Saturday, November 21, 2009

Happy birthday to me!

OK, where are my presents? Are we really here? I'm not that old! Testing...

Friday, November 13, 2009

Long, fun day with Bad Beat on Cancer

It was a heck of a long day Nov. 12 with PokerStars hosting a sensational Bad Beat on Cancer benefit game. Since I didn't have access to my blog, I posted running reports in a Tournament Talk thread at Poker Analysis Forum, my main online home. Here's how the day went:

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(1:48p) Quick use of school computer (hope mine's fixed soon) to alert PAers to a Bad Beat on Cancer benefit game at 9p ET TONIGHT, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009. Yeah, same time as our 50/50 elsewhere; ain't it always that way? Life...

This BBoC is at PokerStars for a change. Look for it under Private Tournaments. Cost to enter is 1 penny plus $9.99 to BBoC. There are rebuys and an add-on. A LOT of nice donated prizes to be won, so don't be put off by the small cash prize pool. Not a lot of word out on this one, so could be a small field. Deserves a big field; great cause!!!

Back to the grind of real life and work. G'luck all!!!

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(7:55p) Here's the details. Sorry such short notice, but I was just told today. There are 30-minute levels, lots of bloggers, pros (Tom McEvoy's in from the start, more to show up) and sure to be lots of rebuys and craziness first hour since for such a great cause. Might be wise idea to join 45 minutes late; you can still be a star!

And many donated, underpublicized prizes will be won. Irongirl and I are in; join the fun! The details from PStars:

"PokerStars is holding a private online charity tournament in support of the Bad Beat on Cancer foundation. The Bad Beat on Cancer Challenge takes place November 11 at 21:00 ET. For a buy-in of just $10 (plus rebuys for the first two levels) you can show your support and play for a share of $24,158 worth of prizes donated by the poker world. All proceeds will go to help cancer research, education and community outreach.

"To enter, open the PokerStars lobby, click ‘Tourney’ & ‘Private’. Then enter the password BadBeatChallenge.

"Here’s a rundown of the donated prizes that you can win. All prizes are transferrable - this means you can give them to a loved one or friend as a gift.
Place Prize Value
1 Lifetime subscription to a top online poker training site $10,000
2 PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge trip to Las Vegas $2,500
3 WSOP Academy training session $1,899
4 Borgata Atlantic City prize package $1,050
5 Training session with players from ‘Two Months, Two Million’ $1,000
6 Training session with players from ‘Two Months, Two Million’ $1,000
7 Golf session with a big name pro player $850
8 An hour with the PokerRoad team in Las Vegas $650
9 Seat at a Poker Players International tournament in Atlantic City $1,000
10 Training session with Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu $500
11 Training session with Jamie Gold $500
12 Training session with Team PokerStars Pro Tom McEvoy $500
13 Training session with Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Rousso $500
14 Training session with Matt Glanz $500
15 Training session with Tom Schneider $500
16 Bluff Magazine Sports Nut package $450
17 Signed sports gear from former UFC Champion Tito Ortiz $200
18 A one-year pass to Card Player Magazine’s poker club $150
19 Signed PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge chip set $150
20-22 Wicked Chops Poker Skull Candy headphones $50
23-24 PokerRoad shirt, hoodie and hat $50
25 PPI gear - including shirt, hat and pullover $50
26 Signed copy of Ace on the River by Barry Greenstein + PokerRoad T-shirt and hat $35
27-32 Signed copy of ‘Oops: I Won Too Much Money’ by Tom Schneider $20
33-43 One year subscription to Bluff Magazine $19.95
44-49 Pokerati T-shirt $15
50 PokerRoad T-shirt $15"

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(10:58p) Third break. Started with 173 players; now 68 left, I'm 59th and surviving being mostly card-dead. Pays three places, a whopping $1.91, $1.14 and 76 cents. But top 50 get donated prizes, as listed in my last post. Wonder if the training session with Vanessa (13th place) is live, and while Chad's out of town? One can dream...

Back to the grind. Well played el (141st) and irongirl (128th). Wonder if jdawg was our larrydawg?

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(11:57p) Very good, tough, serious (yet fun), professional tournament. Bad beat here and there but that's poker. On the prize buble with 51 left for more than 30 minutes now. Slow levels, slow blinds, great play. I'm 41st/51. Mostly one of the short stacks but hanging and playing serious ... unlike most games i fool around with. I want that ME time with Vanessa ... when Chad's out of town. Would settle for Daniel time. Second or fourth would be my dream prize. Next hour I will start making shammy moves... Maybe.

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(12:57a) Still rolling in the BBoC. Went all-in 88 vs. AK, flopped quads. Cards are improving. I'm 18th/32 left. Long way to go to Vanessa. They say the lessons are by phone or SKYPPE, whatever; durn...

Another BBoC this Sunday at Fuull Tilt, mostly just (good!) cash prizes. More info another day. I need ice cream or pizza...

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(1:37a) More proof, if any is needed, of who may be the unluckiest player you've ever met...

PokerStars Game #35287820536: Tournament #210990483, $0.01+$9.99 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level X (300/600) - 2009/11/13 2:29:56 ET
Table '210990483 5' 9-max Seat #9 is the button
Seat 1: Shamanalix (8398 in chips)
Seat 3: SharBear613 (15008 in chips)
Seat 4: A7XSevenfold (81644 in chips)
Seat 5: DjAdolfMixer (17300 in chips)
Seat 6: Borgouise (13546 in chips)
Seat 7: TeUnit (18684 in chips)
Seat 8: youknowiknow (74650 in chips)
Seat 9: kungpowDK (10825 in chips)
Shamanalix: posts the ante 50
SharBear613: posts the ante 50
A7XSevenfold: posts the ante 50
DjAdolfMixer: posts the ante 50
Borgouise: posts the ante 50
TeUnit: posts the ante 50
youknowiknow: posts the ante 50
kungpowDK: posts the ante 50
Shamanalix: posts small blind 300
SharBear613: posts big blind 600
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Shamanalix [Ac Kc]
A7XSevenfold: folds
DjAdolfMixer: folds
Borgouise: folds
TeUnit: folds
youknowiknow: folds
kungpowDK: folds
Shamanalix: raises 7748 to 8348 and is all-in
SharBear613: calls 7748
*** FLOP *** [7s 6h 3s]
SharBear613 said, "ugh"
SharBear613 said, "nh"
*** TURN *** [7s 6h 3s] [9s]
*** RIVER *** [7s 6h 3s 9s] [5s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Shamanalix: shows [Ac Kc] (high card Ace)
SharBear613: shows [Qh As] (a flush, Ace high)
SharBear613 collected 17096 from pot
SharBear613 said, "omg"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 17096 | Rake 0
Board [7s 6h 3s 9s 5s]
Seat 1: Shamanalix (small blind) showed [Ac Kc] and lost with high card Ace
Seat 3: SharBear613 (big blind) showed [Qh As] and won (17096) with a flush, Ace high
Seat 4: A7XSevenfold folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: DjAdolfMixer folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: Borgouise folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: TeUnit folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: youknowiknow folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: kungpowDK (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)

After 5 1/2 hours, finished 26th. Won Barry's book. No I did NOT lose on purpose. I wanted Vanessa ... or Daniel ... or 4th or 2nd.

Crying myself to sleep... See ya Sunday if not before.

(REAL TIME UPDATE 1/9/10: Still haven't received my prizes. Co-sponsor Poker News had troubles gathering things over the holidays, but stayed in communication. Not worried. It'll come eventually. It was the cause, really, not the prizes. And fun! )