Judging Your Opposition Online

READ MORE: Full Tilt Poker, Online Poker, Party Poker, Poker, PokerStars, poker bloggers

Is it easy to pigeonhole the players at the most popular online sites? Toddcommish thinks so, and has a primer for who you’re facing in sit-and-goes and tournaments online:

“So, to recap the basic strategies of the online players:

Party : Any two cards should see the flop, any ace or bottom pair should go to the river, middle pair is worth a raise, top pair is worth an all-in, betting 400 into a pot with 75 chips = Power Poker, pocket aces should never lose.

PokerStars : Any sooted cards, small pockets, or face cards should see the flop, all backdoor flush draws should be played aggressively, the cognoscenti know that it’s called RiverStars because it’s fixed so that draws always hit, calling with no pair is a good idea because you need to see what the other guy had, pocket aces should never lose.

FullTilt : Always raise on the button because you have position, top pair should always raise, trips should always check-raise, draws should push all-in to try and win right there, any small pocket pair should push preflop to get the ragged faces out, show every bluff because Jesus said so, pocket aces should never lose.”

This is actually a pretty astute assessment. PartyPoker’s players are terrible and love the overbet, you can’t shake a guy off a draw at Pokerstars, and everyone at Full Tilt thinks they’re a genius. We’d add that Pacific’s players are really timid, and the poker rooms tied like an afterthought to a sports book (like Bodog’s) are full of players who have absolutely no idea what they’re doing. Now go make some money.

Adjustments [ToddCommish]

Deep Stack Tournaments - Thumbs Up

READ MORE: Deep Stacks, Online Poker, Poker, PokerStars

In most every poker tournament we’ve ever played, the structure of the tournament turns it into an all-in festival after only a couple hours - if you’re lucky. Most of the daily tournaments thrown by the Vegas card rooms, for instance, get to push-monkey stages within 90 minutes, as they want you to bust out and spend your poker money in the raked games. That’s why it’s nice to see an online site who gets it.

PokerStars has been offering what they call “Deep Stacks” tournaments a few times a day, and we’re in love. We played our first Deep Stacks tourney on Saturday night (No Limit Hold ‘Em, $30+$3 buy-in), and had what was easily our most enjoyable tournament experience ever. The tournament starts with 5/10 blinds, but you get 5,000 in chips and blinds change every 30 minutes (instead of 1,500 in chips with 10 minute blind increases). Unless you’re recklessly throwing your chips around like a maniac, you can afford to play patient poker for the first few hours. Compare this with any other multi-table tournament, where if you don’t quadruple up in the first two hours, you’ve effectively entered “panic mode.” We finished 76th out of 766 (13 out of the money), but got six and a half hours of play for our $33. If you’re interested in playing poker as opposed to pushing all-in and have eight to ten hours to kill, we can’t recommend the Deep Stacks at Stars highly enough.

Deep Stack Schedule [PokerStars]

Crushing Crusher

READ MORE: Online Poker, Poker, PokerStars, Wil Wheaton

Internet Celebrity Wil Wheaton throws a tournament on Friday nights at PokerStars, where he’s been named a member of their “team.” We think that means he gets to wear the satin jacket and brings Raymer and Moneymaker coffee when they need it. Anyway, bust Wil in his Friday tournament and you get a bounty. What’s the bounty?

He names the next tournament after you. Our own BG rivered a straight with Ace-Queen against Wil’s 77, and gets the honors for next Friday. As for his eventual 12th place finish? How’d you like your Aces cracked by Jack-Nine flopping two Nines on the board? Yeah, we know… Embrace the bad beats. Email us if you want in for next week. Maybe BG will be in a generous mood after making $3.30 profit tonight.

Big Free Poker Tournament Coming - Where’s Our Invite?

READ MORE: Poker, Poker Blogger Tournament, PokerStars, poker bloggers

Hey y’all, Poker and Horse Racing Editor BG checking in, and I’m chagrined. What if you were an Elk? No, not the animal. One of those lodge Elks. The point is, let’s say you were in a group where you’ve paid your dues, you went through the hazing, and you’re even hanging out over beers with the Grand Poobah. Well, what if someone in their magnanimous imagination decided to throw a party for Elks giving away freebies out the ass, and they didn’t bother to invite you? After the jump, I’m having at ‘em…

OKAY, SO WE’RE NOT TALKING ELKS ANYMORE

Here’s a little background on your faithful Poker guy: I’ve been a blogger for a few years, and have been a “poker blogger” for almost that entire time. Now, you may have to dig a bit for the true poker content on Random Thoughts and Thoroughbred Selections, but trust me, it’s there, and it’s been there for a long time.

I’m old school. How old school? Well, the one legitimate barometer of any poker blogger’s historical impact and longevity is where his link falls on Iggy’s blogroll. If I’m “old school,” he built the school house. And where am I on that list?

SIXTH. Hundreds of poker blogs listed, and yours truly is sixth. What more do you want as far as “street cred” is concerned? I mean, I’ve been to both Las Vegas WPBT (World Poker Blogger Tour) tour stops, I’m booked for the third in December, and I can count on two fingers the number of WPBT online events I’ve missed since 2003.

I am a poker blogger. I am an original poker blogger.

So when PokerStars sent out an email today announcing something special, word spread through the community quickly. “Did you get the email? Did you hear about the tournament?”

No. I didn’t. What tournament?

“Why, the Online Poker Blogger Championship, didn’t anyone tell you?”

First prize, a $12K package to the WPT Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island outside Nassau, Bahamas in January. Also in the prize pool? Ten Xbox 360s, five 24” flat-panel LCDs, and twenty 4GB iPod Nanos - not to mention 100 shirt/hat bags for the bloggers.

Only the bloggers worthy of the email, apparently. I’m miffed. Sure, I could go and sign up for this thing via their website for the October 23rd event. It’s apparently open to any blogger, not just poker writers, assuming you’ve been active on your site for at least two months. I’m pretty sure you can click the link above or below, go read the details, and sign up for this thing whether you’re writing to bash Bush, talk technology, or share your knowledge of knitting. So long as you’re a blogger, you’re in.

Me? I’m boycotting until PokerStars acknowledges me as the old school long time poker blogger I am and sends me a damn email. That’s Bee Gee at Gambling Blues Dot Com, if anyone’s listening.

PokerStars
Online Poker Blogger Championship [PokerStars]

Big Free Poker Tournament Coming - Where’s Our Invite?

READ MORE: Poker, Poker Blogger Tournament, PokerStars, poker bloggers

Hey y’all, Poker and Horse Racing Editor BG checking in, and I’m chagrined. What if you were an Elk? No, not the animal. One of those lodge Elks. The point is, let’s say you were in a group where you’ve paid your dues, you went through the hazing, and you’re even hanging out over beers with the Grand Poobah. Well, what if someone in their magnanimous imagination decided to throw a party for Elks giving away freebies out the ass, and they didn’t bother to invite you? After the jump, I’m having at ‘em…

OKAY, SO WE’RE NOT TALKING ELKS ANYMORE

Here’s a little background on your faithful Poker guy: I’ve been a blogger for a few years, and have been a “poker blogger” for almost that entire time. Now, you may have to dig a bit for the true poker content on Random Thoughts and Thoroughbred Selections, but trust me, it’s there, and it’s been there for a long time.

I’m old school. How old school? Well, the one legitimate barometer of any poker blogger’s historical impact and longevity is where his link falls on Iggy’s blogroll. If I’m “old school,” he built the school house. And where am I on that list?

SIXTH. Hundreds of poker blogs listed, and yours truly is sixth. What more do you want as far as “street cred” is concerned? I mean, I’ve been to both Las Vegas WPBT (World Poker Blogger Tour) tour stops, I’m booked for the third in December, and I can count on two fingers the number of WPBT online events I’ve missed since 2003.

I am a poker blogger. I am an original poker blogger.

So when PokerStars sent out an email today announcing something special, word spread through the community quickly. “Did you get the email? Did you hear about the tournament?”

No. I didn’t. What tournament?

“Why, the Online Poker Blogger Championship, didn’t anyone tell you?”

First prize, a $12K package to the WPT Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island outside Nassau, Bahamas in January. Also in the prize pool? Ten Xbox 360s, five 24” flat-panel LCDs, and twenty 4GB iPod Nanos - not to mention 100 shirt/hat bags for the bloggers.

Only the bloggers worthy of the email, apparently. I’m miffed. Sure, I could go and sign up for this thing via their website for the October 23rd event. It’s apparently open to any blogger, not just poker writers, assuming you’ve been active on your site for at least two months. I’m pretty sure you can click the link above or below, go read the details, and sign up for this thing whether you’re writing to bash Bush, talk technology, or share your knowledge of knitting. So long as you’re a blogger, you’re in.

Me? I’m boycotting until PokerStars acknowledges me as the old school long time poker blogger I am and sends me a damn email. That’s Bee Gee at Gambling Blues Dot Com, if anyone’s listening.

PokerStars
Online Poker Blogger Championship [PokerStars]

WCOOP 2005: It’s Over

READ MORE: Poker, PokerStars

This morning, it’s good to be a Swede. Not only do you wake up in the land of socialized medicine and ridiculously blonde women, but if you’re “Vendetta” or “tralala,” you’re also a half million dollars richer from the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker Main Event. Of course, first place goes to “Panella86” of Eddystone, PA, which brings out the jingo in all of us. USA! USA! Via the PokerStars Blog, here’s your top ten (with first through third chopping the remaining prize money before playing for the bracelet):

1. Panella86 (Eddystone, PA) $577,342.00
2. Vendetta (Stockholm, Sweden) $573,735.00
3. tralala (Stockholm, Sweden) $540,877.00
4. PICKLED EGG (Las Vegas, NV) $242,775.00
5. aaaaaaaa (Saugus, MA) $197,955.00
6. JERRRY (Buffalo Grove, IL) $160,605.00
7. salas777 (Los Angeles CA) $123,255.00
8. lollylu (Boca Raton, FL) $85,905.00
9. Buster Love (Las Vegas, NV) $56,025.00

WCOOP Event #15 Results [PokerStars Blog]