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Cool Tournaments Coming Up
Friday, September 30, 2005 Those of you who've read my book know that I get great enjoyment out of playing the WRGPT every year. Well, registration for the 2005-2006 version is open! Everyone reading this should register here. It's the only tournament in the world where you can think about your decisions for hours, gathering all the input and discussions you want. And it's free. Another cool tournament taking place a few weeks from now is the Online Poker Blogger Championship. I'm registered to play, see:  I have registered to play in the This event is powered by PokerStars. Registration code: 3492002 Anyone out there with a blog that's at least two months old should also register. And if you do, please consider using www.mattmatros.com/journal as your referral. I'm at FARGO now, and already having a blast. I'll give updates over the weekend. Congratulations to ActionBob! Monday, September 26, 2005 On his fifth-place finish at the Borgata Poker Open championship event. Sometimes the guys you see on TV truly deserve the tournament success they've found. Between sweating Mr. Action and going to my cousin's wedding in Pittsburgh, I played very little poker myself last week. Nonetheless, here's a bet update: Total last week, -$759. Overall total, +$48,318. Finally... Thursday, September 22, 2005 ...I have a reason to be excited about driving to Atlantic City. Action Bob at the final table of the Borgata Poker Open main event. Third in chips of the six remaining players. Gooooooooo ActionBob!!!!!!!!! And Now, a Brief Update Wednesday, September 21, 2005 I whiffed the last two WCOOP events, and two more single table satellites at the Borgata. No real interesting hands--suffice to say, the last ten times that I or my opponent have been all-in with more cards to come, I have lost the hand. So I drove home on Sunday night without buying-in to the main event. But the good news is, my man ActionBob is fifth in chips heading into today's action. Goooooo ActionBob!! Bet update: Didn't play much of the $30 game last week as I was too involved in the Borgata and WCOOP stuff. This bet is really not serving its purpose, as both Chris and I have been choosing many other things to do with our time over the Party $30-$60 game. But anyway... Total last week, +$3,252. Overall total, +$49,077. Many Updates in One Friday, September 16, 2005 Tuesday: Entered the $1000 NL tournament at the Borgata, which started at 11 a.m. The WCOOP NLHE triple shootout started at 3 p.m. At 2:45 p.m. I was still in the Borgata tournament, and opened with T9o. The loose-playing big blind called me. There was about T1,000 in the pot and the flop came 865, two-suited. The big blind led out for T1,000, and I had T2,200 in my stack. Perfect time for an all-in! If he folds, great. If not, I get my chips in the pot in pretty much a zero EV situation, with the added equity of entering the triple shootout if I lose. So I moved in. The big blind thought for a while. Finally he said, "oh, it's not that much more" and he called, rolling over J5o. The turn and river came 8, 6. His jack played and I was out. I ran upstairs to register for the shootout and made it just in time. My stack, however, quickly dwindled to T135 when my reresteal ran into KK. I got that T135 all the way back up to T4,800. Alas, I still didn't win my table. Wednesday: $1,500 NL at Borgata. This one was comical. Here is the story. My opponent limps UTG. All fold to the small blind who calls, and I check on the big blind with 72o. Flop comes 742. Check, check, UTG bets T1000 into the T450 pot. Small blind folds, I call. Turn comes 9. I lead out for T1,200, UTG instantly moves in for T1,200 more and I instantly call. He's got QQ. Four on the river and I'm down to T700. I move-in with JJ and double through AJ. I move in with TT and double through AK. I'm back to the starting stack of T5000. Then, a late position players limps and I limp in the SB with 22. The big blind (same guy who had the QQ earlier) checks. The flop comes AQ2 with two clubs--bear in mind, however, that one of the clubs is The Borgata Ace. Those of you who have played at the Borgata will know what I mean. For the rest of you, the Borgata decks feature a very large pip on the center of all four aces in the deck. On decks everywhere else, only the ace of spades has such a large pip. This is not really a problem with the red aces, as we're not used to seeing any red ace with a big pip, not to mention that hearts and diamonds don't really look alike. But almost everyone mistakes the ace of clubs for the ace of spades the first twenty or so times they see it. In fact, it was only after I checked the flop that I realized there was a Borgata Ace on board. I had first thought it was a rainbow flop. Anyway, the big blind bets T500, late position folds, and I check-raise to T1300. The big blind calls. There is T3200 in the pot, and T3200 in my stack, when the turn comes ten of clubs. I move-in. My opponent calls quickly...with Q8 no club!!??! He's drawing dead, and thankfully so, as a fourth club hit the river. I asked him later if he realized there was a three-flush on board when he called me (not that his call was justifiable under any arrangement of suits). He said no. Oh, that Borgata Ace. Up to T10,000, I lose two coin flips and I'm back down to T5,000. I then get it all-in with TT against a fish with Ad2d on a board of QJxx with two diamonds (yes, he called a big bet for all his chips with a flush draw with one to come). The diamond hit and I was back down to T1,000 again. I busted a couple hands later, losing a showdown with AQo to 95s. Funny stuff! Thursday: I show up a little late to the $1000 NL tournament. I notice a lot of loose action on the first few hands. So when there's an early raise to T150 and two callers, I decide to call with 76o on the button. The flop comes 876 with two clubs. It checks to a very loose-aggressive player who bets T500. I make it T1,600. Folds to loose-aggressive who immediately announces all-in. I immediately call for T1,900 more. He had 9h5h for the straight, and I don't improve. That was a quick one! I felt sort of stupid calling a raise with 76o and then getting all my chips in with 19% equity, but that's the risk I always take engaging with loose opponents--I'm going to feel stupid sometimes. Luckily, this early bustout allowed me to sweat the entire final table of the previous day's $1500 event, and my man ActionBob won the whole thing! It's so gratifying to see a poker friend work at his game diligently for a long time, gradually improving every day, and finally have it all pay off in one fell swoop. It's days like Thursday that make me glad to be a professional poker player. Friday: And then there are days like today. In the $2650 NL tournament, I incorrectly pay off with AK unimproved on the river, correctly fold trips on the river, and then finally get it all-in with AK on a K872 board, only to be shown 222 and drawing dead. I then play a single-table satellite for the main event. I muck KK on the turn on a board of QQ73 (my opponent min-raised the flop and bet big on the turn). Then get it in against a loose-agressive with KJ on a king-high board, only to be shown aces. I go back to my room to play the WCOOP PLO event, and bust on this hand. PokerStars Game #2590151542: Tournament #10017959, Omaha Pot Limit - Level III (25/50) - 2005/09/16 - 16:22:02 (ET) Table '10017959 4' Seat #6 is the button Seat 1: Magictoo (2115 in chips) Seat 2: BGB-05 (2845 in chips) Seat 3: jacksup (3225 in chips) Seat 4: GINGER KING (3215 in chips) Seat 5: -BBJ- (3335 in chips) Seat 6: willmuney (3775 in chips) Seat 7: LVDaveD (530 in chips) Seat 8: Jamesfull (10375 in chips) Seat 9: MissHerpes (755 in chips) LVDaveD: posts small blind 25 Jamesfull: posts big blind 50 *** HOLE CARDS *** Dealt to jacksup [8s Js 7c 9c] MissHerpes: folds Magictoo: folds BGB-05: folds jacksup: raises 95 to 145 GINGER KING: folds -BBJ-: raises 255 to 400 willmuney: folds LVDaveD: folds Jamesfull: calls 350 jacksup: calls 255 *** FLOP *** [Tc 4h 6d] Jamesfull: checks jacksup: checks -BBJ-: checks *** TURN *** [Tc 4h 6d] [7h] Jamesfull: checks jacksup: bets 1225 -BBJ-: raises 1710 to 2935 and is all-in Jamesfull: folds jacksup: calls 1600 and is all-in *** RIVER *** [Tc 4h 6d 7h] [Th] *** SHOW DOWN *** jacksup: shows [8s Js 7c 9c] (a straight, Six to Ten) -BBJ-: shows [8d Kd 9h Ah] (a flush, Ace high) -BBJ- said, "gg" jacksup said, "nh" Did he really have to have the 98 with the hearts? And did the heart really have to hit? Answer to both these questions: of course! The way I'm running, I'm definitely not playing the main event unless I make a score on Stars this weekend, or win a seat via some satellite or another. At this point, I'm almost hoping to be driving home on Sunday. Then again, T20,000 starting chips is niiiiice. Borgata Poker Open: $750 NLHE Monday, September 12, 2005 We started with T4,000. By the first break I was down to T1,875. In level four I got it up to T6,800, but I was down to T4,700 at the second break. Between level four and level five, the levels criminally rose from T100-T200, no ante, to T200-T400, T25 ante. From T300-a-round, to T850-a-round. Yikes. I blinded down to T3,100 when I moved in from late position with T9o, hoping to isolate with the short stack who was all-in for T450, getting 3-1 on my money. The plan worked beautifully as the short stack had A8 and I flopped a ten. The only problem was that the button woke up with jacks and I was sent home. Tomorrow: Borgata Poker Open $1,000 NLHE. P.S. Congratulations to two of my friends. To Jerrod, who came in fourth in the WCOOP event yesterday for $112k; and to Nordberg, who won the Party tournament yesterday for $173k. WCOOP Event #8: $1,000 No Limit Hold 'Em Sunday, September 11, 2005 Well, I cashed. They paid 180 and I finished 180. Don't worry, I didn't slip into the money. I bluffed off all my chips into the nuts (of course) on the bubble, but somebody else had already busted so I got money. Earlier I had lost a 26k pot when AA smooth-called preflop and trapped me into going all-in with my T9 on a flop of KQJ. The guy who put that beat on me is the guy who eventually busted me. Very frustrating. I would've almost rather not cashed, but I'll take the 1400 bucks. Since I also played Party and didn't cash there, I made a four-dollar profit on the day. Woo hoo!!! Tomorrow: 7-Card Stud? $750 No Limit at the Borgata? Golf? I'll be sure to let everyone know. Bet update: Total this week, -$57 (tee hee). Overall total, +$45,825. WCOOP Event #7: $500 Pot Limit Hold 'Em Sunday, September 11, 2005 I lost some chips early. I opened UTG with 33 and only the big blind called. The flop came 853 rainbow. The big blind checked, I bet T50 into the T90 pot. BB called. The turn came six and the big blind checked. I bet T130, and the BB check-raised to T580. We both had around our starting T2,500. What to do? I decided to just call. I'll often play any set as though it's the nuts, but in this situation I really think my set of threes was a strong, non-nut hand with the potential to improve--a class of hands I like to flat-call with. There were five reasonable hands my opponent could have that beat me, and even 42s wasn't totally out of the question. Not only that, but I need to protect my weaker hands I'll be calling that turn raise with by sometimes calling with stronger hands like bottom set. Finally, if I'm ahead, I probably make the most money in the long run by calling to induce a bluff (or even a value bet) on the end. Long story less long, the river came 2, my opponent bet T800, I called, and he showed me A4s for a straight. Bah. I got the chips back when I got all-in with a straight draw against top pair and hit. Funny, if I'd been deeper I never would've made it to the river with my draw, so it's possible that 33 hand all came out in the wash anyway. I got some more chips with a set against top pair, then lost some with AQ v AK, cutoff vs. button. Went down a little lower before getting it all-in with AK v KK and TT. I had the king of spades. Since the tournament was on PokerStars, the flop came ten-high all spades, the turn was an offsuit jack, and the river was the case king. So I'm 0-for-the first week of WCOOP. It sort of stopped being fun today, but don't tell anyone. My new goal is to try to play every event without cashing (yes, I'm kidding), although I'll probably fail even in that, since I'm considering not playing Stud on Monday. Also, if I get deep in any Borgata events next week, I'll be forced to miss a WCOOP event. Tomorrow: $1,000 No Limit Hold 'Em. Gonna be a big 'un. WCOOP Event #6: $200 Limit Hold 'Em Friday, September 09, 2005 This one wasn't too exciting. Every time I had the best hand, I got sucked out on; and every time I had the worst hand, I failed to suck out. I was out of this one early. I'm hoping my WCOOP score will come in the bigger events. Tomorrow: $500 Pot Limit Hold 'Em. WCOOP Event #5: NLHE with rebuys Friday, September 09, 2005 I had an uneventful rebuy period at a relatively tight table. Did what I could and got my initial T5,000 (after the auto-rebuy) to T5,500 by the first break. That became T8,500 after the add-on. Lost my add-on money quickly after paying off top pair-king kicker with top pair-ten kicker. Then I had a weird hand. Blinds T50 and T100, I opened on the button for T300 with Jh7h. Both blinds called. The flop came 762 rainbow. The small blind checked and the big blind led out for T400. I made it T900. The small blind mucked and the big blind called. The turn came queen (all rainbow). The big blind checked, I bet T1700, the big blind called. The river came king and the big blind set me in for T2435 (he had about T1800 more than I did). I called and he showed 98o. Up to T11,000. I lost T2,000 with A9s on the button against the short stack big blind's AK (all-in preflop). But I ended up regaining my chips and more when I decided to commit with top pair against a slightly better top pair, only to back into a flush. I won some pots and got it to T16,000. Then I reraised a late raise preflop with TT. I bet T3,500 on the KQx flop and had to fold when I got mini-check-raised. Sigh. Then, with about T10,000 in front of me, I opened for T1300 (blinds T200-T400, T25 ante) from the cutoff with 99. The button made it T4000. The blinds folded and I called. The flop came 842 two clubs and I jammed for T6000. The button called instantly with a set of eights and IGHN. Limit Hold 'Em tomorrow--that's my best game. Wonder how long this will remain fun if I continue not to cash??? WCOOP Event #4: Shorthanded PLHE Thursday, September 08, 2005 Shorthanded equals action. I got down to T1,000 from my starting T2,500, then got 60 percent of my remaining stack in with AK on a flop of KQ7. The turn came queen and we got the rest in. He had K7 (yes, he opened and called a reraise with that hand preflop). Then I got a guy all-in for T1,200 or so with T7 against AcQc (blind-on-blind, he forgot to raise preflop) on a flop of J98 with two clubs. Club came and I was down to about T1,000 again. Then I doubled up against the K7 guy with 77 against his T7s on a flop of JT7. Then I got it all-in with AsKs preflop against the AcQc guy. This time he had AA. But I rivered a flush and got to about T4,000. I got knocked down about T700 when I got it in against a short stack with KJ against QTs and he rivered a queen. I still managed to work my chips up to T6,000 when I got T1,600 of them in with AK against TT. A ten flopped. I lost some more hands and was down to T3,000 when I raised a couple of limpers with AA. One of them called, and we got everything in on a flop of 643. He had 77, turned a five, and IGHN. Rebuys tomorrow! WCOOP Event #3: Heads-Up No Limit Hold 'Em Tuesday, September 06, 2005 Not much to report here. I went out in the first round. No real interesting hands. I lost the minimum with 58 against 78 on a 5695x board. I busted when I moved in with an open-ender against pocket aces, turned a flush draw to go with it, and missed it all. Oh well. Tomorrow is the shorthanded Pot Limit Hold 'Em tournament--the third event in a row offered by WCOOP that is almost impossible to find on the circuit. I'd like to motion for Stars to offer a second WCOOP-style event at some other time of the year. Maybe after Bahamas but before WSOP? Losing money has never been this much fun. WCOOP Event #2: PLO with rebuys Tuesday, September 06, 2005 The WCOOP structure is great to begin with. Throw in the rebuys and we had just a ton of chips to play with in this event. After the first break the average stack was 160 big blinds. Even deep into the money the average stack was still above 20 big blinds. PLO is a much better game with deep stacks. With real money to wager on every street, you can get very creative. I had to rebuy once, after my initial automatic rebuy, when I got some money in with AAJ4 on a flop of J43, and got the rest in when the turn was an eight. My opponent had J864. Bah. I doubled up later with a wrap draw plus flush draw against top set (I was actually almost a 60-40 favorite!). Then I got it in with JTTx against KKxx blind-on-blind on a board of 988 after he mini-reraised me preflop. Turn came queen and I busted him. Way to trap me, sir. At that point I was at about T51,000. I went down to T30,000 after a semi-bluff ran into a set and missed. I worked that back up to T60,000. Then I opened in late position with 88s42. (Yes, I know that's a piece of junk.) I got called by both blinds and the flop came AT8. They checked, I potted, the small blind called. The turn came five, no suits. He checked, I set him all-in for a pot-sized bet. He called with AAxx. I know that I didn't have a nut hand here, but I had some good reasons for following through with a turn bet, and I really think this was just unfortunate. Of course, I didn't have to open the hand to begin with, but I knew the risks going in. I play an aggressive style, and if I had to do the whole thing again, I don't think I'd do it any different. I busted in 113th place (973 starters, 81 paid) by trying to pick up a limped pot preflop, getting called, and losing the showdown. Such is Omaha. I've gotta say, it was the most fun I've had playing poker in a while. Tomorrow, heads-up. Man, I love WCOOP. Vacation Over, WCOOP begins Monday, September 05, 2005 After a week off from poker, I was super-excited for event number one of the WCOOP; and indeed I am still super-excited for the rest of the WCOOP. A big event with a great structure every day--it's a tournament player's dream. Also, it looks like I'm going to be doing some commentating for some WCOOP final tables at PokerTalkShow. I'll keep everyone posted with the details. Unfortunately the first WCOOP event didn't go as I hoped it would, as I took AKs up against KK fairly early and lost a good chunk of my stack. I then busted with JT v QT on a board of J98x. Still, things are looking good. The prize pool for Event #1 was $1.531 million. Wow. I can only imagine what other fields they're going to get along the way. I busted with about 600 players left on Party, but I managed to break even for the day by finishing 13th on--you guessed it!--Dise. For those counting, that's eight cashes in 21 tries at the Sunday Dise tournament this year. Tomorrow is the PLO rebuy event at WCOOP. I better gear up for this $200 buy-in tournament by playing some $10-$20 blind cash games, where I could easily lose $8,000 or more in one session. Bet update: was on vacation this week, and didn't play any hands. Total this week, $0. Overall total, +$45,882.  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