Mighty deuce-four strikes again

Above: The Seminole Hard Rock Tampa is the venue for the Tampa Poker Classic now being played.

If you read poker blogs or are an experienced player, you probably know that the deuce-four is the strongest starting hand in poker. Cyber-friend Bob Wooley, also known as The Poker Grump, has espoused its magical powers for many years, so we affectionately call the deuce-four The Grump.

Yesterday, I played in Day 1E of the Tampa Poker Classic. Out of 1128 runners, 179 of us advanced to Day 2, being played later today. First place pays $58,835, so worth shooting for. I have 124,000 chips where the big blind is about to go to 2000/4000 with 4000 big-blind ante, so sitting in the middle of the field.

I won my largest pot during the qualification yesterday with, you guessed it, The Grump. The big blind was 1000 and there were three limpers to me on the button. I looked down to see ♠4 ♣2. I could have raised, but decided to slow play and just called. Both blinds came along and the pot was 7000 (big blind was 1000).

The flop was ♣3 ♥3 ♦5. A player bet 4000, one player called and I just called. The turn was the ♦A -- was there ever any doubt? The same player bet 6000, the second player folded and I sprang my trap by raising to 13,500. The villain called and the river was the ♠10. Villain checked and I bet 15,500. The villain went into the tank. This was the last hand before the break, so others left the table. Finally he called and I tabled my hand.

Besides winning a huge pot, the look on his face was priceless. Obviously, he hasn't heard about the power the The Grump. I went to the bathroom, and came back to the table. The villain was sitting there with a dazed look on his face, like he'd just been run over by a Mack truck that he didn't see coming. Maybe he'll learn, but perhaps not.

Info on the tournament can be found here. Prize pool info here. Chip stack sizes here.

UPDATE: Finished 20th for $2593, See here. I had hopes for better. Why does winning money not feel good?

New event starts today (Monday and Tuesday are four Day 1s, reconvene Wednesday at 12 noon if you bag chips).

Main Event wrap-up

Above: The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino is the venue for the World Series of Poker.

Now that I'm home, it's time to look back at the WSOP Main Event. Most tournaments are ho-hum, but there's something about the Main that gets your blood pumping. I'm hoping to play again next year to atone for some of this year's sins.

Do you have a fitness band? I wear a Fitbit Charge 2, a toy/gizmos I enjoy. It displays my pulse, and I have a low one (in the 62-66 range). While playing in the main, I noticed it was often 72ish. After one big hand where the villain (unsuccessfully) bluffed me, I noticed it was 85.

My fitness band also records my sleep. I noticed the three nights before I played, I only slept 6+ hours. The nights in-between, I slept 8 hours. Sleep is important. What can I do next year to improve on this? I also noticed late in Day 1 and Day 2, I lost chips. Was I tired and not playing as well?

I did eat properly. When I play, I see guys on their dinner break with plates piled high. You will find me eating a salad.

What else can I do to maximize my chances next time?

Above: Bring money. There are plenty of things to buy if you have coin of the realm.

Above: The Masquerade Tower is part of the Rio. I think it's for the high rollers. Guess what? I've never stayed there.

Main Event run ends

Above: You have to climb a lot of steps to survive in the WSOP Main Event.

I'm sitting in my room watching poker on TV. An hour or so ago, I was playing in the event. Playing is more fun than watching.

I started with 14 big blinds. Early I shoved with 9-9 and everyone folded. The blinds and antes ground me down and I shoved with A-K and again with A-J. It's tough with a short stack. You basically have to shove or fold. Raising and then having to fold to a three-bet is a recipe for disaster. I shoved one last time from the cut-off on a steal and the BB called with A-J. I whiffed the board and was gone.

I've got to come back and play again next year. Even though I don't like my result, I enjoyed playing and the excitement.

Above: The shot clock when I busted.

Above: The Gold Coast was my headquarters for the past eight days.

Limped into Day 3

Above: The Rio Casino is the home of the WSOP.

I've advanced to Day 3 (Saturday), but played terribly. Having some bad luck didn't help either. My stack moved up above 100,000 chips, then slowly went down. I bagged 28,300 which is 14 big blinds, so I'll need some luck tomorrow. I guess the good news is that I'm used to having a short stack, but there's no room for error here.

Some days it goes like that, and I know it. Was good to have today (Friday) off to recover and rebuild my confidence. Some encouraging tweets by friends -- thanks.

Something you seldom see: A guy at my table raised. Guy 2 three bet. Guy 1 shoved. Guy 2 went into the tank and finally asked if he folded would Guy 1 show. He said yes. Guy 2 folded K-K face up. Guy 2 showed A-A. I don't think I've ever folded kings preflop. If they have it, they have it. Have you seen this at the table?

Above: The mascot's name is Chippy. Read more here:

https://www.playusa.com/wsop-mascot-chippy/

Above: Up close at the Rio.

Above: A lady waits for her Uber driver at the WSOP.

Next stop is Day 2

Above: That's me with 50,000 chips in front. The dealer took a joker from a deck of cards and held it over my head. She may be right.

We started Day 1B with 50,000 chips. I was able to move up nicely reaching a high of 106,000. Then the last two hours things went south.

I think I did have some bad luck in my table draw. One guy finished 150th in the ME last year, and there were two players who had previously won bracelets. Maybe I'm saving my luck for Day 7!

Anyway, I'm moving on with 76,500 chippies. My Day 2 is Thursday, so bring them on.

Above: The Gold Coast, where I'm staying, is next door to the Rio. In fact, you can see it in the background.

Put me in coach, I'm ready to play

Above: The Gold Coast Casino is my home for the next eight days.

I waited until the line died down today to register for the Main Event for tomorrow. At least, I thought I waited long enough. There were all kinds of donks and wannabes players waiting to buy in. The process is efficient, however, and I was out of there fairly quickly with this:

There are some differences between this time and my previous Main Event in 2014. Back then we started with 30,000 chips and 50/100 blinds. Now it's 50K chips, but starts at 75/150. I'm not going to look at the succeeding blind levels and try to do a Patience Factor analysis, just noting it's different. Also, before, Day 1A advanced and played Day 2 with other 1As. This time 1A and 1B advance to Day 2 (Thursday), but continue playing within their own group. Not sure why, but maybe they've discovered that certain situations allow some players to build up huge chip stacks easier than in others. They're always trying to improve things, so we'll just play it as it comes. The structure sheet is here.

I'll try to update occasionally on Twitter where my handle is @memphismojo. Follow along if you're interested. I'm assuming nothing, but if I advance my schedule is this: Play Tuesday, play Thursday, play Saturday and then each day following.

See you at the final table.

Oh, put me in coach, I'm ready to play today
Put me in coach, I'm ready to play today
Look at me, I can be centerfield -- John Fogerty

Above: Gold Coast Casino is located across the street from the Rio. It's just fine, not as crowded as the Rio this time of the year, and less expensive.

Back to Vegas

Above: Las Vegas strip shown from a cross-over.

I've decided to go back to Las Vegas to play in the WSOP Main Event. I said all along I would do it if I did anything worthwhile on my trip, so . . .

I'll be traveling late Sunday (in two days) getting in late. It's a direct flight which I love as it makes the trip shorter. I've booked to return Monday, June 9, not that I am claiming that I'll last that long. Tuesday is Day 1B, my first day. If successful, I'll return for Day 2 on Thursday and Day 3 on Saturday. After that, there're no days off. We'll see how it goes as I seem to remember that in the Seniors, I didn't even make it to the second day. Tournament poker is hit or miss, for sure.

I'll try and update on Twitter where you can follow me as @memphismojo.

King of da geezers

Above: My MOJO was working Sunday in the Senior Poker National Championship.

In a comment of a previous post, lightning36 said, "In geezer tournaments, he is da man!" We all had a good laugh until the finals of the Senior Poker National Championship Sunday. We played down to three players and agreed on a chop. I won't go into the details except to say I asked for the trophy as part of the deal, and you can see it in the photo above. Nobody's laughing now except moi.

Needless to say, this was an exciting ending to a trip where I felt I was playing well, but didn't have much to show for it. As we all know, poker is a skill-based game, but you still need some luck at the right time. That's what makes poker such an amazing game, and if you can't embrace the luck factor, poker may not be for you.

One quick deal. When there were two tables left, a guy limped in, I raised and villain called. By now the pots are quite worth fighting for. The flop came jack high. The villain checked, and I bet about half the pot, villain called. The turn card was a blank and I bet again. Because the pot was getting large, so the bet was large. Villain thought for a long time, showed his jack and folded. I was rather happy to win this since my hole cards were ♦6 ♣2. Sometimes it pays to have a nitty old man's image.

The SPT took their own photos, but the pics and the results aren't posted yet, so no link. I'll try to remember to update later when it's available.

Above: The Orelans Casino Las Vegas was the site of the Senior Poker National Championship.

Above: The Orleans Casino Las Vegas is the venue for the Senior National Championship being played June 22-24, 2018.

On Wednesday, I moved from the Jockey Club (on the strip) to the Orleans with plans to play in the Seniors National Championship on the weekend. I've not been here before and was pleasantly surprised at what a great poker room they had. Before I had just assumed the Orleans was another long-in-the-tooth Vegas casino not worth visiting. I was wrong. I played in the Wednesday tournament with maybe 200 runners. It was a well-run affair.

To qualify for the finals SPC on Sunday, you had to play Friday or Saturday and last 11 45-minute levels. I bagged 44,100 chips where the big blind is about to go up to 2400. I believe I was 36th out of the 46 who advanced from Friday (Day 1A). See here.

With a short stack, I'll need some luck, but that's the beauty of poker -- chip and a chair and all that stuff.

Above: The Orleans Casino is so big, I couldn't get it all in one photo.

Above: Part of the Orleans Casino poker room.

Above: The Golden Nugget is a casino located in downtown Las Vegas on Freemont Street.

Blogger Rob (in a comment on his site) noticed that I played at the Golden Nugget's Seniors Event on Saturday (June 16), and asked did I do anything. There were 913 geezers seniors who played. The WSOP Seniors on Friday had about 6,000 runners and about 5,000 were eliminated. These donks unfortunate players were in town for the weekend and couldn't wait to donate, er, play more poker, so the great turnout shouldn't have been unexpected.

I was eliminated in 35th (sorry don't remember my busto hand, too long ago), and you can see all the results here. It's always disappointing to play all day, then cash for a low amount when first place paid north of $18K. I guess if I won them all, it would get boring, haha.

Here are some Freemont Street Experience photos:

Above: The light and music show happens each hour on the hour in the evening.

Above: About 40,000 different bands play on Freemont Street each year. This is one of them. Ok, it seems like 40,000.

Above: Remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Super Seniors over for me, but a blogger still in

Above: You'd be smiling too, if you were in this blogger's shoes.

I finished 203rd in the Super Seniors for a small cash. Things just didn't go well today. I lost chips with Q-Q vs. A-K. I lost chips with other decent hands, but that's how it goes in tournament poker, as we all know. My busto hand: I shoved with about 10 big blinds with 8-8. This was called in two place by Q-Q and A-A. The aces held and I was headed to the pay-out line. Typical stuff.

The great news is that the Super Seniors is down to 43 players, and blogger LuckiDuck is still alive! (See photo above.) You can follow the action here. Let's root him home.

Above: The shot clock shortly after I busted.

UPDATE: LuckiDuck was eliminated Tuesday in 24th place. The deal that crippled his: LD had K-K vs. A-9 all in pre. An ace on the river was unkind. You can see more results here.

Above: Final table setup at WSOP -- maybe me on Tuesday? And why not?

After a misstep, I managed to get my act together and advance in the Super Seniors at the WSOP. My first entry was down the drain when my AQ suited lost to A7 suited, all in pre-flop. A 7 on the river wasn't what I wanted. When you start with only 5,000 chips there's no room for accidents like this.

Usually, I don't re-enter figuring it's not my day, but I just did't want it to end like that, so I tried again. This time it worked better. Bagged 50,200 chips where the big blind is about to go to 1,000, so in good shape. You can see all the results so far here.

I was please to meet fellow blogger LuckiDuck, and even more please to see that he bagged 65,000 chips! Nice. We've agreed to meet again at the final table, so let's do it.

You can follow my occasional tweet at @memphismojo.

Well, that was short and quick

I busted out early in the WSOP Seniors. My stack had dribbled down and I ended up three-bet shoving against three villains. One called and I was on the wrong end of A-K vs. 10-10.

Sunday is the Super Seniors (age 60 or older), so I have the rest of Friday and Saturday to lick my wounds.

First two photos taken with my point-and-shoot, the last with my phone.

Let's get the cards in the air

Above: The Rio Hotel All-Suites Casino is the venue for the 2018 WSOP.

I've been walking four miles a day as an exercise program. You might think walking four miles in the Florida sun would prepare me for the Las Vegas heat, but you would be wrong. I believe it was 111 F. today. That doesn't matter because I'll be inside playing poker most of the time, right?

Tomorrow (Friday is the Seniors Event for those of us who are 50 years or older. I managed to barely qualify, ha.

You can follow me on Twitter, if you like where I'll occasionally give an up date as @memphismojo.

Above: The Rio.

Above: WSOP sign.

Moving on from WPT to WSOP

Above: The Seminole Hard Rock Tampa presently is the venue for the World Poker Tour (WPT).

I had a rough day today in Day 2 of Event 1 of the WPT. Sometimes things just don't go your way, so enough whining. I ended up 39th. I don't think the results are posted yet, so no link.

UPDATE: Final results are posted. Go here.

Some of you may remember when we used to play online tournaments for bloggers. After my bust-out, I talked to Alcanthang who is here covering it. He says he is getting old and now prefers to play golf!

Leaving Wednesday for 12 days in Vegas. Follow me on twitter if you like or here. Twitter handle is @memphismojo.

UPDATE: I've gone through my lists on the right-hand side. Bloggers who haven't posted in more than one year have been deleted as inactive.

Above: The tournament shot clock shortly after I busted.

Above: The trophy I didn't win.

Above: The poker room is gorgeous. Here is some wall images that caught my eye.

Warming up for the WSOP

Above: Seminole Hard Rock Tampa is the venue for the World Poker Tour for the next 10 days.

I'm leaving next Wednesday (June 13) for my mandatory pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker. The Seniors is a must-play event and I might/probably play in one other bracelet event. There are so many tournaments to choose from (besides WSOP), that I'm not even sure what else I'll play in. Twitter will be a place where I occasionally report my status. Look me up as @memphismojo.

This blog will also be active during that time (I return Monday, June 25). If I do lousy, then, hey, I'll at least try and post some interesting photos.

To warm up for the Series, I decided to trot over and play in the World Poker Tour Deep Stacks which has just come to Tampa to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino Tampa. The first event is one of these with multiple Day 1s with the qualifiers gathering together Sunday for the final. I played Thursday and advanced nicely being on of the early chip leaders. (See here, scroll down.)

Above is what 242,000 chips looks like, the amount I'm advancing to Sunday with. Big blind will (I believe) be 4,000, so I have lots of them.

First photo taken from the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa web site. The second taken with my cell phone.

The WSOP Circuit event I was playing in is over, and I finished 40th. I always have high hopes when I enter the final day with a good chip stack; it's fun and exciting with a chance to win some serious money. Sometimes fun isn't so much fun, lol.

My killer hand (that is, it killed me) happened when a player limped (unusual at this stage), so I limped as did another. That made four players counting the big blind. The flop was 10 and two low cards, and it checked around. The turn was the 3h putting two hearts on the board. I bet and everyone folded except one player who thought for a while, looked at how much money was in the pot and called. I put him on a flush draw, but he could have anything. The river gave me two pair, but also a possible straight. Because it was a limped pot, I was concerned about the straight or a higher two pair, so checked. The other player bet and I called him and he showed pocket 3s for a turned set. (Sorry I don't remember all the spot cards, I must have repressed the hand.)

I admit I wasn't thinking about a set given how the betting went.

That crippled my stack and I later went all i with As9s and ran into jacks which held.

Here are the final results:

http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/results/?aid=1&grid=1400&tid=16229&dayof=162291&rr=5

Onward and upward

I made it to Day 2 of Event 3 NL Rentry of the Tunica WSOP Circuit event. There were 1208 entries and 62 advanced. My stack size puts me in 18th place, but that all changes with one hand, of course. First place is $56K, hey why not.

See chip stacks and info here: http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/update/2EOX/day-2-chip-counts/

WSOP Circuit is in Tunica

Above: The Horseshoe Casino Tunica.

I try to make it back to the Memphis/Tunica area each year in late January for the WSOP Circuit. Normally two events would be my limit, but this year I might go for three, ha.

The first event was Thursday -- a ring event but one day. There were 332 runners with 36 being paid. About half-way through yesterday, I picked up 4s 2c UTG +1 and opened for my standard raise. This hand has been made famous by The Poker Grump (http://pokergrump.blogspot.com/) who has proven time and again that it's the strongest opening hand in poker. It folded to an old man in the big blind who called. The flop was A-5-3, all clubs. The old man checked and I made a healthy bet and he min-raised me! The min-raise let me know he liked his hand, so I shoved.

The old man turned over As and Kc, about what I thought. He probably thought he had 9 outs, but notice that the 4c gives me the steel wheel. The turn and river were red cards and I had my double up.

After the hand, there was a lot of buzz at the table, but nobody said wow, you raised with a 4-2. Instead I heard "The four two came through for you, what a hand," and similar comments. Poker players, you gotta love them.

When we broke the money bubble, I had a couple of unlucky hands and busted out 32nd (see results at: http://www.wsop.com/tournaments/results/?rr=5&aid=1&grid=1400&tid=16227&dayof=162271).

There is a reentry thing with multiple starting days and I'm going to play in it tomorrow with finals on Sunday. If I don't make the finals, there's a Seniors on Sunday for me to donk around in. Love my senior events, as readers know. Next Wednesday, there's a monster stack that I may stick around and play in, we'll see.

An amazing hand

I'm in the Memphis area for a couple of weeks. My buddy called Monday and wanted to go play in the poker tournament at Horseshoe Tunica. Do you really think I said no?

Now this was a $60 buy-in with 20 minute levels, so you can imagine that it's not the greatest structure, but I used it to practice playing a little "faster" than my normal game. With only 5000 starting chips, that's the right strategy anyway. Made the final table, but didn't cash -- only four players did.

In the evening they had same song, second verse -- another similar tournament, and that's where I saw this hand.

At the final table, two guys went all in. One had ♠J ♥J, and the other had ♠A ♦K -- your typical race that you will see in late stages of any tournament.

The flop was ♦J ♦2 ♣2. Wow! The guy with jacks flopped the joint. He has a lock, right? Well, not so fast. The turn was the ♠2 and the river was the ♥2, giving them both quad deuces with the ♠A playing as a kicker.

They guy who flopped the full house and lost kept whining about it the rest of the night. I don't like whining at the poker table, but you know what? I don't really blame him.

Have you seen anything worse than this?