Thursday, July 23, 2009

"What about Iveeeyyyyyyyyy?"...Durrrr

That drop is from Durrrr on the old Poker Road Radio from years ago. They use to use that drop alot when Justin Shronk handled the boards, and it is from right when Durrrr put his challenge out when there was so much speculation about who/what/when anybody was going to accept the challenge. They were discussing all the potentials ...Kid Poker...Joe Cassidy...Benyamine...and Antonius when Durrrr says, "What about Iveeeyyyyyyyyyyy"...it was a classic drop.

Well...what about Ivey? As The Bear and all the guys on The Poker Beat have said. The "November Nine" were built around trying to get one of the premier poker players in the world...the poker celebrity per say...to the November Nine so the media outlets would light up...the major sponsors would come calling...and Conan and Letterman will be clearing their slates to book them on the talk shows. With Ivey being my (and many others) favorite player, I guess our dreams have come true. There is a defining moment in my poker career several years ago when Ivey became my favorite player. You can follow this link and see when this happened.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=--Qap3VT_ZY

Wow...what a hand

So Phil Ivey has made it to the November Nine and I personally think this is going to make or break the November Nine concept. Was it a good decision to make the November Nine? We will see...

Other poker ramblings:

Todd "DanDruff" Witteles calls out Phil Hellmuth on the TV table:
This was about the UB scandal and the fact that UB has not properly responded to the players on the scandal. I think that this was a good thing...even though it will probably be edited out on the TV broadcast. You have to give Druff some credit for sticking up for his principals and making the comments to try to bring light to the scandal. Todd was not the only person in this years WSOP to try to keep this issue from getting swept under the rug and forgot about.

Adam Richardson:
He won 2nd place in the "Ante up for Africa" tournament and held out on his donation to also try to bring attention to the scandal. Richardson made it clear to several of his online pals what he was planning on doing if he made a big cash...and from the podcast that I have listened too...had many in his corner that were going to do the same if they too...made a nice cash. Richardson had an emergency with his family that caused him to leave right after the tournament to go home...I think it had to do with his wife being pregnant and having some complications...but from what I heard...he was going to leave a donation...after the UB scandal was discussed. I am under the understanding that he did intend to donate after he shed light on the scandal (Not sure if he did or not).

GeneD's poker exploits:
The negative variance in my live cash games has gotten better, and I have been able to book some solid wins in the live arena lately. I had a nice score at Shorty's for a few thousand the other night in a real tough game. I was able to sit and chat for quite awhile with Tim "Rasin Cajun" Hebert as he was in the game for quite awhile. Tim has been spending alot of time in LA as he is dating a girl from that area. There was several other tough players in the game also including one of his buddies that I call, "Solid Play Dave" as he is a good player that is hard to read and very seldom gets out of line. There were some other regulars that play well like Phil and John....and some "Any 2 card" players such as Big O. I played solid poker and built a nice stack and then opened up my game and started with the pressure in spots where I thought I could use my stack to my advantage...and it worked

Got in a couple of good cash games also recently at the Amelia Belle where I was able to book some winners. Nothing like walking into your local Casino and seeing a 1-2nl game going strong with a decent amount of money on the table...and you dont know anyone at the table...sweet

Tunica:
I am taking a play from Monks book as I also plan on watching the first few events to see how things look...and how many runners they get in the first few events. I plan on making it there at some point...probably next weekend depending on how my job shakes out.

Monkeys Run at the Venetian:
Good stuff brother...Congrats on the whole experience

WSOP main Event:
I am also glad that Jeff Shulman made the November Nine also with Ivey as you cant have too many name pros to go until November. I was personally pulling for TK once Kia went down...until he got bounced also...then started to pull for Dave "Love Shack Dave" Gafford from Baton Rouge...and Joe Sebok. I think Joe would have been good for the N9 also

My Job:
Wow...I am sitting tight with the same job with some uncertainty about my position in the company with the merger. These things happen in big mergers in Corporate America...but there have also been several opportunities that have surfaced that I am trying to make decisions about...probably... the most anxiety I have experienced in my day job in 10 years...but like I said in a previous blog...I think it will all work itself out...one way or the other.

My Blog:
Sorry to all the people sending me emails/text about getting my blog updated

Now to the part alot of were asking about and I decided to post it on my blog. The big question is, "What are we going to name our boy". I said that the poker players on here were going to like it...but actually...it was my wife that picked the name

Where going to name him "Eugene M Dudek IV"...and we are going to call him "Ivey"...after the IV in the Roman Numerals "I" and "V" for the 4th

There you have it...

Jack Singer: Do you know what a straight flush is? It's like... unbeatable.
Betsy: "Like unbeatable" is not unbeatable.
Jack Singer: HEY!!!! I KNOW THAT NOW!!!!!!!
Interaction between Nicholas Cage (Jack) and Sara Jessica Parker(Betsy) in "Honeymoon in Vegas"...when Cage loses a hand in poker where his payout is for his fiance to spend the weekend with the winner of the hand

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Poker Ramblings...and GeneD's going to be a Dad

I have finally mustered up the time to post a blog as I have been avoiding it as I am dealing with a downward live variance...and WSOP blues. The Main Event is in Full Swing and I was able to get some sweat equity in Cobra Kai. He is going into day 2B with over 50bbs so there is still lots of play to be had. I am also dealing with some anxiety over my new job (6 months) as in Corporate America...when you have mergers and acquisitions (M&A)...you have changes and uncertainty. I am confident that things will work out though.

I was told by some of my buddys and family members (who I did not know lurk and read my blog) that I have not mentioned on here that me and my wife are expecting a baby in early November. We have been trying for some time and was very frustrated. Everyone kept telling us, "As soon as you stop trying and stop worrying so much about it...it will happen". I heard that so many times from so many people that it felt like the person telling you the worst bad beat story you could possibly hear...x5. We looked into adopting...we looked into invetro...and other things happened in or lives that for a brief 3 months ...took our minds off the anxiety and the worry of it all...and BAM!!!...YAHTZEE!!!! ...and we found out its going to be a boy. With the price of invetro...its like a 20k freeroll.

Poker Ramblings:

What about the guy Thang Luu, who has a bracelet already under his belt, breaks the hand of a WSOP dealer when the dealer goes to "Move Up" his tabled hand in Omaha8...and then he balls a fist and slams the dealers hand breaking bones between the dealers knuckles and wrist. They are saying he will probably be arrested and he is 86'ed from Harrahs properties...Unbelievable.

Been listening to all the Pokerroad Radio shows during my windshield time and I am a little confused as is Ali Nejad coming back. They have Joe "Staps" Stapelton filling in during the WSOP...I guess...as I never heard it actually discussed on the show. They had on Roland DeWolf the other day and it was a good show. Roland is a hoot and I love it when he hassles the "Magic the Gathering" players...he can be heard saying to David Williams something like , "I raise you 2 hobgoblins" on a TV table years ago...he has said similar things when in hands with ElKy...etc

PRR Shows: I have to admit that I do find my self looking forward to the "B Team" show more than the regular show. They could not have found 3 of the most likable people to run the B Team sho in Devo, Court "The Hick" and Gobboboy. They have a real chemistry that I like and they give a whole new perspective on the poker community. I read Devo's blog and have admitted on a previous blog that i relate to him as I too am/was an outdoors adventurer ...liking to hike/camp/whitewater/jetski/fish...etc. I think he is just an overall cool guy.

The B Team shows: I just listened to the Matt Garham show and really enjoyed the lake story about Matt getting pulled over by the Lake Police on Devo's jetski...classic

The show where Staps fills in for the Hick and details a drunkin Jeff Madsen story at a strip club...Hilarious.

What else...oh...you want to know about how I have been doing lately playing poker...gettin reamed live...and losing crucial flips deep in the mid-level MTTs online. Last night at Harrahs I got my opponents twice to put all their chips in the middle post turn as a huge dog...and they got there both times.

First hand I flop 2 pair with K7c on a 4 way K72 flop with 2 diamonds. I make a 2/3 size bet and get one caller...Duh...I have him dead on the diamond draw. Turn bricks...I bet out $130.00 on the turn where the villain has only $160.00 left in his stack..."Call" ...WTF???? and ladies and gentleman the idiot that called off 95% of his chips and saved the last $30.00 for what?...Cab ride home??? I dont know...gets his diamond on the river. He bets out his last $30.00 to what I say sarcastically, "No way man...jeeze...I just dont know whether I can call that last $30.00 in a pot over $450.00"...he tables 2 baby diamonds and again sarcasm on my part, "No way man...you mean you have a flush? oh my oh my...how could I have been so stupid to bet into a flush draw...do the numbers 80-20 mean anything to you?"

2nd hand...wash rinse repeat ....except this time Im holding 2 black queens on a board of 4s7dJd5c...OK....this one is 70-30 because the guy also had a gutterball draw...but still...there getting there on me.

Enough Negativity...Lets go Kia what is 1% of 8.5 million anyway?

"Strippers are -EV" Bryan "Devo" Devonshire on PRR B team addition when discussing Staps and Madsens crazy night out when Staps was "Rapping" with a stripper