East Bay Poker Camping

It was supposed to be a friendly night out camping with the guys and our kids. After putting the kids to bed, we broke the cards and chips. Fortunately, we kept the buy in reasonable because the game had sharks that can swim on the land. Nick, Perry and Bob were all smart aggressive players and they knew my tricks well. There would be no limping in and trapping with these guys. Very nice play by them eliminated me from claiming the title of best Poker Dad for that night. Perry and Nick split the spoils (our MONEY!!) with their excellent play. Bob and I want another chance to prove ourselves and an opportunity to restock our poker stashes. You name the place and we'll be there.

AM

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Long Way to the World Series

Today I played in the Spread-Limit tourney at Bay 101. Finished 22/117. The top 18 places were paid so again I was close to the bubble. I won a few races but never really built up a chip stack. Most of the players were solid. I should have gone all in with AQ when my stack was mediocre. After the flop I was outplayed and lost. Also, I lost with AK to KJ when a straight popped up on the river. My final hand was 77 against the chip leader at my table who flipped up AK. He eliminated me with a set of kings. Overall, I played my game as planned. The problem, however, is my game isn't surgically sharp yet. If I don't improve, I will be the easy to spot WHALE at the WSOP. Also, clearly I didn't win with or crack AK. No chance to win a tourney when that happens.

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World Series of Poker Bracelet

This is an official World Series of Poker Bracelet. In fact it is Phil Hellmuth's tenth bracelet that he let me put on for a moment. Yes, it was an amazing feeling. Now, I need to learn how to play MUCH MUCH better and go after one of my own. For more pix and stories check out Surgical Poker.com

Unabomber Phil Laak and AM at Hard Rock Party

Phil Laak, also known in poker circles at the Unabomber is shown here with AM at the STUFF party that was held at the Hard Rock Casino Pool in Las Vegas. Yes, the party was awesome. More pix will be posted soon. Phil proved himself to be a fun, intelligent, engaging player at the celebrity tourney with his beautiful girlfriend Jennifer Tilly always nearby.

Phil Hellmuth at STUFF Magazine Party

This is ten time World Series of Poker Champion Phil Hellmuth with a couple STUFF Magazine Party crashers. Have you seen these guys? They are wanted by the Las Vegas cops. They were caught having too much fun at PURE, the Hard Rock and TAO.

Quad Threes win Tourney at Caesars

I am in Vegas for Camp Hellmuth Three and the day before it started, I bought into the daily tourney at Caesars. I got VERY lucky on the second hand of the tourney with Aces that busted Kings and I immediately doubled up. Those chips allowed me to cruise through four rounds. By then, however, I had bled down to six big blinds. In the small blind, I had A10 suited. I went all in and was dominated by AQ. A beautiful 10 on the flop kept me alive.

A couple other nice hands and a few bluffs brought me to the the final table as the chip leader.

I played super tight and made the final three. Then, it was a mind game. One guy took a bad beat and went on tilt and was out. Heads up went on for a while. Finally, I called the big blind with pocket threes. I checked when I flopped a full house. The other guy went all in with AQ and of course I called him. The three on the turn gave me quads and the tourney win, my first!

AM

Aces Cracked at Tourney

I just finished 36th out of 94 at the Bay 101 Spread-Limit tourney. The game plan going in was to play tourniquet tight. I played only 5 of the first 50 hands dealt to me mainly because the cards were arid. The best hand I saw in the first three rounds was 2-2. After the first break I was in the ICU with only 1200 chips left and the blinds at 300-600. In late position, I woke up with KJ suited. I tossed in my two big blinds realizing I would not probably see anything better before I was forced to play. The asian mafia dude immediately next to me goes all in for $5000. The big blind only has $600 left so he calls. The BB turns over a pair of 9s and the guy next to me flips up American Airlines. The flops comes out 10-K-6. Not dead yet. The turn is another K and the river a J. The full boat triples me up and I am back in the game. Two hands after reaching the $7000 mark with pocket aces, I get them again in middle position. The dude under the gun, goes all in preflop for $10,000. I have visions of winning the tourney as I immediately call thinking I can double up yet again when the raiser turns over KQ. I have him in a full metal jacket! The flop comes out 8-K-6. The turn is a 4 giving him no flush or straight draw. So he has only another King or Queen as outs (5 total). I am at least an 8-1 favorite to win this nice tasty pot. Just as I cracked aces, my were cracked when a king floats up on the river and I go home.

Budweiser Binge Guy and Going Hollywood

I have now been playing for almost three hours and am up about $100 bucks. I have played relatively tight and am now ready to take a few more chances. Again, I am in the big blind. That has been a very good position for me lately for some unknown reason. This time I have 4-4. Two guys raise to $15 bucks one in early position, one in late position. I am thinking: "Do they have high pairs and am I dominated if I call?". I think for a second and toss in the $15 bucks, hoping they have KQ or AK. The flop comes 4-K-J. I quickly check the set hoping to trap the raisers on the turn. One guy bets $20 and the other calls. I act like I am thinking for a few seconds and then call. The turn is an eight. No straight out there yet. I don't want anyone hanging around so I make $25 more to go. One guy folds and the other guy immediately calls. What does he have? Certainly a King or a Jack. Perhaps A-Q. The river is a 2c, no flush, no straight. The titanium nuts is trip kings. Could this guy be slow playing that hand? I think for a moment and decide to check. Was that weak or smart? The guy I am up against is the Budweiser Binge dude who is still hammered. When I check, he immediately makes it $80 bucks to go. I go into the pseudo tank. He is simply too hammered to lure my set of 4s into his pocket kings. I count out the $80 chips slowly and then decide to add on $60 bucks more, all in.

He again quickly calls and I stare at two pair KK-JJ. I really didn't mean to slow roll my set but I guess I did because he accused me of "Going Hollywood" when I eventually flipped over my set and hauled in a Silver Oak Magnum like pot. I didn't care what he thought as I stacked up HIS chips....

Chance from Surgical Poker.com

Quad 8s, No Action

Same spread limit game with another big blind special, 8-5 offsuit. No raisers so I limp in. The flop is 8-Q-8. A set for Daddy. I check. Two other limpers check. The turn, another 8. I now have quads. I check. So do the other limpers. A set on the board with a queen. The river comes out with a 6. This time I tried to look like I am stealing the scanty pot and bet 20 bucks. The two other guys fold and I flip over the quads. It would have been nice to get some action on that hand.

Chance from Surgical Poker.com

3-100 Spread Limit at Garden City

I decided to try to the new 3-100 Spread Limit at Garden City in San Jose. You can buy in for a maximum of $100. In the beginning I played tourniquet tight and try to get a feel for the game. It was a VERY tight game with several reasonable good players and one drunk guy with $500 bucks in front of him. He must have built the stack before his Budweiser Binge.

My first pot was a big blind special K-8s. No one raised it so I saw the flop for free. It came out Q-7-4, all spades. I had flopped the almost nut flush. I check it to three limpers who also check it. The turn was an A of hearts. So, I bet out like I had an ace--25 bucks. Two of the three limpers folded but and one guy called me. The river is a 3 of clubs. No help to anyone. So, I bet out another $25 feeler bet hoping to get called. No call, an all in raise!! What's going on here? Was the guy slow playing a made flush? Did he have the ace of spades? If he did, I will lose. I think about for a second and then call his all in. He flips over J-8 of spades and I show my king high flush for a very nice pot.

Chance from Surgical Poker.com

Menlo Dads Tourney

Just finished playing in the Menlo Dads tourney. Forty nine players and I took third place. Overall, an excellent night with lots of fun. Lost on the last hand when my queen-jack got busted by trip tens. A great bunch of guys and I look forward to playing in next year's gig.

AM

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