ONE TIME for the Gulf Coast...ONE TIME!!!

Wow...John Dolan has made the November 9!!

1st off: Congrats John!!!!! ...on making the November 9 as well as a great run all WSOP. We were all down here pulling for you and Gabe. For those not following the action last week, John came in somewhere in the bottom 5 of 27 people playing down to the final 9. I think he started with just over 2 million...and ended the day 2nd in chips going into the November final table with over 46 million.

John's poker savy-ness came to light when they got down to 10 players...and they were on the Final Table bubble. I cut and pasted a quote from Oskar Garcia below:

With a spot at the final table worth far more than the nearly $177,000 difference in prize money between 10th and 9th place, some players simply refuse to play their cards once the finalist sat the the 10 handed table....Others, like 24 year old John Dolan of Bonita Springs, FL, took advantage of the situation to pick up chips without a fight...Dolan began 10 handed play with 24.5 million, and less than 2 hours later had the 2nd biggest stack at the table with 46.3 million in chips

Thats what poker is about...adapting to your situation...getting a read on where you are...identifying opportunities...and taking advantage of the situation....There is no doubt that with the chips John has...he has to go into the Final Table the odds on favorite...we will see.

2nd: Gabe Costner...what a player...and what a nice run this WSOP 2010!!! You guys who follow my blog have read about my feelings on Gabe....all I can say is "Well Deserved Buddy...well deserved"...I think he is on the verge of taking that "next"step.

What have I been doing lately?...I had an interesting travel experience recently flying to Nashville for our "Quarterly Sales Review"...and I have been beating the local cash games...making some money but not getting rich.

I am going to start with this situation I think you guys will get a kick out of ...the "Planes-Trains and Automobiles" scenario nightmares we all face. We have all been there...just read some of Monkey's blogs about his travel hi-jinks...this one was interesting.

I am going thru the airport and I am at the metal detectors pulling out my laptop...taking off my shoes...watch ...etc. I reach in pockets and pull out a small pocket knife I forgot to leave in my truck. Not wanting to cause any delay/trouble...I immediately hand it to one of the Fed workers and explain, "Hey man...here you go...I forgot it in my pocket"...thinking I would alleviate any suspission...but....thats exactly what I got.

I am pulled on the side and into the holding area...all my carry on luggage is "thoroughly" searched while they scan me and frisk me. There is this one "mall cop wanna be" looking guy standing away staring at me ...as he goes thru my wallet and looks around. I comment to one of the friskers, "This is because of the knife?"...he responds "Yep...routine"...OK fair enough...They finish searching me and my luggage and MCWB walks over and circles me with a look on his face like the agents in "The Matrix"... I have a Magellan Sportsman Fishing Shirt on and one of my Gulf Coast Poker Hats....This conversation ensues:

MCWB: So...where you going?
Me: Nashville for work
MCWB: Where do you live? (He is holding my drivers license)
Me: Houma sir...
MCWB: Where's Houma?
Me: about 60 miles southwest of here...I live behind the hospital
MCWB: Whats the name of the Hospital in Houma?
Me: Terrebonne General
MCWB: So you like to Fish...and play poker right Mr. Dudek?
Me: Uhhhhh yea...(I am figuring out he is going off my clothes)
MCWB: What are the boat launches down their called?
Me: Well...theres CoCo Marina...and I guess Falgouts
MCWB: What do the words Cobia and Penn mean to fisherman
Me: Uhhhh...Cobia is a Fish...and a type of Boat....and Penn makes reels
(I am now seeing this will be a question and answer quiz game)
MCWB: I have a friend up by Lutcher killing the specks in his
pond...
Me: That would be hard to do sir since specks dont live in ponds and
are a saltwater fish
MCWB: So what the best hand in Poker...a flush or a straight?
(I start to laugh and give him that "are you serious look?...he is serious")
Me: Uhhhhhh....a flush sir
MCWB: What is the most popular poker game nowadays?
Me: No limit hold him sir
MCWB: what would be the most prestigious poker tournament there is?
Me: Thats the World Series of Poker sir...actually...it has been running
for over a month and the the Main event is starting in a few days
MCWB: How do you like the poker room over at the Treasure Chest here in Kenner?
Me: Well sir...the Treasure Chest does not have a poker room...but they did years ago
and it was nice...in fact...the Treasure Chest had the 1st Casino in the city with a Poker
room in early 90's...I have a Poker Room jacket from the Treasure chest

He gives me my license and wallet and says...."Have a nice day sir and enjoy your
flight".

WTF!!!!!!!! LOL..... Your tax dollars at work people

So I have been running good lately beating the cash games. I played at the Belle of Baton Rouge last night and booked my 4th winning cash session in a row (knock on wood). The game there was good with several weak spots.

Amelia Belle Saturday night: Booked a nice win there also...I had to go home early so did not get to take full advantage of the action. I was told by Dave Anderson...."Your going to see some strange plays here...get ready"...and boy did I ever.

I saw the following hand on the 3rd or 4th hand. Guy in for $500 opens for $40 in mp....and donk on button calls. Flop hits As5s6c...MP player c-bets up to $75...button flats. turn is the 7s...mp fires out $100...gets popped by button ...to which mp player snap shoves his whole stack and button donk snap calls his shove...you know what these 2 Einsteins have??? MP player tables Ac-9h...button donk table 5d-7h....river is the 2s...Dave and Mike Steagall are both getting a kick out of my facial expressions where I am looking around like ...WOW...WTF???

I say..."OK...so thats how this game is going to play...all right then"....several hours in to the session I call a $15 raise into a 4 way pot from the sb with Qs9h. The guy on my left (UTG) has made more terrible plays in a hour that I saw my whole last cash session. flop comes out Qh6d3s...I knuckle...donk on my left fires $20 and gets a caller from the button ....and I call from sb....turn is the 9s. I check and utg fires $50...button folds and I call. River brings a very pretty 9c....I check...UTG immediately fires out a hundo....I do a little acting and raise it up to $230 for a value raise hoping he has something....he tanks hard....reaaaaaal hard....he is in agony...he just cant seem to be able to fold this hand...he eventually says, "Damn...I will have to let you have it"...and fold 7h6s face up letting me off the hook.....Yeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I want to say Happy Birthday to my lovely wife....and thanks to all the comments about Ivey...he is something else.

Hope to see you guys in Tunica at some point...

Come on John Dolan.....ONE TIME BABY....ONE TIME!!!!!!!!!!.....

"You gotta have two things to win. You gotta have brains and you gotta have balls" Paul Mewman as Fast Eddie Felson in "Color of Money"