The most absurd and reckless aspirations have sometimes led to extraordinary success. – Marquis De Vauvenargues
A 6-bet bluff for $1.4 million - some might call it a blow up, some might call it a meltdown, others may call it “baller” and 5th level thinking, but I call it unfortunate. Cheong appeared to be the best player and he was proving it by outplaying the rest of the table. He was a lock to get heads up with Duhamel and I think he had the skill advantage. It seemed as though the tournament was his to lose. And, lose it he did. Perhaps, it was impatience. Perhaps, it was hubris. Perhaps, it was simply his youth. Recklessness is one of the follies of youth, a momentary but costly lapse of judgment, a fleeting failure to keep the big picture in focus, maybe a consuming but false sense of invincibility. Regardless of what we call it, he cost himself $1,415,876. I think that amount by itself is larger than any of his previous tournament wins and that being the case, it wasn’t a smart play.
He didn’t need to 6-bet bluff there. He could have found a better spot. What did Cheong think Duhamel’s 5-bet range was? Surely not much that was behind A-7 offsuit? Cheong began the hand with the chip lead and approximately 75BBs (Racener approx. 30BBs and Duhamel approx. 70BBs). Why force that type of action until Racener was out? I think this is a spot where his youth did not serve him well. Cheong had already proven to be an extremely talented player and he seemed to know he was more than a match for Duhamel. Why forfeit one’s hard earned advantage so rashly? Despite his amazing talent and razor sharp poker mind, he made a play that was absolutely unnecessary and it proved to be his undoing. On the other hand, congrats to Racener for his patience (it worked well for Hachem, too). I am now rooting or Racener but I have to give it to Duhamel, he has played better than I expected him to.
Fellow old guys pay attention; this may be the Achilles’ heel of these young guns, the sick aggression that seems to give them the advantage may be offset by the recklessness of their youth. Now, how to put that to good use?
Showing posts with label WSOP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WSOP. Show all posts
Monday, November 8, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Welcome to the Future
For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future. – John F. Kennedy
The common perception of poker used to be a table full of old guys, smoking, cussing, and looking surly. Now, it is a table full of 20-somethings that can probably barely muster a decent beard wearing hoodies, baseball caps, and shades. The torch is being passed. That seems clear - just look at all the young guys winning (in general) and the fact that this is the youngest Main Event final table in history. Does anyone honestly think we are ever going to see Doyle or any of his ilk at a ME final table again? Sadly, I doubt if we will see Action Dan at the ME final table again, either. Unfortunatley, the ME field has gotten too big and the tourney become too long for them to be competitive. At least, the huge fields and television have helped usher in the anti-buffoonery rules of the last few years.
The Grinder is the only “name brand” pro still standing and even he is one of the new young guns to emerge since the boom (but at least we won’t have to hear the suits bemoaning the lack of a big name pro at the table). I am not really familiar with the Grinder’s game but even if he were on Ivey’s level – which I am not prepared to say, he has a tough road ahead. In any case, I am still not convinced that having a “name brand” pro win the ME would help poker in general. Maybe it would help ESPN and Harrah’s, but the actual poker community? Nothing brings in more prospective players (and dead money) to the ME than the knowledge that the field is full of amateurs (probably a higher amateur to pro ratio than any other big buy in tournament) and the fact that the biggest payday around can be won (and has been won) by amateur players.
I don’t know who will win but I don’t think it will be the Grinder or the 37 year old amateur. I think it will be one of the internet whiz kids that take it all. Hopefully, it will be one with a lot of class and savvy. A guy that could help bring legitimacy and positive attention to young poker players. Joseph Cheong has looked pretty good from what I have seen on ESPN and handled himself with class on a brutal televised suckout. I also like the way Jason Senti has handled himself. If I had to pick someone to win, it would be one of those two. Racener would be OK and has played well, too, but his disheveled look and ostentatious gum chewing isn’t endearing him to the tv audience. Candio or Duhamel would probably be the two I least want to win.
We might as well get used to seeing all these youngsters. They represent what the near future of poker will look like and are a fantastic source of new enthusiasm and thinking for our beloved game.
The common perception of poker used to be a table full of old guys, smoking, cussing, and looking surly. Now, it is a table full of 20-somethings that can probably barely muster a decent beard wearing hoodies, baseball caps, and shades. The torch is being passed. That seems clear - just look at all the young guys winning (in general) and the fact that this is the youngest Main Event final table in history. Does anyone honestly think we are ever going to see Doyle or any of his ilk at a ME final table again? Sadly, I doubt if we will see Action Dan at the ME final table again, either. Unfortunatley, the ME field has gotten too big and the tourney become too long for them to be competitive. At least, the huge fields and television have helped usher in the anti-buffoonery rules of the last few years.
The Grinder is the only “name brand” pro still standing and even he is one of the new young guns to emerge since the boom (but at least we won’t have to hear the suits bemoaning the lack of a big name pro at the table). I am not really familiar with the Grinder’s game but even if he were on Ivey’s level – which I am not prepared to say, he has a tough road ahead. In any case, I am still not convinced that having a “name brand” pro win the ME would help poker in general. Maybe it would help ESPN and Harrah’s, but the actual poker community? Nothing brings in more prospective players (and dead money) to the ME than the knowledge that the field is full of amateurs (probably a higher amateur to pro ratio than any other big buy in tournament) and the fact that the biggest payday around can be won (and has been won) by amateur players.
I don’t know who will win but I don’t think it will be the Grinder or the 37 year old amateur. I think it will be one of the internet whiz kids that take it all. Hopefully, it will be one with a lot of class and savvy. A guy that could help bring legitimacy and positive attention to young poker players. Joseph Cheong has looked pretty good from what I have seen on ESPN and handled himself with class on a brutal televised suckout. I also like the way Jason Senti has handled himself. If I had to pick someone to win, it would be one of those two. Racener would be OK and has played well, too, but his disheveled look and ostentatious gum chewing isn’t endearing him to the tv audience. Candio or Duhamel would probably be the two I least want to win.
We might as well get used to seeing all these youngsters. They represent what the near future of poker will look like and are a fantastic source of new enthusiasm and thinking for our beloved game.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Poker Blogger Foucault on TV
Tardiness often robs us opportunity. – Niccolo Machiavelli
Sorry for the late report but I just watched my DVR recording of the Tuesday night ESPN WSOP broadcast last night.
Check out Foucault (AKA - Andrew Brokos) on TV at the World Series of Poker!
Too bad they didn’t mention his blog or that he is a blogger.
Congrats, Foucault!
Sorry for the late report but I just watched my DVR recording of the Tuesday night ESPN WSOP broadcast last night.
Check out Foucault (AKA - Andrew Brokos) on TV at the World Series of Poker!
Too bad they didn’t mention his blog or that he is a blogger.
Congrats, Foucault!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Foucault - FTW!
The longer you play, the better chance the better player has of winning – Jack Nicklaus
A fellow poker blogger (and philosopher) is making another deep run in the Worlds Series of Poker, Main Event. In case you haven’t heard of him yet, please allow me to introduce Foucault, the blogger, the man.
He is a regular contributor at Poker Saavy and 2+2 Magazine. He also posts on 2+2 forums. On his blog, he has written some insightful book reviews and also has a lot of great content.
He finished the 2008 WSOP Main Event in 35th. I wrote about it here.
This guy is smart and sick, yet disarmingly unassuming - a classy guy in every respect. His low key manner but aggressive style remind me of another guy with those characteristics - Allen Cunningham.
I have followed Foucault’s blog for years now and I would hate to have him at my table.
It’s time for a poker blogger to win it all. Good luck, my friend!
UPDATE: He finished in 87th for a very nice cash. Congratulations, Foucault!
A fellow poker blogger (and philosopher) is making another deep run in the Worlds Series of Poker, Main Event. In case you haven’t heard of him yet, please allow me to introduce Foucault, the blogger, the man.
He is a regular contributor at Poker Saavy and 2+2 Magazine. He also posts on 2+2 forums. On his blog, he has written some insightful book reviews and also has a lot of great content.
He finished the 2008 WSOP Main Event in 35th. I wrote about it here.
This guy is smart and sick, yet disarmingly unassuming - a classy guy in every respect. His low key manner but aggressive style remind me of another guy with those characteristics - Allen Cunningham.
I have followed Foucault’s blog for years now and I would hate to have him at my table.
It’s time for a poker blogger to win it all. Good luck, my friend!
UPDATE: He finished in 87th for a very nice cash. Congratulations, Foucault!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Darvin Moon FTW!
Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints for your ultimate achievements. - Napoleon Hill
Go Darvin! While I have nothing against Joe Cada and also wish him well, I am pulling for the Moon Man.
While we hear a lot about the recent influx of young talent, and there is certainly no disputing the volume of young players we are currently experiencing nor many of their recent accomplishments, poker is an old guys game. Poker is about outsmarting/outlasting/outthinking/outplaying your opponents while sitting across a table - and that is what old guys do. It is what old guys have been doing for a long time. When knowledge, experience, wisdom, and cunning are what's needed, you need an old guy. Old guys are no match for young guys in football, baseball, basketball, etc. Those games are about physical strength and stamina first, and mental strength and stamina second. Poker is the other way around. Old guys are supposed to beat young guys at poker.
Besides, if Joe Cada does not win, it isn't going to slow down the onslaught of young guns at all. They will continue to pour in by the thousands and that is fine. Nothing is likely to deter that and we wouldn't want anything to do so. However, what is going to keep the older amateurs rolling in? Thousands of regular guys buy in every year and are often considered "dead money". However, year after year, one of them rises to the top despite the prevailing notion that they never had a chance. That is good for poker in general and also good for the World Series of Poker. A win by Moon perpetuates the rags to riches dream of an everyman. A regular guy that plays poker with buddies rather than for a living who goes to the WSOP and wins it all or at least comes close. Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Steve Dannenman, Jerry Yang, Dennis Phillips, and Darvin Moon are all great for the game in the sense that they truly keep the dream alive.
Go Darvin! While I have nothing against Joe Cada and also wish him well, I am pulling for the Moon Man.
While we hear a lot about the recent influx of young talent, and there is certainly no disputing the volume of young players we are currently experiencing nor many of their recent accomplishments, poker is an old guys game. Poker is about outsmarting/outlasting/outthinking/outplaying your opponents while sitting across a table - and that is what old guys do. It is what old guys have been doing for a long time. When knowledge, experience, wisdom, and cunning are what's needed, you need an old guy. Old guys are no match for young guys in football, baseball, basketball, etc. Those games are about physical strength and stamina first, and mental strength and stamina second. Poker is the other way around. Old guys are supposed to beat young guys at poker.
Besides, if Joe Cada does not win, it isn't going to slow down the onslaught of young guns at all. They will continue to pour in by the thousands and that is fine. Nothing is likely to deter that and we wouldn't want anything to do so. However, what is going to keep the older amateurs rolling in? Thousands of regular guys buy in every year and are often considered "dead money". However, year after year, one of them rises to the top despite the prevailing notion that they never had a chance. That is good for poker in general and also good for the World Series of Poker. A win by Moon perpetuates the rags to riches dream of an everyman. A regular guy that plays poker with buddies rather than for a living who goes to the WSOP and wins it all or at least comes close. Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Steve Dannenman, Jerry Yang, Dennis Phillips, and Darvin Moon are all great for the game in the sense that they truly keep the dream alive.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Good Luck, Mr. Ivey
Logic: the art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding. – Ambrose Bierce
All of the poker community, much of Las Vegas, and plenty of other folks are “a twitter” over Phil Ivey making the Nov 9. He is popular, photogenic, well known, highly marketable, etc., etc.
I admire Ivey, too. He is actually good at poker and he is not an ace-hole when on camera.
I would love to see him win and I sincerely wish him the best of luck. Perhaps he could usher in the next poker boom.
However, I don’t think he is likely to win. We have all witnessed plenty of well known players make the final table and fall short of winning. At the risk of stating the obvious, he is one of the short stacks. For him to win, he will likely need to either get really good cards or play very carefully until he can get it heads up or three way with one or two remaining amateurs. Think of when Joe Hachem won. With seven players left, he was the short stack at one point but he never went crazy. He played very patiently for approximately 12 hours and it served him well. The bigger stacks kept pummeling one another and he mostly avoided getting involved. He picked up a pot here or there but basically seemed to stay out of the way until all of a sudden, about 4:30am, he was the chip leader with four players left. He continued to let the other players self implode and when the smoke cleared, he was heads up against the lone remaining amateur.
He then (not surprisingly) went on to win the world championship. IMHO, this is the strategy that would give Ivey the best chance of winning.
However, I have seen him reach numerous final tables on the WPT and he is always one of the most aggressive players at the table. That worked well for Jerry Yang but that style of play has caused Ivey to be knocked out relatively early at most of the final tables I have seen him at. If he plays like that in November, I think it will be exceptionally challenging for him to win. He has said in the past that he is out to win the event and is not worried about the money. That is why he “goes for it” at those final tables. I hope he will mix up his playing style and remember that no one can win when there is still a table full of players. Even if he doesn’t win, I think it will greatly enhance the entertainment value of watching the WSOP Main Event if Phil Ivey is one of the last players to be eliminated.
All of the poker community, much of Las Vegas, and plenty of other folks are “a twitter” over Phil Ivey making the Nov 9. He is popular, photogenic, well known, highly marketable, etc., etc.
I admire Ivey, too. He is actually good at poker and he is not an ace-hole when on camera.
I would love to see him win and I sincerely wish him the best of luck. Perhaps he could usher in the next poker boom.
However, I don’t think he is likely to win. We have all witnessed plenty of well known players make the final table and fall short of winning. At the risk of stating the obvious, he is one of the short stacks. For him to win, he will likely need to either get really good cards or play very carefully until he can get it heads up or three way with one or two remaining amateurs. Think of when Joe Hachem won. With seven players left, he was the short stack at one point but he never went crazy. He played very patiently for approximately 12 hours and it served him well. The bigger stacks kept pummeling one another and he mostly avoided getting involved. He picked up a pot here or there but basically seemed to stay out of the way until all of a sudden, about 4:30am, he was the chip leader with four players left. He continued to let the other players self implode and when the smoke cleared, he was heads up against the lone remaining amateur.
He then (not surprisingly) went on to win the world championship. IMHO, this is the strategy that would give Ivey the best chance of winning.
However, I have seen him reach numerous final tables on the WPT and he is always one of the most aggressive players at the table. That worked well for Jerry Yang but that style of play has caused Ivey to be knocked out relatively early at most of the final tables I have seen him at. If he plays like that in November, I think it will be exceptionally challenging for him to win. He has said in the past that he is out to win the event and is not worried about the money. That is why he “goes for it” at those final tables. I hope he will mix up his playing style and remember that no one can win when there is still a table full of players. Even if he doesn’t win, I think it will greatly enhance the entertainment value of watching the WSOP Main Event if Phil Ivey is one of the last players to be eliminated.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Whine Regarding the Nine
The gambling known as business looks with austere disfavor upon the business known as gambling. - Ambrose Bierce
Many poker insiders, bloggers, and so forth are lamenting the fact that the November Nine (i.e. final table of the 2008 Main Event) are not well known entities or established pros within the industry. Back in 2003, no one had ever heard of Chris Moneymaker.
However, the poker world would never be the same again after the previously unknown Moneymaker won. No big name has won it since and yet, it just keeps growing and growing. Guys like Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem that are now household names were unknown before winning the Main Event. It will be the same this year, one or more of these nine will go from unknown to well known when the tournament is over. So what is all the whining about? The World Series of Poker creates new “brand name” pros every year that will continue to grow the pantheon of poker legends well into the future. That is a good thing and keeps the pool of marketable pros from becoming stagnant. The WSOP is such a “brand name" now that it will never again matter if a pro wins it or not. The thing that has become the Main Event will live on and on. In fact, I think it encourages more amateurs and would-be semi-pros to play BECAUSE an amateur seems to win every year. Nothing could be worse than for all the amateurs to begin to think that only a real pro could win the thing. Why do we need or want some well known poker pro to win? If they are already well known, the only folks that really benefit are the WSOP and ESPN. It doesn’t make the prize pool any bigger, it doesn’t net the dealers any bigger tip, it doesn’t change the volume of entrants, sure more people might watch it on television but I think they will watch anyway. I love the “democratization” of the whole thing and that an “everyman” or “regular guy” will probably win. C’mon, does anyone really want to see someone like Hellmuth or Matusow win the Main Event? I sure don’t. I don’t even want any of the supposedly well known “internet pros” to win it. I definitely don’t want to see someone that is already a millionaire win it. I would much rather see Iggy or the Poker Philospher or some other blogger win the tournament. There is already a superabundance of the “rich get richer” phenomena in this country. Let’s watch a non-rich guy/non-pro win the thing and celebrate his success along with him all the while thinking…..next year…that guy could be someone I know or, even better yet, me.
Many poker insiders, bloggers, and so forth are lamenting the fact that the November Nine (i.e. final table of the 2008 Main Event) are not well known entities or established pros within the industry. Back in 2003, no one had ever heard of Chris Moneymaker.
However, the poker world would never be the same again after the previously unknown Moneymaker won. No big name has won it since and yet, it just keeps growing and growing. Guys like Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem that are now household names were unknown before winning the Main Event. It will be the same this year, one or more of these nine will go from unknown to well known when the tournament is over. So what is all the whining about? The World Series of Poker creates new “brand name” pros every year that will continue to grow the pantheon of poker legends well into the future. That is a good thing and keeps the pool of marketable pros from becoming stagnant. The WSOP is such a “brand name" now that it will never again matter if a pro wins it or not. The thing that has become the Main Event will live on and on. In fact, I think it encourages more amateurs and would-be semi-pros to play BECAUSE an amateur seems to win every year. Nothing could be worse than for all the amateurs to begin to think that only a real pro could win the thing. Why do we need or want some well known poker pro to win? If they are already well known, the only folks that really benefit are the WSOP and ESPN. It doesn’t make the prize pool any bigger, it doesn’t net the dealers any bigger tip, it doesn’t change the volume of entrants, sure more people might watch it on television but I think they will watch anyway. I love the “democratization” of the whole thing and that an “everyman” or “regular guy” will probably win. C’mon, does anyone really want to see someone like Hellmuth or Matusow win the Main Event? I sure don’t. I don’t even want any of the supposedly well known “internet pros” to win it. I definitely don’t want to see someone that is already a millionaire win it. I would much rather see Iggy or the Poker Philospher or some other blogger win the tournament. There is already a superabundance of the “rich get richer” phenomena in this country. Let’s watch a non-rich guy/non-pro win the thing and celebrate his success along with him all the while thinking…..next year…that guy could be someone I know or, even better yet, me.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Congratulations to the Poker Philosopher and Iggy
One secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. - Benjamin Disraeli
6,844 players entered the Main Event of the WSOP and two of our very own poker blogging brethren cashed.
I know the whole blogosphere is buzzing with the news of Iggy’s performance in the Main Event. However, another guy that deserves some kudos, as well as, respect is the Poker Philosopher.
He made a heck of a run this year but, unfortunately, was eliminated in 35th place, still not too shabby. I have been a reader and fan of both Iggy’s blog and Foucault’s (a.k.a. the Poker Philosopher) blog for a long time so it is great to see them both make a good run.
They both won their seats on PokerStars and then proceeded to go to the biggest poker tournament on Earth, the World Series of Poker - Main Event in Las Vegas, and stake their claim to a share of the big money.
Talk about living the dream.
Nice work, guys. Very nice, indeed.
6,844 players entered the Main Event of the WSOP and two of our very own poker blogging brethren cashed.
I know the whole blogosphere is buzzing with the news of Iggy’s performance in the Main Event. However, another guy that deserves some kudos, as well as, respect is the Poker Philosopher.
He made a heck of a run this year but, unfortunately, was eliminated in 35th place, still not too shabby. I have been a reader and fan of both Iggy’s blog and Foucault’s (a.k.a. the Poker Philosopher) blog for a long time so it is great to see them both make a good run.
They both won their seats on PokerStars and then proceeded to go to the biggest poker tournament on Earth, the World Series of Poker - Main Event in Las Vegas, and stake their claim to a share of the big money.
Talk about living the dream.
Nice work, guys. Very nice, indeed.
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