there is precedence as it’s happened to other people, so under no circumstances would I even accept special treatment in this case. It wasn’t offered at any point, but even if it had, I would have said it is totally unfair.
PokerPlayer Magazine
I have done several interviews with PokerPlayer in the past, but there were a couple adjustments made to my latest cover story interview that I took exception with, because I didn’t say it. I talked to them and they offered me the opportunity to set the record straight and I did so by writing a small piece for them on the state of the game, and how I felt what I said was being misrepresented.
The cover was a picture of me and it said, “How I conquered Online Poker.” I never said that and certainly don’t believe it to be accurate. Had it said “How Daniel Negreanu conquered Online Poker” then that would be an opinion. Not a good one, but an opinion nonetheless. My online game has certainly improved, but I cringed a little bit when I saw that headline.
There were two other phrases I didn’t like. The Title being “What’s Wrong with You?” and then “Daniel Negreanu is asking what the hell is wrong with players today?” That seems rather combative and isn’t accurate. I was referring mainly to the state of televised poker in the US at the moment, and how the lack of online poker funding for shows, coupled with a limited crop of younger players who combine a high skill set and a big personality, makes it a tough sell in the US at the moment and we are seeing a lull in coverage. It wasn’t at all a diss on the great young players in the game in the least, and I felt like the lead intro to the article made that unclear, so I decided to clear it up.
They edited down my comments about Ray Bitar, Howard Lederer, and Chris Ferguson, but they definitely got the gist of my vitriol towards them. I’m disgusted by them and what they’ve done to smear the game with putrid decision making. Ray is a buffoon, Howard is arrogant, condescending, and incompetent, and Chris is a liar and has the warmth of a snow pea. These were never my friends, I never cared for any of them. I never trusted them for a second, and my “read” was always that these were not my kind of people. Why are they different from the rest of the group? These three were on the board, admittedly making all the decisions, and jeopardizing millions of dollars worth of players money that still hasn’t surfaced. You guys suck. I hope to never see any of your faces at the WSOP anymore, and I hope you live with the shame you deserve for the rest of your lives. Your own personal, private hell. You deserve all the wrath you’ve received from the poker world, and much more. You are scum and each of you absolutely deserves a few swift baseball bat swings to the groin area, old school Vegas style.
Personal Stuff
Add up the bubbling the million dollars, getting hacked, and the PokerPlayer magazine article, and it doesn’t even come close to the betrayal I dealt with this week on a personal level. I’m shocked and disgusted. This has nothing at all to do with poker, or money, but it is the worst betrayal I’ve ever dealt with in my life and I am genuinely grossed out. As the title states, it’s “Personal Stuff” so I can’t go into detail, but it capped off an eventful January in a pretty big way.
Poker
As disheartening as the bubble was, I thoroughly enjoyed playing poker in that event and in the cash game prior. It really got my juices flowing and I just love playing against top competition. I had a chance to play with Ivey again, both in the main event as well as the two high roller events, and he was a motivating presence. We caught up, and actually had more strategy based discussions than we’d had in ages. This is going to come off really wrong, but I don’t care because it’s true: he reminded me of a lot of things I taught him about tournament poker years ago. Phil wasn’t really a “tournament guy” when he was younger. He was a cash game grinder and needed to make some tweaks to his approach to tournaments. Some of the concepts I talked to him about absolutely helped him improve his tournament results and I was happy to see it. He returned the favor last month. My gosh, it’s so clear to me now. I can’t wait to play another tournament. There are a few things he does differently, that I’ve always done differently, that I got away from a little bit.
I thought Ivey played remarkably well in the $250k and the other two events. He was really into it, and seemed to care. Poker is definitely better off with him back in the game and he seemed fired up for a big 2012 which should make poker fans happy.
My next trip is going to be in Brazil Feb 15-21 for the LAPT event and some fun at Carnivale. Right after that I’ll be playing back to back WPT events at the Commerce and then Bay 101. I feel really good about a big score coming soon. I can’t wait.
Personal Life
I definitely shouldn’t be sharing this, but I can’t help it, I have nothing to hide and I’m not uncomfortable in the least with sharing aspects of my personal life. I was dating Krisztina Polgar, Miss Hungary Earth 2008 up until about September of last year and she is an absolutely beautiful woman both inside and out. She treated me better than any woman ever has and I genuinely appreciated it. Things didn’t work out, but I still consider her a friend and always will.
After that relationship I decided to take six months off any serious relationships and I think it was a really good decision. I’ve got another two months to go, and then maybe I’ll be open to something like that again, but as for now, I’m staying single and just focusing on me. It’s been a lot of fun, and I’m happy with where my life is headed and really excited about the future.
Poker Ambassadors
I’ve always taken that role seriously. I know that I’d make for an awful politician because I always prefer to choose the brutal and honest truth and I’m not afraid to rock the boat. My history and track record has proven that to be the case. I’ve never screwed anybody out of money, I’ve never cheated anybody, and I’ve never been one to sit idly by when I see people doing wrong. I’ll call them out when appropriate. Whether it was Men Nguyen, Annie Duke, JJProdigy, Russ Hamilton, Howard Lederer, etc. it’s our responsibility to shed light on any shady behavior that people in our industry are involved in.
I’ve never been involved in any scandal. I do my best to associate with people I trust and that’s served me well over the years. I’ve spoken out on several big issues over the last 10 years or so, sometimes standing alone, but I’ve yet to be left with egg on my face. For years I told everyone UB was shady, well before the first of the many scandals broke. I have a lot of “I told you so’s” saved up, but they don’t really serve any purpose after the damage has been done.
When it comes to big picture poker issues I’m always on the side of the majority of players. Not just the top pros, but what would be best for the game as a whole. I’m a rules nit, a structure geek, and as Joe Hachem pointed out at the Aussie Millions, “You always see all the angles don’t you?” I’m very anal about creating a level playing field where nits and shot takers can’t bend rules to their benefit.
It feels like now, more than ever, poker needs more positive ambassadors to help promote the game globally. Guys like Phil Galfond who’s been one of the bright spots of the younger generation, simply gets it. His blog about online poker was a must read and it’s clear as you read it that he really cares about “what’s best for poker” rather than what’s best for him. We need more guys like that to step up and speak out.
One of the sacrifices about being an ambassador to the game is that sometimes people aren’t going to like you, or what you have to say, especially if it negatively impacts them. You could lose some friends, but they probably weren’t worth keeping anyway.
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